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Immortal Hulk Flatline Review

17 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Marvel Comics

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Bruce Banner, Declan Shalvey, Gamma, Hulk, Immortal Hulk, Immortal Hulk Flatline, Marvel, Marvel Comics, NCBD, The Immortal Hulk

Immortal Hulk Flatline 

Review by Paul Bowler

Expanding on the dark saga of The Immortal Hulk, Marvel’s one-shot Immortal Hulk Flatline, written and drawn by Declan Shalvey, delivers a tale that smashes into the heart of all things Gamma! At the dawn of ever day, Bruce Banner awakens in a new place. Perhaps the Hulk is trying to tell him something? Banner has grown tired of his green-skinned alter ego, but when a new gamma-powered villain suddenly arrives in a New Mexico town he has no choice but to confront his anger, and the terrifying results are far from anything Bruce Banner could ever have predicted…

Few comics have enjoyed or can compare to the success and critical acclaim that The Immortal Hulk has enjoyed in recent years. Al Ewing and Joe Bennet – along with a number of guest artists — have redefined the character and by taking him back to his horror roots. However, Marvel were somewhat caught off guard by the unprecedented success of The Immortal Hulk, so with the series’ end  already set and established to happen with its fiftieth issue, their response was the commission of a series of one-shots by esteemed writers and artists to bring us further standalone stories from this hugely popular era of the Hulk. 

One the most eagerly anticipated of these one-shots has been Immortal Hulk Flatline by the acclaimed Irish creator Declan Shalvey who is doing both the writing and the art for this one-shots intriguing storyline. Known for his pin-sharp, striking visual style, and fine writing skills, Shalvey brings all his skill to bare on crafting something uniquely special for the Immortal Hulk Flatline. While Ewing’s and Bennet’s main series rumbles towards its conclusion, Declan Shalvey steers the narrative back to reexamining the dark schism that fuels the conflict between Banner and Immortal Hulk, with the green behemoth deposing Banner at different locales around the country, seemingly intent on drawing his attention to something that Banner is still desperately struggling to define. 

Of course that’s only part of the mystery at the heart of Immortal Hulk Flatline. The other is Banner’s chance meeting with his old friend and college lecturer on Gamma radiation, Professor Noonan. This haunting encounter leads into the discovery of a new gamma-powered adversary that Banner and the Immortal Hulk inadvertently come into conflict with. Shalvey brings some new and unexpected insights to the core themes of Al Ewing’s ground-breaking run on The Immortal Hulk, casting new light on the chilling dynamic of the series’ initial premise, and the existential common goal that ultimately drives Banner’s pantheon of alters. 

Handling the role of writer, artist and colorist like this is quite a responsibility and Declan Shalvey does so with considerable style and verve. The artwork is indeed a veritable tour de force by Shalvey, his Immortal Hulk is a distilled version of Joe Bennet’s horror themed grotesque, and more of a chiselled, brutish thug, but his Immortal Hulk persona is still every bit a darkly menacing powerhouse to be reckoned with. The new Gamma irradiated villain that Hulk battles in this one-shot possesses telekinetic-like Gammer abilities, which are used to devastating effect as their savage no-holds-barred conflict crashes from page to page across a plethora of dynamic and stylish page layouts. Petit’s lettering is bang on point as well for what is actually quite a dialogue intense issue. Shalvey also employs a masterful use of color, using muted tones to highlight the drudgery of the dead-end jobs Banner takes on to blend into the background, while vibrant colors accentuate the explosive battles, and somber hues Convey the shared reckoning of the emotive climax. 

Declan Shalvey has achieved an astonishing feat with this one-shot special. The fact Shalvey’s brought so many quintessential elements of the series together is remarkable in itself;  that he’s also made them resonate so well in such a glorious fusion of story and art makes The Immortal Hulk Flatline one-shot one of the early high-points of 2021 and a fine addition to the enduring legacy of the Immortal Hulk.

Publisher Marvel Comics

Writer & Artist Declan Shalvey

Letterer VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Declan Shalvey

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Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook

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The Immortal Hulk #1 Review

06 Wednesday Jun 2018

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Marvel Comics

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Al Ewing, Alex Ross, Bruce Banner, Horror, Hulk, Joe Bennett, Marvel Comics, NCBD, Paul Mounts, Ruy Jose, The Hulk, The Immortal Hulk, The Immortal Hulk #1, The Immortal Hulk #1 review, The Incredible Hulk

The Immortal Hulk #1

Review by Paul Bowler.

Bruce Banner is back in The Immortal Hulk #1 and this time his raging alter ego won’t just smash everything in sight, he’ll scare the God dammed bejeezers out of you as well! Following the green goliath’s initial return in Avengers: No Surrender, Marvel’s new horror themed ongoing series The Immortal Hulk from writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett will send Banner’s life spiralling into darkness like never before!

With the quote from Carl Gustav Jung ominously setting the tone from the outset, writer Al Ewing immediately sets the scene and premise of the series with a gas station robbery that goes tragically wrong. However, not all the gunman’s victims are as dead as they seem, and once the sun goes down a monstrous retribution soon comes calling!

Banner’s return to the Marvel universe – for the most part – was already explained in Avengers: No Surrender, giving Al Ewing unparalleled freedom to hit the ground running with The Immortal Hulk whilst clearly embracing the early issues crafted by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko that made the original six issue of The Incredible Hulk so compelling back in 1962. However, the horror themes in The Immortal Hulk are far darker. It quickly becomes apparent that Banner still can die yet bizarrely when the Hulk rises come sundown its almost as if he has become Banner’s instrument of vengeance. There are some distinct nods to The Incredible Hulk TV series that ran from 1978-1982 as well, especially with one of the new characters names and profession in this issue, and Bruce Banner is very much portrayed by Ewing as a man the world believes to be dead while he desperately struggles to control the raging monster that dwells within him.

Simple, uncluttered page layouts deftly convey the powerful beats of Ewing’s script. The art is gloriously rich in detail and atmosphere, with the pencils by Joe Bennett and inks by Ruy Jose complementing each other perfectly. The bright, everyday scenes that kick off the issue almost lull us into a false sense of security, but it’s not long before the Hulk’s wrath is unleashed, and Bennett clearly relishes every moment as the horror tropes build with unnerving intensity with every page. There are big double -spread pages that will make your jaw drop as much as they make your spine tingle. Color artist Paul Mounts also deftly balances vivid and sombre tones to bring a startling clarity to every scene – at times it almost feels like the Hulk is glaring out from the pages right at you!

Detective Mayes investigation into the fate of the hapless robber, along with some particular chilling revelations for Banner, all serve to round off this first issue of The Immortal Hulk with a grim blend of mystery and psychological horror. Is he man or monster or… is he both? Yes that wonderfully ambiguous caption from the cover of 1962’s 1st issue of The Incredible Hulk is indeed still very much the underlying question that beats at the heart of this new series. The Immortal Hulk #1 is a comic that presents a dark reflection of itself, Al Ewing and Joe Bennett have done a fantastic job establishing this new series and taking the character of Bruce Banner in an entirely new direction (something that’s clearly evident from its hauntingly impressive cover by Alex Ross alone), and I look forward to seeing how their brilliantly macabre take on the Hulk evolves in the issues to come.

Publisher: Marvel

Writer: Al Ewing / Pencils: Joe Bennett

Inker: Ruy Jose / Color Artist: Paul Mounts

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit / Main Cover: Alex Ross

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