The Immortal Hulk #8 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 8, January 2019

Any Marvelites with a queasy stomach who happened to peruse Al Ewing’s gruesome opening to Issue Eight of “The Immortal Hulk” were probably feeling nauseous within the comic’s first few panels due to its narrative macabrely exploring the dissection of the Green Goliath’s heart straight “through the interventricular septum” with an adamantium scalpel. But for those unsettled "Hulk-Heads" able to stomach such mutilation, the British author’s script actually only gets worse as the criminally-minded Doctor Clive surrounds himself with all manner of the founding Avenger’s body parts, including a miraculously sentient head which soon demonstrates an horrific ability to mobilise its various dismembered limbs into a truly terrifying weapon against his captors.

Indeed, “His Hideous Heart” really does demonstrate to any lifelong fans of Stan Lee’s co-creation just how different a version of Bruce Banner’s alter-ego the “2000 A.D.” writer has created for this “new series”, with the gamma-grown monster’s internal organs beating and breathing as “good as new”, even though they’ve been crudely cut asunder and pickled in giant specimen jars which litter the numerous shelves of Shadow Base’s central laboratory; “I mean, look at you. Trying to talk with no air in your lungs. No lungs.”

Disappointingly however, arguably far less successfully penned by the “Squaxx Dek Thargo” are his fleeting visits to Alpha Flight Space Station, and the readers’ subsequent opportunity to eavesdrop upon Carol Danvers as the champion of the Kree voices her concerns regarding the United States Government supposedly losing the Hulk amidst “a sea of deliberate obfuscation.” True, these scenes do herald the creation of Walter Langkowski’s new task force, Gamma Flight, but it’s debatably difficult to so quickly accept the non-powered Jacqueline McGee as part of this team, even if the secretly obsessed Arizona Herald journalist’s presence on the roster is explained away as simply being just “an embedded reporter.” 

Fortunately, Joe Bennett’s pencilling for this twenty-page periodical is predominantly up to his usual high standard, with only the artist’s line work seemingly suffering when used to depict the aforementioned dialogue-heavy conversational pieces concerning Captain Marvel, Sasquatch and Jackie. In fact, the Brazilian’s spine-chilling splash pages featuring the Hulk reassembling himself whilst simultaneously absorbing the panic-stricken Clive alive are a remarkable sight to behold and almost worth this “Rated T+” publication’s cover price alone…

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

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 8 by Alex Ross

The Immortal Hulk #5 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 5, November 2018

“Guest-starring Alpha Flight’s Sasquatch”, as well as featuring a few touching paragraphs detailing the recently deceased Steve Ditko’s contribution as “one of the original architects of the Hulk” in its “Gamma-Grams” Letters Page, this twenty-page periodical undoubtedly delivered upon its pre-publication promise of depicting its titular character being involved “in a brutal, bloody battle with the monster who made him.” Yet whilst on the surface this graphic violence is seemingly supplied by the Green Goliath’s simply stunning heavyweight bout against Walter Langowski’s orange-furred alter ego, in reality Al Ewing’s script tries to tell a rather befuddling story concerning the return of Doctor Brian Banner “in through the Green Door.”

Indeed, for those readers unaware of Bruce’s long-dead father’s fate Issue Five of “The Immortal Hulk” may well have proved a bit too mystifying with its revelation that “dad” now somehow has “the ability to possess gamma mutates” and resultantly has been inhabiting the Canadian superhero for some considerable time ever since the ‘Jock’ “stayed as Sasquatch too long”. On its own this perturbing possession may well have produced an innovatively surprising plot-twist, yet instead it rather begs the question as to how the supervillain’s spirit subsequently “got into Hotshot’s girlfriend too” if the murderous former nuclear physicist was already residing within the subconsciousness of someone aboard Alpha Flight Space Station..?

To make matters arguably more confusing though, the British writer then muddies the water even more so by having the Hulk suggest that someone else is actually behind Brian’s mind control of Langowski’s physical form; a mysterious unknown entity who can both clearly bring back the dead as well as open the repeatedly mentioned “Green Door.” Fortunately however, any passing bibliophile merely perusing “In Every Mirror” whilst stood beside the spinner rack should easily forget its debatably bamboozling narrative in favour of the comic’s utterly awesome ‘thrill-a-second’ action sequences.

Joe Bennett is clearly at the very top of his game as he pencils a truly fearsomely savage Sasquatch not only going toe-to-toe with the Hulk, but momentarily actually overpowering his old adversary with claw rakes to the chest. In fact, it’s rare to see a punch from Bruce’s gamma-induced form ever held in check, let alone see the monster’s eyes be gouged out from their sockets in a truly terrifying piece of pencilling; “Take a good look, my special boy. You’ll see a darker shadow than yours.”

Writer: Al Ewing, Penciler: Joe Bennett, and Inker: Ruy Jose

The Immortal Hulk #4 - Marvel Comics

IMMORTAL HULK No. 4, October 2018

Focusing far more upon the shenanigans of the slightly too-smug Walter Langkowski as opposed to this comic’s titular character, or even the green-skinned Goliath’s “puny” alter-ego, Al Ewing’s narrative for “Time Of Death” nonetheless still provided its audience with plenty of intriguing exposition as to Banner’s Pennsylvania State University college days using the “lab facilities Desert State didn’t” have and media reporter Jacqueline McGee’s determined investigation into Bruce’s recent resurrection as a terrifying supernatural engine of vengeance who seems “attracted to other gamma-powered individuals.”

Indeed, considering that the British author’s twenty-page long script contains both the Alpha Flight member’s horrifically savage death at the hands of a murderously manic drunk and subsequent restoration as the orange-furred great beast, Sasquatch, it was probably easy for any unfamiliar bibliophile perusing this comic on the spinner rack to incorrectly believe that the former Green Bay Packer was “The Immortal Hulk” rather than the purple pant-wearing physicist, especially when so much of the plot’s backstory also seemingly expands upon Langkowski’s “mission to duplicate what happened to Bruce.” This insight into Walter’s motivation to squander his fortune and accept both the “funding and encouragement from Department H, the Canadian super hero monitoring agency” is wonderfully summarised by the former “2000 A.D.” writer, and arguably helps his story-line portray far more obvious parallels between the adventure’s two leading men than has previously been printed before.

Of course, once Jennifer Walters’ cousin nonchalantly sits himself down beside an emotional Jackie at the local hospital and spells out to her that the Howling Commando affiliate’s “gamma signature is just like mine” the similarities between the pair are as evident as the implied danger to all those dwelling within the medical centre should the badly-injured patient die and inadvertently transform; “And now the sun’s gone down. It’s night. And the night, is his time. We need to evacuate the hospital.” Yet the way in which this relationship is slowly revealed through the reporter’s interview with Langkowski is superbly penned and genuinely creates an increasingly palpable, dramatic tension which only reaches a crescendo with this comic’s cliff-hanger conclusion…

Joe Bennett’s terrific pencilling and ability to bring “Ewing’s scripts to the page with stark, frightening clarity” also helps imbue this particular issue with a captivating energy which makes it hard to put the comic down until it ends with an incredibly bestial-looking Sasquatch menacing his unsuccessful surgeons with a truly dangerous glint in his feral eyes. True, fans of the Hulk won’t find the human mutate receiving much ‘screen time’ within the Brazilian’s panels on this occasion, but his wonderfully lanky rendition of Walter, complete with yellow mutton-chops, more than makes up for this omission.

The regular cover art of "IMMORTAL HULK" No. 4 by Alex Ross