The Immortal Hulk #6 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 6, November 2018

Despite “Marvel Worldwide” stating at its time of printing that this twenty-page periodical supposedly sported the start of “The Green Door” storyline, it is difficult to believe many readers of “The Immortal Hulk” were particularly enamoured with Al Ewing’s lack-lustre visit behind the walls of “the mysterious Shadow Base”. Indeed, with the exception of a conscientious monitor who is ordered to have their “implant procedures reversed by 0600” so as to “report to sanitation for a mop”, little in the way of either excitement or interest arguably occurs throughout the entire publication.

Admittedly, the brief cameo by Alpha Flight within which General Reginald Fortean demands the extradition of Walter Langowski so as terminate him via death by “lethal injection”, as well as the subsequent confrontation between Colonel Carol Danvers and Bruce Banner on a deserted night-time Iowa roadside, certainly bodes well for this series’ future instalment. But such dialogue-heavy sequences debatably do little for Issue Six of “The Immortal Hulk” except establish the comic as nothing more than a disappointing ‘filler’ packed full of Captain Marvel’s prevarications concerning the Avengers being on hand not “to hurt you, Bruce” and General "Thunderbolt" Ross’s trusted second-in-command pontificating as to the dangers of even remotely caring about the innocent bystanders who “have all given aid and comfort to the Hulk.”

In fact, in many ways the "2000 A.D." writer’s narrative for “Action/Reaction” consists of the author simply penning a somewhat never-ending procession of panels featuring or mentioning almost everyone (and anyone) who has ever previously come to note as a secondary cast member within the Green Goliath’s previous tales, such as Jackie McGee, Betty Ross, Leonard Samson, Amadeus Cho, Rick Jones, Jennifer Walters, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Whilst "the soft-spoken bearded Brit" simultaneously introduces a bewildering number of his own characters from deep inside the United States Hulk Operations secret headquarters; “I seem to remember the Great America Public wasn’t too thrilled with how Gamma Base was run back in the day. If they knew about Shadow Base…”

Questionably this comic’s greatest frustration though has to be the pencilling of “Lovely” Lee Garbett, whose scratchy-styled drawings are shockingly very much to Ewing’s liking, according to the book’s letters page. Described by Al in his “Gamma-Grams” foreword as someone “I’ve been wanting to do something with… since our Loki: Agent of Asgard days”, it is hard to imagine just how poor this title’s “first full-issue guest artist” must have been whilst illustrating the God of Mischief’s magazine if “his art’s taken a quantum leap into new levels of gorgeousness since…”

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 6 by Alex Ross

Amazing X-Men #10 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING X-MEN No. 10, October 2014

Containing plenty of action-packed dramatics, such as a seemingly one-sided battle between Rockslide and a Wendigo-infected Wolverine, in addition to some extensive cameos by the Avengers and Doctor Strange, it’s probably hard to imagine that the majority of this comic’s 36,405 readers weren’t satisfied with Craig Kyle and Chris Yost’s co-writing for Issue Ten of “Amazing X-Men”. Indeed, this furiously-paced third instalment to their “World War Wendigo!” narrative even goes so far as to feature a much-anticipated appearance by the (original) Alpha Flight members Guardian, Snowbird, Aurora and Sasquatch. Yet, for all the penning pair’s plans to make the much beloved characters within this twenty-page periodical “shine”, the disconcertingly haphazard nature of the collaborative creative team’s choppy storytelling arguably leads to a good deal of confusion as to just when within the plot’s timeline the depicted events actually take place and dispels much of the magic “the great hook” of a Wendigo plague creates.

So confusingly cluttered a chronology proves particularly painful on account of the comic’s promisingly explosive beginning, which depicts an exhausted and badly-beaten Northstar impotently staring up from the bottom of a crater at “some foul-smelling monster[s]” waiting to be eaten alive along with an unconscious young girl he was apparently trying to rescue. This thoroughly-enthralling splash illustration would arguably instantly draw any perusing bibliophile into the book, but it is then disconcertingly followed by an entirely different battle sequence involving a much-more formidable-looking Jean-Paul Beaubier “twenty minutes earlier…”

Admittedly these subsequent panels at least provide some explanation as to how the super-fast mutant came to be flying with a child in his arms, but disappointingly they are almost immediately replaced by a mass exodus of citizens across the U.S./Canada Border and then just as fleetingly abrupt, a trip to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Stephen Strange in Green Village, New York; “This is distasteful… It feels like retreat.” In fact, events don’t seem to really catch-up to the present day until halfway through the magazine, and then James MacDonald Hudson confuses the continuum once more by ‘flashbacking’ to a time when Shaman was able to trace the outbreak to “a meat packing plant [that] distributed tainted meat across the region.”

