Or Red Hulk: What Happened Next.

Scorched Earth is essentially an exercise in tying up all the loose ends from Jeff Loeb’s initial Red Hulk storyline and setting the new Hulk off in a different direction. Loeb’s story is essentially played out with the revelation of the Red Hulk’s secret identity, the rest is just plot. Jeff Parker finds the character a purpose; the old soldier Thunderbolt Ross, now freed of the plans of MODOK and The Leader, is true to himself by turning his powers in service of his country. His first mission is to defeat the Scorched Earth project, the backup plan left from their Red Hulk plot – apparently if AIM cannot have the world it will destroy it.

What follows is a series of entertaining fights between the Red Hulk and some of Marvel’s heaviest hitters who all want a piece of Red Hulk for their own reasons. The test, of course, is whether Ross’s sense of patriotism keeps him on the straight and narrow. Whilst the outcome’s never really in doubt this is at least an interesting new wrinkle on how the Hulk powers might affect a person and outlines a few possibilities for the character’s future. As a bonus it provides a delicious final twist which puts a new perspective on previous events.

The volume’s padded out with a one part scrap with Xemnu which involves both Hulks merging. It’s inconsequential, but decent character material. This may be standard Hulk fare of big fights with melancholy character interludes, but it’s a superior, entertaining version of it. ( )