The Incredible Hulk [2023] #19 - Marvel Comics [Part One]

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 19, January 2025

For those fans anticipating something sensational from the pen of Phillip Kennedy Johnson for this celebratory eight hundredth “Hulk-size issue”, his twenty-four page script depicting “the newly resurrected Charlie Tidwell” as a winged werewolf was probably the last thing they expected. True, the subsequent battle between the runaway lycanthrope and all-powerful Eldest is certainly pulse-pounding. But considering the sheer girth of this publication it’s probably a good bet many readers were expecting a tad more than the titular character simply showing up at the last moment to beat the ancient antagonist with just a couple of blows; “Wretched little thief. My darling Lycana would never have chosen you as her --”

In addition, quite a few within this comic’s audience were probably scratching their heads in bewilderment at the American author’s bizarre opening, which has quite significantly moved events on from where the previous instalment finished. This ‘time jump’ is arguably partially explained in the writer’s summary of events at the very start of the book. However, his scribblings don’t really prepare any onlooker for the sight of Bruce Banner and his strangely emaciated, grey-hued alter-ego suddenly appearing as a sedentary, shrub-like gestalt entity – whose heart-shaped fruit is ferociously feasted upon by a gaggle of demonic Skinwalkers.

Possibly making matters even worse though is that the founding Avenger is largely not even seen in his own commemorative comic book. Instead, this publication’s Eisner-nominated writer relegates the “World-Breaker” to an impotent observer of his young side-kick’s rather painful-looking transformation into a fearsomely-fanged, furry fiend, and only finally intercedes on Charlie’s behalf when it becomes clear that the ‘wannabe heroine’ is badly outmatched by the towering demonic entity which she’s bravely battling.

Fortunately, all these monsters metamorphosing into even more ferocious creatures and then tearing great big gory chunks of flesh out of one another, is probably what artists Nic Klein and Danny Earls are best at pencilling. The creative duo are clearly doing their upmost with Johnson’s somewhat puzzling plot, and despite its disconcerting deficiencies, do a first-rate job of trying to immerse any perusing bibliophile with their mesmerising illustrations and mind-bogglingly good dynamically-charged double-splashes.

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #19 by Nic Klein