The Incredible Hulk [2023] #5 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 5, December 2023

Considering the sheer size of the malevolent swamp siren confronted by this comic’s titular anti-hero, some Hulk-heads may well have been anticipating “an epic brawl” between the Jade Giant, Man-Thing and the formidably-strong, multi-limbed, Floridan monstrosity. But whilst that may well arguably be the case, much of the battle’s impact is disappointingly lost as a result of Travel Foreman’s crude drawing style. In fact, many of this twenty-page-periodical’s harsher critics might even go so far as to suggest that the Honolulu-born artist’s inexpert illustrations wouldn’t look out of place inside an adolescent’s homemade fanzine rather than within the cover of a magazine produced by the current “comic book specialty market's top publisher.”

This disconcerting visualisation of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s script also debatably distracts the reader from emotionally connecting with poor Charlie Tidwell, when the young girl relives the trauma of her ‘baby’ brother Earl dying at the hands of their abusive father. Charny’s despair is so tragically deep that it actually forces the onlooking Defender to painfully revert back to Bruce Banner. Yet due to the quality of the layouts any perusing bibliophile may well struggle to find even the smallest amount of sympathy for the unsatisfactorily sketched schoolboy's second demise; “If I wasn’t so… so clumsy, maybe he wouldn’t’ve… sniff. You didn’t even do anything…”

Perhaps this book’s biggest mystery though lies in precisely what threat the siren poses to the Nexus of Realities. Ted Sallis is very clear that the “mindless avatar of hatred and grief” is both “old and angry”. However, Man-Thing never explains how the wretched creature is physically threatening the cross-dimensional gateway, and eventually just resorts to informing an unconvinced Hulk that if the founding Avenger doesn’t help him, it’ll eat the Green Goliath’s unlikely companion. 

Somewhat more successfully delivered is this comic’s “backup story featuring a surprise guest character to honour Latin and Latinx characters and creators!” Penned by Vita Ayala, this unlikely fist-fight between the “World-Breaker” and Victor Alvarez initially appears to be little more than a staged set-piece to show-off Power Man’s impressive Chi-manipulating super-powers. However, once the Hero-For-Hire passes out and is temporarily cared for by the Hulk’s somewhat emaciated alter-ego, the storyline quickly transforms into a tolerable tale which focuses upon “Goggles” insecurities about being “nothing but a bootleg copy of a C-lister…”

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #5 by Nic Klein