The Hulk - better or worse?

Hmmm...So at least two end-of-the-year newspaper writers - one from the Contra Costa Times and the other from the Times Union (Albany, NY) have proclaimed that the recent Hulk storyline (World War Hulk, I guess) is one of the top story arcs of 2007.

I guess so. I haven't read it myself, but I am puzzled by this. Here's a description I got from the Times Union: "This started almost three years ago, when Earth's superheroes decided they had enough of the violent and powerful Hulk, so they shot him off into deep space. The Hulk liberated the world he landed on and found a way back to Earth to declare war on everyone who crossed his path in World War Hulk. Well-plotted."

I'm sure this is oversimplyfying things, but it doesn't sound all that earth-shattering to me. It also sounds a bit like the storyline that began in Hulk 300. This, of course, was preceded by the Hulk gaining Bruce Banner's intellect, only to have that slowly slip away.

Then Dr. Strange banished the Hulk to some otherworldly dimension, where he was free to roam from planet to planet until he found something he liked. Since the Hulk in these stories was totally brutish and pretty much growled the whole time, finding that happiness was not likely to happen. There was also a "fail-safe" spell that would remove Hulk from any world once he tired of it.

Bill Mantlo wrote some very good stories exploring this plot device and made it interesting. Of course, it wasn't long before the Hulk returned to Earth, was written and drawn by John Byrne for six issues and then was turned over to master craftsman Peter David.

It would take me too long to list all the great plots and character development the Hulk underwent under David's reign as Hulk scribe. Suffice it to say that I have not been bowled over by any Hulk run since David was forced off the title.

The Bruce Jones stuff was interesting, and I was glad to see David return for some issues...but in my mind, even the less compelling Peter David Hulk stories were better than other people's best efforts. But I guess nothing lasts forever. I'll just be glad to have read those Peter David Hulk tales and figure that, maybe someday, someone will give us Hulk comics that are that good.

Or, really, any comics that are that good.