The Immortal Hulk #25 // Review
The universe is limping across the finish line, nearly all of its light snuffed out, and it appears the Hulk is to blame. In The Immortal Hulk #25, written by Al Ewing, with the main story’s art handled by German Garcia and Chris O’Halloran on colors. While the epilogue is penciled by Joe Bennett, with inks by Ruy Jose, and colors by Paul Mounts. Previously, Bruce Banner’s life was revealed to be shaped by an evil entity called The One Below All, eventually leading to him becoming an immortal, all-consuming monster at the end of the universe. Now, Ewing tells the tale of the last life left in this possible future and its encounter with The Breaker of Worlds.
This isn’t the 25th issue of The Immortal Hulk that anyone was expecting, nor the 25th issue anyone wanted, but that doesn’t make it any less a special story. The Hulk is barely in the chapter at all, replaced by characters the readers are familiar with. Instead, Ewing uses this landmark chapter of his masterpiece to tell a story about the effects Hulk has on life around him. Whether it’s a person, a city, or the universe, the Hulk always finds a way to smash. The devastation of life, and the maliciousness with which the Green Goliath brings his brand of destruction reaches all-time highs here, as it is meant to be the ultimate expression and extension of what he does best.
Ewing’s run has been plagued by a great, unseen antagonist from the start, the demonic One Below All. He has been revealed as the cause of most, if not all, of the terrible things in Bruce Banner’s life, and this issue finally manages to shed some light on his motivations. The answers are chilling, and they might seal the One Below All as Hulk’s greatest villain of all time, despite having fan favorites such as the Leader, Abomination, and Maestro in those ranks. Only time will tell, but Ewing is doing a great job of weaving this dark figure so intrinsically into Banner’s life, that you won’t be able to discuss one without the other in the years to come.
The art duties are handled by Garcia and O’Halloran for the bulk of the issue, as they bring the universe of the far future to life. They do a fine job of holding up their part of the book, but one can’t help but miss the usual art team of Bennett, Jose, and Mounts. When they make their triumphant return at the end of the issue, the creepy, crawly, trademark horror of this title returns with them. They are the team that has defined the visuals in this era of Hulk, and when they’re not present to do their thing, the book just doesn’t feel right. Luckily, Marvel seems to agree.
Overall, this issue breaks up the steady pace and momentum that Ewing has had going, but it does so with purpose. Some won’t appreciate the break, but this chapter seems to be setting up the next leg of Ewing’s epic, so it should be worth it in the long run.
