"Immortal Hulk #36" Comic Review

The public has changed their mind about the Hulk. He's a hero. Everyone loves him...until he blows up. Now Rick Jones is a deformed monster (again), Gamma Flight has been called in to bust the Green Goliath, and everyone is afraid. Someone is pulling the strings behind all this and they're proving to be as deadly as they are evil.

The past few issues of Immortal Hulk were not as horror-filled as the series has been. This chapter more than makes up for that. It's friggin' terrifying. I was ready to throw up after page three. Artist Joe Bennett does some of the best body horror I've ever seen and that is on full display in unsettling fashion with a double-page spread showing a twisted and disturbing Rick Jones. His body reaches across both pages with limbs that stretch far too long and a neck that spirals around. Large veins pulse all over him. Gah, this is so creepy.

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As a reminder, that's on pages three and four. It only gets more insane from there. This version of the Hulk is simpler than the others, which makes Gamma Flight's attacks all the more disturbing. It's like beating up a child. Bennett captures that innocence in the Hulk's face and it's absolutely heartbreaking. This frames the evil at work very well. Letterer Cory Petit amplifies this too with bold text with little to no punctuation.

Ruy Jose's inks highlight the amazing details in Bennett's artwork. There's some great texture here, particularly in the Hulk's muscles. You fully understand just how powerful the guy is. He could crush a man's head like a grape.

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There's a dark cloud of sorts hanging over this entire issue. It's a nice contrast to the otherwise bright and shiny world we saw in the previous chapter. Colorist Matt Milla captures the dreadful tone of Al Ewing's story well. The green gamma energy shines through like an otherworldly power. It's unnatural and pierces through all this darkness and desolation, not as a ray of hope, but a harbinger of doom.

Immortal Hulk is pure, unbridled terror. It's full of heart so the scares pack a much bigger punch. We're dealing with massive, cosmic horror through the lens of a super hero previously known primarily for smashing stuff. This is so much more and I love every part of it. This comic delivers on so many levels.