Comic Review: The Immortal Hulk Hardcover Volume Two

The Immortal Hulk Hardcover Volume Two

Marvel Comics

Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Joe Bennett

Contents: Immortal Hulk #11-20

The green door. This was a concept teased throughout the previous ten issues of Immortal Hulk. We were shown that all gamma-powered beings are connected to it and affected by it. We were also shown that Bruce’s father, Brian Banner, had a connection to it. Now, it’s open and the Hulk is going to have to go through hell to try and close it.

This is the second of the Immortal Hulk oversized hardcovers written by Al Ewing and drawn by Joe Bennett. As I’d mentioned in my review of the first volume, this is a very dark, horror book. It goes into the psychology of not only Bruce Banner and his multiple personalities but his supporting cast too. This new volume also goes quite heavily into its religious themes and asks a lot of questions. What is hell? Does God have an equivalent of the Hulk? If he does then what form does it take? It’s an interesting read in that regard. Alongside this, the book also touches on themes of racial inequality that I found extremely relevant given recent events.

“Hulk in Hell” is the first story arc of this collection. The trilogy of issues follows on from the end of the last hardcover. The green door opened, sucking Hulk, Jackie McGee, Absorbing Man, the newly-formed Gamma Flight, and Bushwhacker into a hell dimension. Sadly, Bushwacker and most of Gamma Flight don’t actually play much of a part in this story. Still, it’s a great read that builds on Jackie McGee’s character and Hulk’s relationship with his father and General Ross. There are some legitimately heartbreaking moments and it puts a nice spotlight on Absorbing Man who plays a large part here. The discussion between McGee and Hulk about rage is easily the highlight of the book for me.

This hardcover collection is a lot more action-focused than its predecessor. The initial story has a fair bit of action itself but it never really lets up for long. After an attempted reunion with Betty Ross, the Hulk is thrust into battles with Bushwacker and a new Abomination. The series certainly doesn’t lose any of its psychological edges though. Banner’s superpowered psychiatrist, Doc Samson shows up to analyze Bruce and his situation. Most of the psychological elements are mixed in with the fights though. We see these elements through the behavior and thoughts of the characters as they fight, especially the battle with Bushwacker.

The artwork is gorgeous. I’d say that the horrific imagery has been toned down slightly in this volume. It’s still present and I’d say it’s more frequent than in the previous issues but it’s not quite as graphic. The characters still look amazing and I love the design of the new Abomination. The previous version was largely just a scaly Hulk but this Abomination truly fits the name. He’s truly grotesque. It’s almost as freakish as the transformations Banner makes when turning into the Hulk and back. Bennett does a great job on the hellish landscapes and monstrous creatures within as well. Just, stunning artwork throughout.

The lettering continues to be of high quality. The coloured narrative boxes return for each character with some new additions. Brian Banner gets a red box and a light green for Samson while Betty Ross gets a crimson colour. There’s also narration by Rick Jones whose thoughts are displayed in boxes resembling torn paper. Again, this helps let the reader know whose thoughts they’re reading. We generally get more colourful sound effects in this volume too. It helps them stand out a bit more. The final standout of the lettering is the text used as the religious parallels are made throughout “Hulk in hell”. It’s not contained in a speech bubble or a narrative box and it’s written in white. This really helps it stand out against the hellish background the characters are trapped in. It’s a fantastic creative touch given how important the religious themes are to the story.

The special features are the big let-down of this hardcover. In volume one they rivaled an omnibus in quantity and quality but here, we’re limited to some variant covers. I’d hoped for a bit more, especially since this collection doesn’t have any material from other comics. I thought we might get some more character designs at least. Maybe even some words from Joe Bennett since Al discussed the Hulk in volume one. It’s just the seven variant covers though. Disappointing.

This is another great Immortal Hulk hardcover. The special features are definitely a weak point and there’s less content but it’s still a brilliant book. The action throughout the book is amazing and there are some genuinely shocking moments. If you read the first volume and found it too heavy on the psychological aspects then you may even prefer this collection. I certainly enjoyed it despite its shortcomings in comparison to volume one. If it wasn’t for the special features there’d only been one thing annoying me about this book: the fact that now I have to wait for volume three. I want more! As I’m sure you can guess, I’d recommend this book. It’s not quite as accessible as the first volume of course but it’s still an incredible read.

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