Such peaks and troughs within the comic’s plotting is, sorrowfully, mirrored by the inconsistent breakdowns of Carlo Barberi and Iban Coello, which prove wonderfully dynamic one moment and then amateurishly poor the next. It’s certainly hard to become enthralled in so irregular a tale when popular super-heroes like Sasquatch and Captain America are noticeably different in physical appearance dependent upon which artist has drawn them…

Writers: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost, and Pencilers: Carlo Barberi & Iban Coello

Amazing X-Men #9 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING X-MEN No. 9, September 2014

Whilst it’s somewhat clear from a creative perspective as to just why collaborators Craig Kyle and Chris Yost penned the script for Issue Nine of “Amazing X-Men” to flit along its “World War Wendigo” timeline, it’s doubtful many of this title’s 40,562 strong audience appreciated it in July 2014. For although the narrative provides the comic with an introductory hook courtesy of its portrayal of the X-Men’s Blackbird unexpectedly crashing into a Canadian residential area "Forty Two hours after [the] initial outbreak”. The fact the book then takes its audience rapidly back in time to “one hour earlier…”, then “Fifty minutes ago”, “Forty minutes ago…”, “Four minutes ago”, “Three minutes ago”, and then “Two minutes ago…” within the space of a handful of pages arguably makes what follows both incomprehensible and unenjoyable.

Indeed despite depicting Wolverine bloodily raking the bodies of numerous Wendigos with his Adamantium claws, as well as the highly anticipated arrival of Alpha Flight’s Talisman and Puck, it seems highly unlikely that much entertainment was actually garnered by this magazine during its first reading as a result of its audience frequently having to turn back to previous panels in order to work out the storyline’s actual sequence of events. It’s certainly hard to appreciate the X-Men battling to save the life of a luckless Canadian pilot from the fangs of a horde of white-furred monsters or the unexpected cameo by Avengers Thor and Captain America, whilst having to repeatedly reread what has previously occurred before…

Fortunately once Kyle and Yost’s writing does finally start to portray ‘present proceedings’ and the Mutant super-team actually begin brutally battling the cannibalistic creatures en masse, the pace of this twenty-page periodical really takes off and contains some genuinely impressive punch-ups as the likes of Iceman, Storm and Firestar bring all their powers to bear upon the ferocious Wendigos. The “fan-favourite” authors even manage to end the comic on a cracking cliff-hanger as Elizabeth Twoyoungmen is potentially mortally wounded just as she is about to successfully cast “a powerful counterspell to the curse” which would suppress the infestation; “It’s happening… I can contain it, I feel it working, the spell is -- Hkk!”

Possibly also contributing to the initial confusion of this books’s opening half is Carlos Barberi unexpectedly taking over this story-arc’s pencilling duties, despite his predecessor illustrating the title's main cover. The former Mexican Independent Comics artist arguably provides something of a “seamless transition from Ed McGuinness’ work in the last issue” in the majority of his breakdowns. But seemingly struggles when it comes to depicting the likes of Colossus and Captain America.

The 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' variant cover art of "AMAZING X-MEN" No. 9 by Mike Perkins and Andy Troy

Amazing X-Men #8 - Marvel Comics

AMAZING X-MEN No. 8, August 2014

Featuring “the return of fan-favourite writing team Chris Yost and Craig Kyle to the X-Men universe” and containing a “big blockbuster movie” of a narrative that “doesn’t rely on what’s going on in the… vast tapestry of the Marvel Universe”, this opening instalment of the five-part “World War Wendigo!” story-arc must surely have reassured this comic book’s 41,613 readers that the title was firmly in the hands of a creative collaboration who simply “love these characters.” Indeed, with a script that consistently provides some unobtrusive exposition as to just who the characters involved are and what motivates them, Issue Eight of “Amazing X-Men” could arguably be seen as “an evergreen story” for those bibliophiles unfamiliar with the shenanigans of the Jean Grey School mutants; “So! I heard you were a wanted murderer and fugitive! How exciting! Are you still painting, too?”

Such accessibility does however, sadly result in the frequent co-workers’ initial storyline being contrivingly based upon Logan inexplicably taking “a few days” off and co-incidentally visiting Heather McDonald in Ottawa, Canada, just as her husband goes missing whilst “…on a run for Department H.” Roy Thomas’ co-creation even propitiously “brought his [yellow and blue spandex] party dress” with him so the super-powered couple can investigate Guardian’s disappearance together ‘fully suited-up.’     

These manufactured misgivings are though soon forgiven and forgotten once Wolverine and Vindicator uncover “a bare-bones natural disaster” involving a sleepy township infested with Wendigos, and desperately attempt to ensure that Alpha Flight and “the X-Men [are] right in the heat of it.” In fact the duo’s tentative investigation of the Forrest hamlet’s deserted streets and subsequent full-blown panicky flight for their lives through its nearby dense woodland, makes the second half of this twenty-page periodical absolutely fly by.

Adding to this “high profile project['s]” undoubted quality is “talented artist” Ed McGuinness and his “real clean [drawings], tight characters and action.” The Massachusetts-born penciller certainly seems to have been “determined to change” this publication from a “mid-tier” title with his terrific rendering of Heather, Guardian and the white-furred Canadian cannibals. Yet somewhat frustratingly proves slightly off-track with his sketching for Logan, when Weapon X is bare-headed.

Writers: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost, Penciler: Ed McGuinness and Inker: Mark Farmer