A new era for the Great Green One kicks off with The Immortal Hulk #26, written by Al Ewing, with pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Ruy Jose, and colors by Paul Mounts, and BRUCE. BANNER. IS. ANGRY. Previously, the “Devil Hulk” and his unruly gamma-powered cohorts took the fight to General Fortean and his secret, government-funded Hulkbusters. Fortean went down hard in the final confrontation, leading to Banner and his alter ego taking control of his Shadow Base, setting up shop for the next phase of their plan. Now, Bruce is declaring an end to the “human world” as we know it, and the people of planet Earth are on edge, unsure of exactly what he has in store for them.

Ewing does a great job this issue of introducing the next chapter of his already-legendary Hulk run, using not the Green Goliath to push the book forward, but Banner. Bruce can sometimes take a backseat to his angrier half, if only because it’s the other guy’s name on the title. Even Ewing is guilty of pushing Banner aside in favor of spotlighting the Hulk in the past, but this issue proves that he has an excellent grasp of Bruce, and even has a plan for him to be a driving force in the story moving forward.

The new status quo for the title has been hinted at plenty in this book for the last few months, but this issue, Ewing, sheds more light on what Hulk and Banner mean when they say they want to “end the human worlds as we know it.” They are looking to change the world but in the most Hulk-like way possible. These methods are sure to bring them into conflict with many of their hero friends, not to mention making them some powerful, new enemies, and that brings a new level of excitement (not that book wasn’t already considerably exciting).

Bennett’s pencils are as stunning and disturbing as ever, but the readers get to see him flex some new muscles this issue, as several surprising new supporting cast members, and enemies, show up. Bennett tackles these additions with vigor and delivers a fresh take on them that will leave you excited to see where, and how, they pop up next. In particular, Amadeus Cho, in his new identity of Brawn, never looked cooler than in these pages. With the dream team of inks and colors from Jose and Mounts enhancing the unparalleled pencils, this is easily the best art department on any Marvel book out right now.

Overall, this issue is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. There’s a fresh, new direction for the book, and the story that leads to this point is referenced well, making for minimal confusion. The Hulk is left on the backburner for this chapter, but you would hardly notice he’s missing for all the exciting, new groundwork being laid by Ewing. Even if you’re not a Hulk fan, this is one of the best-written books in stores at the moment, and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading it.

Grade A+