Comic Review: Immortal Hulk #6

Immortal Hulk #6

Marvel Comics

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Lee Garbett

Bruce’s fight with the Sasquatch has complicated his situation. Hulk has to fight HIS inner demons, while Bruce is handling some unwanted attention. There’s a new general in town trying to hunt down the Hulk, and he is not afraid to use the big guns in his hunt. 

The series slows down for a bit, especially compared to the previous action-packed issue. It serves mostly as a set up for the new arc, building on top of the foundation set up by the first one. The new villain is introduced, which is a great addition.

What’s Good

Bruce takes centre stage with this one, with the Hulk making only brief appearances. Ewing treats us with a great introspective monologue about the Hulk, delivered by Banner. Ewing’s intelligent, yet animalistic version of the Hulk is such a great concept, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it.

Joe Bennett took some time off with this one and left Lee Garbett in charge of the artwork. And boy is Garbett a great choice. His work on Skyward has been magnificent, and he does a fantastic job on this one as well. His sharp lines work so well with the overall atmosphere of the book that it makes me somewhat sad he’s here only for this single issue. Don’t get me wrong, Bennett has been putting out some amazing work, but I’d still love to see some more of Garbett.

The last page of the book is just amazing. Not only visually stunning but also narratively. It’s such a great cliffhanger, and the next issue can’t come soon enough.

What’s Bad

The two biggest problems I have with this issue are not problems directly tied to the book but have more to do with potential.

The first one has to do with the art. As mentioned earlier, Garbett is fantastic and does a great job with the work he provided. The thing is, he didn’t get a whole lot to work with. The book is mostly some sitting around, walking and talking, with not much action to let the art pop. I would’ve been okay with this if he was attached to the next issue, but unfortunately, he’s a guest artist only for this issue. It leaves the reader wanting.

The other problem is a bit spoiler-y so skip ahead if you don’t want spoilers. You’ve been warned.

I appreciated the standalone nature of the book – the disconnection it had with the rest of the heavy-hitters. However, that ends with this issue as the Avengers make an appearance. They are the big guns I mentioned in the opening segment. Their presence isn’t inherently bad, but it further complicates the situation and somehow ruins the magic. I would have been fine if the story continued with just Hulk and his gamma-radiated enemies spawning from the green door, with occasional visits from generals. It remains to be seen what the future brings for the Immortal Hulk.

Verdict

I can’t stress it enough just how good this book is. The Hulk is more exciting than ever, and I believe it’s the best book currently published by the House of Ideas. If you’re not reading it, then do yourself a favour and hop on it.