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Bruce Banner finds himself trapped in the Hulkscape, a horrific and violent place where his consciousness is imprisoned while The Incredible Hulk is in control of their mind and body. As Bruce struggles to escape and regain control, he’ll run into a familiar face, a plethora of monsters, and possibly a helping hand.
- Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
- Art by Nic Klein
- Colors by Matt Wilson and Nic Klein
- Letters by Corey Petit
- Published by MARVEL Entertainment
The Incredible Hulk and The Hulkscape
We find Bruce Banner where we left off, hitchhiking his way to Las Vegas in search of the power to free Charlie’s soul from her totem imprisonment. Unfortunately for Bruce, the powers that seek The Hulk know exactly how to unleash the beast!
With The Hulk free, Bruce is trapped in an alternate dimension, The Hulkscape. It looks like a post apocalyptic city inhabited by monsters, one of which is a giant mutated version of The Hulk that carries Bruce in a cage on his back!
The Incredible Hulk in a New World with an Old Friend
A familiar voice speaks to Bruce from a skeleton in a cage next to his…long time acquaintance Rick Jones. Rick informs Bruce that he most flee this place before it’s too late, as the way back is closing for good this time. With a little help from Rick, Bruce is able to escape his cage and make his way through the psychedelic Hulkscape.
So many abstract images are splattered among familiar ones to create a weird and intriguing world full of horrors. It’s here that Hulk communicates with Banner and Bruce reveals all of his regrets and wrongdoings, including Betsy Ross. As Hulks consciousness gets angrier he sends obstacles to slow Bruce’s progression. Monster gargoyles tear at his flesh and fly him away. Bruce falls near the portal and Hulk reveals that this journey has been his doing the whole time. All of it, the monsters, Rick Jones, the portal…all just a game to break Bruce’s spirit, and it works.
While Bruce sits in darkness a red glow speaks out to him. Betsy Ross appears and offers a helping hand, but with a price. She claims that only The Eldest can save Charlie from the nightmare purgatory that she is living. It all seems so easy, too good to be true.
What Happened To Charlie?!
What Stands Out in The Incredible Hulk #14?
This issue is a stop on the one way trip to a showdown between The Incredible Hulk and The Eldest. As always, it’s interesting to see the inner workings of the two minds fighting for supremacy in the physical world. Bruce full of fear and regret. The Hulk is in a constant state of fighting, whether it be physically or mentally, maintaining that strength is superior to everything else. To see Hulk toy with Bruce in such a calculating and cruel way was kind of off putting. He felt like a villain. It was a change of pace for sure.
The art in this issue is in a stratosphere of itself. The whimsical horror that Nic Klein creates with is something to behold. I felt like we were on a trip through the scariest possible version of Alice in Wonderland. Everything was so alien and surreal.
The colors took that feeling and enhanced it. Instead of being vibrant and multi colored, we got shades of green, yellow, and orange. This brought the feeling of purgatory or maybe even Hell to the environment. Everything looked so sickly and sour. It really drove home the feelings of uneasiness and fear that Bruce was experiencing.
Everything Point to 8/10
Overall, this issue was a fun read. The art really kicked it up a notch. The story itself was more of a rest stop on the way to a much bigger confrontation. It was good to see Bruce acknowledge all of his mistakes, but the way Hulk was playing with him felt so sadistic. The closer Hulk gets to The Eldest the more he is changing for the worst. When the finally clash, I think it will have a fantastic payoff.
