Marvel have been giving their individual titles a bit of breathing space recently, allowing the writers to explore some pretty cool new directions without the constrictions of regular crossover events. This has been a great benefit to the Hulk, who has been reframed from misunderstood anti-hero into a supernatural bogeyman in his new series The Immortal Hulk. As re-imagined by writer Al Ewing, Bruce Banner no longer turns into the Hulk when he’s angry. But if he dies, then the next night he is resurrected as The Immortal Hulk, and seeks his revenge on the wrong-doers and villains at hand. Which, as it happens, occurs pretty much every month.
At time of writing, 8 issues have come out, and it’s clear that Ewing has a larger picture in mind, but many of the chapters have been self-contained, so there’s been plenty of pay-off for the readers. The art by Joe Bennet is superb; relatively photo-realistic, it could easily be the storyboard for a Netflix TV show. Fans of gruesome body horror will find a lot to like here too, and certain sequences channel 80’s horror classics like Evil Dead II and The Re-Animator, with a hint of Twin Peaks weirdness thrown in.
Yes Banner has been relegated to being a supporting character in his own title, but a core theme seems to be the corrupting influence of evil, and so a supporting cast needs to be established in order to be corrupted. There are a few blockbuster cameos which loosely tie this dark tale into the wider Marvel Universe, and will hopefully appeal to fans of the current Marvel movie franchise. The spectacular covers are from superstar painter Alex Ross, which combined with the dark contents, make for a very satisfying package. The Immortal Hulk comes highly recommended!
