The Immortal Hulk #24 // Review
Banner and General Fortean’s fight comes to a disturbing conclusion in The Immortal Hulk #24, written by Al Ewing, with pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Ruy Jose, Belardino Brabo, Mark Deering, and Roberto Poggi, and colors by Paul Mounts. But what does it mean for the future of the Great Green One, himself? Previously, General Fortean bonded himself with the remains of Hulk’s old nemesis, Abomination, and became a deadly new version of the creature. Hulk and friends responded by taking the fight directly to the General in his secret Shadow Base. Things turned ugly when Fortean unleashed an acidic vomit on the Hulk, melting away his face. Now, the two battle to decide their fates, changing the course of this book for the foreseeable future.
Ewing does what he does best in this book in this chapter of The Immortal Hulk, by taking familiar elements of the titular character and putting a horrific twist on them. Not only is the Hulk fighting without a face for most of the issue, but Ewing also gives readers a glimpse at a possible future (maybe, the “Darkest Timeline”?) that will cause you to never look at Banner the same way again. This book is headed down an increasingly darker path under Ewing’s direction, and it’s impossible to avert your eyes from it once you’ve begun to read.
There are also hints of a status quo change to Banner and his alter egos, as the “Devil Hulk” moves forward in pursuit of his murky goals. Does it really want to kill mankind? Is Banner really onboard with it? What about the other Hulk personalities? How much influence does each of them have over the others? These are all questions raised by the actions of “Devil Hulk,” and Ewing is slowly doling out answers as he unfolds his sinister main character’s inner workings. All of this leads to a fascinating character study on-level with the work Peter David did on this book years ago.
The art, as always, is top-notch. It has been decades since such iconic, character-defining pencils have graced the pages of a Hulk book. Sure, there have been some fantastic artists over the years, many of whom have given readers memorable feasts for the eyes. Still, none have quite redefined the look of the character, gifting it with such a unique personality, since the days of Dale Keown. Bennett has achieved that pinnacle of artistic achievement with the Hulk. Accompanied by the stellar inks of Jose, Brabo, Deering, and Poggi, and the incomparable colors of Mounts, this is, without a doubt, one of the best art teams working in the industry today.
In the end, there’s not one bad thing that can be said about this book. If you’re a Hulk fan, it’s a must-read. If you’re a horror fan, it’s a must-read. If you’re neither of those things, you should probably still give it a try, because it’s just plain, excellent writing. Ewing is crafting a Hulk story that will go down in history as one of the bests. Don’t let it pass you by.
