The Immortal Hulk #19 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 19, August 2019

Absolutely chock full of some of the most harrowing death scenes and grisly demises arguably ever witnessed inside a “Marvel Worldwide” comic book, Al Ewing’s script for Issue Nineteen of “The Immortal Hulk” must have ‘blown away’ many of this ongoing series’ 88,100 fans in June 2019, and certainly shows just why the British author would “keep mentioning in interviews” the inspiration he took from John Carpenter’s 1982 science fiction horror film “The Thing” when penning this title. Indeed, such is the level of grotesque mutilation which occurs within this twenty-page periodical, chiefly the Hulk’s arm being painfully melted away by the Abomination’s digestive juices, that it is hard not to imagine the American filmmaker quietly whispering in the ear of artist Joe Bennett as each gore-soaked panel was being pencilled.

Surprisingly however, it isn’t just the buckets of intestines and internal organs being on show, which makes this publication so (pleasantly) horrific, but also the cold-hearted manner in which the likes of poor innocent Marge are straightforwardly dispatched, just as the hotel worker would appear to be safe and sound in the hands of her government’s agents. The woman’s heartless murder at the hands of General Reginald Fortean’s clean-up team is truly chilling, and resultantly makes the ruthless mercenaries’ subsequent deaths at the bird-like talons of the Harpy disconcertingly satisfying; “You -- You didn’t have to. I could have -- I don’t know, questioned them, exposed them --”

Similarly as shocking is the state of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego towards the end of this comic. Ewing rather cleverly takes all the attention away from the Hulk’s battle against the Abomination for the vast majority of this book, by predominantly focusing upon Jackie McGee’s investigation into Betty Ross’s fully-feathered transformation, and it is therefore not until the Harpy herself actually stumbles upon the green goliath’s disturbingly limbless husk that it becomes clear just how highly acidic Subject B’s projectile vomit actually is.

Impressively though, the former “2000 A.D.” writer leaves his best surprise for last, by having Ross turn upon her hapless ex-husband’s much maligned body to the utter astonishment of all who witness it. There’s almost a pathetic, child-like quality to the Hulk just before he is disembowelled, as the blind brute hears his former love’s voice and believes help is on the way, and this makes the savagery of the Harpy’s attack all the more jaw-dropping, as she literally carves him open and feasts upon his bloody flesh.

First published on the "Dawn of Comics" website.'

The variant cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 19 by Greg Smallwood