Hulk and Bruce Banner have been at odds for decades, but now it feels like there’s no turning back. Bruce put Hulk in a cage, and now it’s payback time. In Incredible Hulk #14, we see what depths Hulk will put Bruce in to make him feel as hopeless as he made him. In the latest issue, the story tugs at key elements in Al Ewing’s run, and it’s as exciting as ever.
First and foremost, Incredible Hulk #14 is a gorgeous-looking book. Nic Klein captures a nightmare realm painterly with a great sense of scale and drama. In one panel, Klein is homaging Hieronymus Bosch capturing the utter horror of the ultra weird and unexplainable. This issue is a work of art. Full stop.
The story is good. Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson continues to march Bruce through his penitence tour, with Hulk unrelenting in his tortures. This issue has a great opening and ending, revealing Bruce’s torture isn’t just what he endures but how any hope is lost by the end.
Those are some creepy cages.
Credit: Marvel
That hope isn’t necessarily fully lost, as Johnson reintroduces readers to a key character from Ewing’s run. Johnson does a good job recapping key scenes in Ewing and Cates’ runs, which adds weight to this story. There’s a good balance between Hulk’s maltreatment and Bruce’s sins, which helps create a sense of middle ground. They both deserve the punishment.
Also contained here is the first part of Ryan North and Javier Garrón’s Deadpool/Wolverine: Weapon X-Traction story. A backup that’ll be taking place in different books, this first chapter is a riot and a half. North perfectly captures Deadpool’s voice and Wolverine’s grumpy nature, with Garrón’s facial expressions maximizing these emotions. There are a few facial expressions Deadpool makes under the mask that are so good. Garrón made my jaw drop.
The opening full-page splash is also fantastic. While North plays up the concept of mini-trailers to hype folks to watch a trailer, we get just that in Wolverine and Deadpool stabbing each other. This backup is only five pages long, but North writes such meaningful and long caption boxes that it actually reads much longer. It feels like a lot of bang for your buck.
Incredible Hulk #14 is a fantastic issue from the main story to the backup. Possibly the best, prettiest comic you’ll read all week, Incredible Hulk is profoundly pretty with an aura of pain.
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