Part of an ongoing series revisiting graphic novels and collected editions from days gone by....

It's mostly a lot of fighting.

Curious after watching the first MCU appearance of the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World, I decided to pick up the first appearance of the Red Hulk in the comics. That turned out to be a six-issue miniseries collected in 2008, written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness.

A lot has changed since I last read the Hulk, it seems.

Bruce Banner, the original Hulk, is incarcerated. Tony Stark (Iron Man) is now in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rick Jones (who, if memory serves, was also a Hulk for a while) is now apparently a new version of the Abomination (going by "A-Bomb," unfortunately). And, as the story begins, the original Abomination has been found, brutally murdered, in Russia, where the local superheroes (Red Guardian, the Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major and Darkstar) resent the intrusion by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and their allies (She-Hulk, General Ross and Doc Samson) to investigate his death. They fight, of course, because that's what happens when superhero teams interact.

Back on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, the Red Hulk shows up out of nowhere and beats up poor She-Hulk. Red Hulk fights Iron Man, and totals the helicarrier. Then he fights A-Bomb, until the original Hulk (who breaks out of his safeguarded prison fairly easily) shows up. And they fight. (After Red Hulk suckerpunches the Watcher, who just happens to be in the vicinity, you know, watching.) Red Hulk beats up Hulk. Then, Red Hulk beats up Thor, and strands him on the moon.

And then Thor beats up Red Hulk, and Hulk beats up Red Hulk. What changed? Unclear.

The story ends with Red Hulk on the ground, unconscious, while General Ross and Doc Samson lament his inability to beat the Hulk. Hey, I thought they were trying to stop him! Curious.

So, who is the Red Hulk? Well, don't expect answers here. While the Hulk (in this version) is back to his childlike mentality and stronger-when-angrier mode, the Red Hulk is clever, intelligent, malevolent and -- well, he's not just content to beat things up, he prefers to kill, and he'll use guns to do so. (A gun-toting Hulk? Really?) So, who is he when he's not big and red and murderous? This book won't tell you. How was he created? No idea. Why is he red instead of green? They aren't saying. Why is his mentality and personality so different from Hulk's? Got me.

I guess it falls to later books to explain all the missing details. Hulk fans, have at it. This story didn't inspire me to seek out the answers.