The following originally ran in the Weekly Planet 8/1/18.
Marvel’s new Fresh Start initiative was a surge of energy into the company. While keeping that all-important continuity, the House of Ideas made a move to let in new readers and open the door for talented creators to move your favorite characters in bold new directions. The new Avengers ongoing is the flagship title of the run but by far the standout book of the moment has been The Immortal Hulk.
That’s right, folks. Bruce Banner is back from the dead and the Other Guy came with him. No longer triggered by anger, the Hulk comes out at night. He’s angry. He’s unkillable. He’s eloquent. And he’s ongoing.
Thus far, the book has unfolded like Marvel’s own private Twilight Zone. Each issue is a standalone morality tail. The debut #1 was a robbery gone wrong. The Hulk exacted revenge for the innocent lives lost. The second focused on a town that just wouldn’t stop dying. Hulk put an ironic end to those responsible. The third issue was an all-timer, showing the same Banner-centric hostage situation from four separate points of view and utilizing four different artists to tell the tale.
Al Ewing and his team of collaborators like Joe Bennett have made The Immortal Hulk an absolute Can’t Miss. It’s dynamic and haunting in its storytelling and wastes no time in its execution. This Spectre-esque book is a new trick in Marvel’s toolbelt. I can’t recall reading another book under the big red banner that felt like this one. This is a true, blue book of horror stories. It weighs on you like the best episodes of Black Mirror.
I can’t at all predict where The Immortal Hulk will go, and oh what a wonderful feeling that is. Ewing & Co. could take us anywhere and it’s a ride I’m happy to be on.
This week sees The Immortal Hulk #4 hitting stands. What happens when a man goes looking for Bruce Banner but finds only the Hulk? What if he is also a huge, furry monster called Sasquatch? Ewing and Bennett know. But you’ll just have to pick up the issue and find out. It’s on stands now. Go on and get it.
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