The Immortal Hulk (comic book)

Last updated
The Immortal Hulk
Immortal Hulk 1 Cover.png
Cover to The Immortal Hulk #1. Art by Alex Ross.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication dateJune 2018 – October 2021
No. of issues50
Main character(s) Hulk
Creative team
Written by Al Ewing
Penciller(s) Joe Bennett
Inker(s) Ruy José
Letterer(s) Cory Petit
Colorist(s) Paul Mounts
Editor(s) Tom Brevoort

The Immortal Hulk was an ongoing comic book series written by Al Ewing, pencilled by Joe Bennett, and published by Marvel Comics. The series starred the various dissociative identities, or "alters," of Bruce Banner as they grapple with the discovery that gamma-irradiated beings such as the Hulk are unable to die. [1]

Contents

The series began in the aftermath of the "No Surrender" storyline in Avengers, with the Hulk returning from his death at the hands of Hawkeye during the Civil War II crossover event. It quickly garnered critical acclaim, [2] [3] [4] including three Eisner Award nominations for Best Continuing Series. [5] [6] [7] After spawning numerous one-shots by various creative teams and a spinoff miniseries starring Gamma Flight, the series concluded with issue #50 in October 2021. [8]

Summary

The Immortal Hulk begins as a series of single-issue horror stories, many of which cast the Hulk in the role of the monster. However, a larger story soon emerges, involving the Green Door through which gamma creatures must pass on their way back from death. Learning the truth of the Green Door sets the Hulk on a path which leads him to confront his father, the machinations of a secret government organization, the first Marvel Comics character to be called the Hulk, and the driving force behind all evil in the Marvel Universe.

Themes

In its 50-issue span, The Immortal Hulk addresses a wide range of themes. Its opening issues focus on the idea that all people have a monstrous side to their nature. After Hulk travels to Hell, questions of the Problem of Evil and the nature of morality come to the fore. The introduction of Joe Fixit and the Savage Hulk leads to an exploration of Dissociative Identity Disorder and the reconceptualization of the Hulk's psychological makeup as a "system" rather than a Banner-Hulk binary. The Roxxon storyline takes an environmentalist approach, portraying the dangers of capitalism and propagandistic media. Additionally, race, gender identity, and religion (particularly Judaism) are also explored.

Reception

The Immortal Hulk garnered high praise following its debut in 2018. Matt Lune of Multiversity Comics called the first issue "extremely well done," praising the reimagining of the Hulk as "a terrifying figure, with a grim, twisted, toothy smile, piercing stare and distinctly disturbing eloquence." [2] In 2019, 2020, and 2022, the series was nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series. [5] [6] [7] Upon completion of the series, Tony Thornley of Comicon.com called it

the greatest run ever written about [the Hulk]. This is a seminal story that started as a monster movie, evolved into a supernatural thriller, then a cosmic horror. It further molted into an anti-capitalist protest. A psychological thriller. Back to cosmic horror. And then a meditation on the character himself and what made him great. [...] In the end, we got a single, continuous Hulk story that redefined the character, his powers, his world, even his mental illness. [...] We find ourselves at the conclusion of one of the greatest comics series Marvel has ever published. [4]

Artist controversy

Bennett caused controversy by including what was interpreted as antisemitic imagery in the background of a panel in The Immortal Hulk #43. [9] Though the imagery made it to print in the single issue, it was removed in collected editions. Following this, a 2018 political cartoon resurfaced in which the then-Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was allegorically depicted as an “Independence Dragoon” (a member of a historical Brazilian military unit) fighting political opponents (including former presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff and Michel Temer) in the shape of monstrous rats. [10] In response to this illustration, Ewing severed ties with Bennett. [11] On 9 September 2021, Marvel announced that he had been removed from his current assignments and was not on any future Marvel projects. [12]

One-shots

In addition to the main fifty-issue run, several Immortal Hulk one-shots were released. Initially created as a way for the series to tie into crossover events without intruding on the main series, these one-shots expanded their focus to allow other creative teams a chance to tell self-contained Immortal Hulk stories.

