Written by Andrew Fontana
The Hulk’s always been a troublesome character to pin down. A duality is present, whether between Bruce Banner and his green alter ego or the tonal balance between Hulk the superhero and Hulk the monster. There’s tension in these dualities, and in that tension lies the character’s appeal. What’s difficult is finding a balance for the character and keeping things fresh at the same time. Al Ewing’s horror-tinged reimagining of the character doesn’t just grasp this tension; he reimagines the entire dynamic that underpins the Hulk.
The Immortal Hulk #1 reads like a horror comic. Ewing’s Green Goliath only comes out at night, and only those who’ve done wrong meet his wrath. Gone is the simplistic brute that speaks in monosyllables. Ewing’s Hulk is fully intelligent, and is made sinister by the piercing depth of his knowledge. He is used sparingly but effectively by the script, adding tension and shock to the moment he actually appears. Not much else is revealed of the book’s overall, but adds further to the sense of mystery that Ewing is building.
Ewing is aided in this venture by Joe Bennet, whose skillful renderings of Ewing’s ideas sell the book as a horror comic. Bennett’s pencils and the colors give everything a Gothic luster. Bennet excels at giving the Hulk’s colossal frame some scale and realism, but its his facial work that sticks with you. His hulk has a grin that is genuinely the stuff of nightmares.
Rating: 8.5
