The Incredible Hulk has had big ups and downs in recent years. From Al Ewing’s epic and incredible Immortal Hulk to the controversy surrounding its artist, to Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman offering a big idea approach, to that series unceremoniously ending early. The character embarks on a new direction this week with Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein taking over and directly spinning out of recent events. With high expectations but also an audience hungry for something different, The Incredible Hulk #1 offers that and more, especially for horror fans.
If you’re a longtime Hulk fan, something you’ll notice right off the bat is this renumbering new direction for the series doesn’t forget what came before. What Cates and Ewing did mattered, and this is only the next chapter. That chapter involves monsters, a Bruce Banner who is no longer on good terms with the Hulk inside him, and a group trying to unleash monsters without abandon.
This issue opens inside a tomb in Iraq. Some The Mummy vibes will be felt here as Johnson plumbs the depths of ancient history to reveal a monstrous threat that once reigned on Earth. This scene leads one to believe Hulk, and the Green Door, are the only things standing in the way of a monster uprising. Smash-cut to Bruce Banner in a diner, and we soon learn the Hulk is punishing Banner for what he did in the last story arc. Bruce knows people will get hurt if he doesn’t get as far away as he can from innocents, and we soon see that running comes with bad results.
I will say seeing Hulk and Bruce Banner at odds again does feel a little repetitive. It’s a major trope for the character, and while it’s pretty scary to think Hulk can assume the voice of people Bruce is talking to, it’ll be interesting to see how long they are at war with each other. Banner typically hates the Hulk, but here he fears him, which is slightly different from the usual, but still something to keep tabs on as we look for new directions for the character to grow.
That’s freaky.
Credit: Marvel
This first issue properly introduces a team of villains who will hurt and kill anyone to get to Banner. Johnson and Klein established that Hulk and Banner are in a bad relationship currently but need to figure things out soon, or things will get worse for Earth and for Hulk himself.
Meanwhile, Klein draws one hell of a Hulk. It has ’90s vibes written all over it, from his longer hair to the bulbous muscles. The body horror is present too, so if you like that, you’re in for a treat. That goes for both Hulk and an enemy with an animal totem witchy vibe. The entire issue is colored quite darkly, giving everything a horror feel. Klein and colorist Matthew Wilson capture the scale of Hulk well, too, with an epic and dynamic feel to any given panel. While the issue is caked in shadow, colors shine through strongly, which gives the impression darkness and evil are at every corner.
The Incredible Hulk is a smashingly good new direction for the series. Fans of recent eras get what they want while the creative team takes Hulk in a new but entirely organic new direction.
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