TitleWriterArtistColoristNotesRelease date
Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense #1Al EwingSimone Di MeoDono Sánchez-AlmaraTie-in to The Best Defense crossoverDecember 5, 2018
Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk #1Filipe AndradeChris O'HalloranTie-in to Absolute Carnage crossoverOctober 2, 2019
Immortal Hulk: Great Power #1 Tom Taylor Jorge Molina
Adriano Di Benedetto
Roberto Poggi		David CurielFebruary 5, 2020
Immortal Hulk #0Al EwingMattia de IulisOriginal framing storySeptember 16, 2020
Bill Mantlo Mike Mignola
Gerry Talaoc		Bob SharenReprint of Incredible Hulk #312
Peter David Adam Kubert
Mark Farmer 		Dan BrownReprint of Incredible Hulk #-1
Immortal She-Hulk #1Al EwingJon Davis-HuntMarcio MenyzTie-in to Empyre crossoverSeptember 23, 2020
Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place #1 Jeff Lemire Mike del Mundo Mike del Mundo
Marco D'Alfonso		September 30, 2020
King in Black: Immortal Hulk #1Al Ewing Aaron Kuder Frank Martin
Erick Arciniega		Tie-in to King in Black crossoverDecember 16, 2020
Immortal Hulk: Flatline #1 Declan Shalvey February 17, 2021
Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1Alex Paknadel
Al Ewing		Juan FerreyraIntroduces prehistoric "original Hulk"May 19, 2021
David Vaughan Kevin Nowlan

Collected editions

The series has been collected into a number of hardcover and trade paperback collections:

Trade paperbacks

VolumeTitleMaterial collectedPage countPublication dateISBNAdditional notes
1Or Is He Both?Immortal Hulk #1-5 and material from Avengers #684136November 20, 2018 978-1302912550
2The Green DoorImmortal Hulk #6-10112February 12, 2019 978-1302912567
3Hulk in HellImmortal Hulk #11-15112May 14, 2019 978-1302915063
4AbominationImmortal Hulk #16-20136September 3, 2019 978-1302912550
5Breaker of WorldsImmortal Hulk #21-25136November 19, 2019 978-1302916688
6We Believe in Bruce BannerImmortal Hulk #26-30112March 17, 2020 978-1302920500
7Hulk Is HulkImmortal Hulk #31-35136September 1, 2020 978-1302920517
8The Keeper of the DoorImmortal Hulk #36-40112January 19, 2021 978-1302920524
9The Weakest One There IsImmortal Hulk #41-45112June 8, 2021 978-1302925970
10Of Hell and of DeathImmortal Hulk #46-50184December 7, 2021 978-1302925987
11ApocryphaImmortal Hulk: The Best Defense #1, Defenders: The Best Defense #1, Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk #1, Immortal Hulk #0, Immortal She-Hulk #1, King in Black: Immortal Hulk #1, and material from Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1248January 11, 2022 978-1302931162 Anthology collection of the Ewing-written Immortal Hulk one-shots
Great PowerImmortal Hulk: Great Power #1, Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place #1, Immortal Hulk: Flatline #1, and material from Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1112November 2, 2021 978-1302931179 Anthology collection of the non-Ewing-written Immortal Hulk one-shots
Gamma FlightGamma Flight #1-5112January 4, 2022 978-1302928063 Spinoff miniseries following Gamma Flight after the events of Immortal Hulk #47
Defenders: There Are No RulesDefenders #1-5 and material from Marvel Comics #1000-1001144May 3, 2022 978-1302924720 Related miniseries revealing where Harpy went at the end of Immortal Hulk #48

Hardcovers

VolumeMaterial collectedPage countPublication dateISBNAdditional notes
Book 1Immortal Hulk #1-10 and material from Avengers #684264October 15, 2019 978-1302919658 Compilation of Vol. 1 & 2 trade paperbacks
Book 2Immortal Hulk #11-20232July 7, 2020 978-1302923471 Compilation of Vol. 3 & 4 trade paperbacks
Book 3Immortal Hulk #21-30256May 11, 2021 978-1302928308 Compilation of Vol. 5 & 6 trade paperbacks
Book 4Immortal Hulk #31-40248November 16, 2021 978-1302931285 Compilation of Vol. 7 & 8 trade paperbacks
Book 5Immortal Hulk #41-50304December 6, 2022 978-1302945268 Compilation of Vol. 9 & 10 trade paperbacks
OmnibusImmortal Hulk #1-50, Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense #1, Defenders: The Best Defense #1, Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk #1, Immortal Hulk #0, Immortal She-Hulk #1, King in Black: Immortal Hulk #1, Gamma Flight #1-5, and material from Avengers #684 and Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #11,616August 15, 2023 978-1302916688 Collection of all Ewing-written Immortal Hulk material. Does not include Immortal Hulk: Great Power #1, Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place #1, Immortal Hulk: Flatline #1, the non-Ewing-written material from Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1, or the Defenders miniseries

Related Research Articles

William Douglas Oakley was a letterer for numerous comic books from Marvel, DC, and other companies. His most prominent works include the first two volumes of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Batman: Gotham Knights #1-11, #15-37.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She-Hulk</span> Comic book superhero

