I don’t think I’ve ever read quite an overwritten comic book. Mantlo’s endless expository narration is, no pun intended, incredible. It’s not well-written narration–it does get better after a while, once he’s done introducing guest stars (I’m pretty sure he retcons out Daredevil getting doused in radioactive goo).
The story–if the issue has a story–is the Hulk going nuts and destroying New York City and everyone trying to stop him. It ends with Dr. Strange exiling him to live between worlds… or somewhere along those lines. It’s not an all action issue in the modern sense, since those read in four minutes at the most. With Mantlo’s narration, this issue is a time commitment.
Luckily, there’s Sal Buscema to pull it together. There’s occasional awkwardness in the art, but Buscema’s design–his panel composition–is wondrous. This comic book moves; with that narration, it has to.
