Immortal Hulk #4
Marvel Comics
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Joe Bennett
The government can deny and obfuscate all they want, but people know Bruce Banner’s alive. And now the press believes it, too. And they’re on it. If the Arizona Herald, which broke the story in the first place, want’s to stay in the race, then it has to stop following Banner and try and find him.
That’s Jacqueline McGee’s idea, at least. She has been hot on Banner’s trail ever since the first issue and has now enlisted the help of Walter Langkowski aka Sasquatch – Canada’s own hairy half-a-Hulk turned space diplomat…and Banner’s college roommate. She meets him at an airport in South Dakota, but there’s been a Hulk sighting over the state border. Not ones to waste time, they hop in a car, and Jacqueline does her interview on the move.
There is a lot of exposition going on in the driving sequence, as Walter reveals a lot about his and Banner’s time at college. The sequence also reveals some concrete information on the overarching storyline. More specifically, it reveals more about the green door that we read about in the previous issue.
Things escalate when the duo arrives at the place of the sighting, and the issue ends on a nice cliffhanger.
What’s good
As with the previous issue, the Hulk is more of a plot device than an actual character. The main focus is on McGee and Langkowski, and Ewing does some really good character building. Especially Langkowski, who you don’t get to see that much these days.
Ewing’s plotting is also fabulous – he answers a lot of questions and raises quite a few more. It’s a great mystery book, and it hooks the reader nice and tight.
The art department also does an exceptional job on the book. Bennett’s clear lines and great shading add a great sense of depth to the book, which is further augmented by Paul Mounts’ colouring. His character design is also great. I adore the classic Hulk design, and his Sasquatch (human AND gamma monster) is fantastic.
Despite the slower tempo of the issue, it still has a nice flow, and there isn’t a single moment that feels unnecessary. It flows nicely, the paneling is well done, and there are some truly great moments, like the flashback panel of Hulk surrounded by rubble and fire. There are quite a few more, but I don’t want to spoil it for you
Anything bad?
No.
Not really.
No complaints from me
Verdict
Again, this is one of my favourite books this year. Marvel has been putting out some quality stuff in the last couple of months, like Cosmic Ghost Rider and Venom, but this is, by far, the best of the bunch. It has great writing, great art, and a creepy vibe which adds some extra flair to it. Go to your LCS and support this book. You won’t regret it.
