The Incredible Hulk [2023] #26 - Marvel Comics

THE INCREDIBLE HULK No. 26, August 2025

For any bibliophiles eagerly anticipating a pulse-pounding punch-up between this comic’s titular character and Bucky Barnes, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s storyline for Issue twenty Six of “Incredible Hulk” will probably prove downright discouraging. In fact, the Winter Soldier debatably barely contributes to this book’s overall narrative much at all, thanks to his battle being brought to an infuriatingly short end by Charlie Tidwell’s well-meaning intervention; “You’re… my hero, Bucky. You and Cap were my actual heroes. I wanted to be you since I was a little kid.”

Instead, the American author suddenly imbues the Green Goliath’s sidekick with the convenient ability to somehow enter the apocalyptic-looking Hulkscape in order to visit Bruce Banner’s heavily imprisoned persona. This quite lengthy sequence is debatably as uninteresting as the wilful adolescent’s new found ability is immensely opportune, and disappointingly doesn’t even show what manner of dreadful fate has actually befallen the gamma radiologist’s tortured identity.

What this apparently truly terrifying revelation is supposed to cause though, is for the “stalwart teenage companion” to inadvertently stick half her face into a roaring campfire in the real world, and then transform back into the winged werewolf form she acquired from the mother of all Skinwalkers, Lycana. Little of this frantic action arguably makes much sense, apart from the “kid” clearly not wishing to be a murderous monster, and may well leave many a reader gazing up into space dumbfounded by what they’ve seen – just as an utterly bemused Hulk does when Tidwell dramatically flies off into the night’s sky at this comic’s end.

Quite possibly also adding to much of this twenty-page periodical’s disappointing dullness are some of the layouts drawn by Kev Walker. The GLAAD Media Award-nominee’s pencilling really seems to be stretched beyond breaking point by this book’s script, thanks largely to the British illustrator apparently struggling to come to grips with a long-haired Hulk who doesn’t look plain dumb. Indeed, this publication would likely have proved far more pleasant to the eyes if the style used for the aforementioned Hulkscape segment, which appears to have been possibly painted rather than drawn, had been used throughout, rather than the harsh, somewhat cartoony visuals, which the artist is better known for.

The regular cover art of "THE INCREDIBLE HULK" #26 by Nic Klein