She-Hulk is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1. Walters is a lawyer who, after an assassination attempt, received an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner, and acquired a milder version of his Hulk condition. As such, Walters becomes a large, powerful, green-hued version of herself. Unlike Banner in his Hulk form, Walters largely retains her normal personality in her She-Hulk form, in particular the majority of her intelligence and emotional control. Furthermore, though she's much taller in her She-Hulk form, Walters's body mass is just as dense as that of her normal human self. In any case, like Hulk, She-Hulk is still susceptible to outbursts of anger and becomes much stronger when enraged. In later series, her transformation is permanent, and she often breaks the fourth wall for humorous effect and running gags, as the first major Marvel character to do so frequently, ahead of the more famous fourth wall breaker Deadpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sasquatch (comics)</span> Comics character

Sasquatch is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jae Lee</span> Korean American comics artist (born 1972)

Jae Lee is a Korean American comics artist known for his interior illustration and cover work for various publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb Trimpe</span> American comics creator (1939–2015)

Herbert William Trimpe was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout star of the X-Men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Ewing</span> British comics writer

Al Ewing is a British comics writer who has mainly worked in the small press, for 2000 AD, and for Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunderbolt Ross</span> Comic book character

General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics featuring the Hulk. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, and the ex-father-in-law of both Glenn Talbot and Bruce Banner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivier Coipel</span> French comic book artist

Olivier Coipel is a French comic book artist, known for his work on books such as House of M, Legion of Super-Heroes and Thor.

<i>Newsarama</i> American website based around comic books

Newsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website GamesRadar+, also owned by Future US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bennett (artist)</span> Brazilian comic book artist (born 1968)

Benedito José Nascimento, better known as Joe Bennett, is a Brazilian comic book artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devil Hulk</span> Comics character

The Devil Hulk, also known as the Immortal Hulk, is a fictional alternate-personality character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Ben Oliver is a British comics artist who has worked for 2000 AD on Judge Dredd as well as providing art for The Authority, The Losers, and Ultimate X-Men

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Moreno</span> American comic book illustrator

Chris Moreno is an American comic book illustrator.

<i>The Incredible Hulk</i> (comic book) Comic book series

The Incredible Hulk is an ongoing comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero the Hulk and his alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner.

<i>A-Force</i> Comic book series

A-Force is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in May 2015 as a part of Marvel's "Secret Wars" crossover storyline. It was created by writers G. Willow Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, and artist Jorge Molina. It features Marvel's first all-female Avengers team called the A-Force. The team first appeared as part of an alternate universe during "Secret Wars" but later reemerged in Marvel's primary continuity.

<i>U.S.Avengers</i> American comic book series

U.S.Avengers is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics as a part of the Marvel NOW! 2.0 comic book branding. Created by writer Al Ewing and artist Paco Medina, the series debuted in January 2017. It features a traditionally American patriotic-themed team of Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Warren Johnson</span> Comic book artist and writer

Daniel Warren Johnson is a comic book artist and writer based in Chicago. He has worked on titles with Image Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. He also collaborated with colorist Mike Spicer beginning with Extremity. The men also worked together on the Wonder Woman: Dead Earth and Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star mini-series. He followed that up with a solo project, Do A Powerbomb in 2022. His works have been published in five languages.

References

  1. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (March 14, 2018). "Here's How Hulk Is Resurrected in Avengers: No Surrender". IGN . Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 Lune, Matt (June 7, 2018). ""The Immortal Hulk" #1 – Review". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Matz, Kyle (October 22, 2019). "Immortal Hulk #25 review: alone at the end of the universe". AIPT Comics. Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 Thornley, Tony (October 15, 2021). "Review: 'Immortal Hulk' #50 Is The Ending No One Expected And Everyone Needed". Comicon.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. 1 2 McMillan, Graeme (April 26, 2019). "Eisner Award Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. 1 2 McMillan, Graeme (June 4, 2020). "2020 Eisner Nominees: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. 1 2 Damore, Meagan (May 18, 2022). "Marvel Comics and Creators Nominated for 2022 Eisner Awards". Marvel . Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ "Giant-Sized 'Immortal Hulk' #50 Concludes Al Ewing & Joe Bennett's Legendary Run". Marvel. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Cronin, Brian (February 3, 2021). "Immortal Hulk Artist Issues Statement on Anti-Semitic Imagery". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  10. ↑ Leung, Yasmine (2021-09-03). "Joe Bennett's political cartoon ft Jair Bolsonaro drama explained". HITC. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  11. ↑ Adams, Tim (September 2, 2021). "Immortal Hulk's Al Ewing Severs Relationship with Joe Bennett Over 'Reprehensible' Illustration". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  12. ↑ Adams, Tim (September 9, 2021). "Joe Bennett No Longer Working on Marvel's Timeless After Posting Anti-Semitic Image". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.