New Horrors Abound In Immortal Hulk #18
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Gamma Flight finds Doc Samson in the wreckage of Shadow Base Site A and brings him into their hunt for the Hulk. However, Doc Samson is reluctant to give Gamma Flight too much information about his patient and friend. In California, Jackie McGee continues to search through the site where Bushwhacker attacked Bruce and Betty Banner. In Nevada, Bruce awakens during a trip to Reno to find that Joe Fixit has been busy again. Little does he know that a horrid creature has returned to bring down the Hulk.
Immortal Hulk #18 finds its cast of characters once again in search of the Hulk and at odds about what to do should they find him. Gamma Flight is willing to take extreme measures to stop Bruce Banner, but Doc Samson maintains faith in his friend. Naturally, Shadow Base continues to want the Hulk dead, dissected, and morphed into a new weapon, and Bruce himself just wants to know what the hell is going on with himself.
All of this amounts to another compelling and unnerving issue of Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s incredible series. You’re left wondering just where all of this is really heading.
Also, that abominable monster that shows up towards the end has an absolutely skin-crawling new design, so don’t expect the body horror to disappear from Immortal Hulk anytime soon.
Joe Bennett’s artwork remains powerful, evocative, and disquieting all at once. Even “normal” characters like Walter Langkowski have something off about them, and it suits the comic excellently. Ruy Jose’s inking is great, making sure the comic has the distinction and impact it needs. Paul Mounts’ color art is phenomenal as well; it maintains that atmosphere of mystery and dread that has made Immortal Hulk so good.
Immortal Hulk #18 is another incredible issue, continuing the near-flawless streak this series has had since the beginning. Action, horror, and character development are accompanied by a knockout art team, all of which comes together in what is almost certainly Marvel’s best current series. This one gets another strong recommendation. Give it a read.
Immortal Hulk #18 comes to us from writer Al Ewing, artist Joe Bennett, inker Ruy Jose, color artist Paul Mounts, letterer VC’s Cory Petit, cover artist Alex Ross, and variant cover artist Jong-Ju Kim.
Final Score: 9.5/10
