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The Incredible Hulk and Bruce Banner are down for the count. The Eldest has asserted dominance and now the Mother of Horrors is soon to be unleashed! Only the recently returned Charlie can hope to stand up against the Skinwalkers of Lycana and save the day! How exactly can she overcome such overwhelming odds though? Well, Charlie didn’t exactly come back alone!
- Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson
- Art by Nic Klein & Danny Earls
- Colors by Matthew Wilson
- Letters by VC’s Corey Petit
- Editor Jordan D. White
- Editor-in-Chief C. B. Cebulski
The Incredible Hulk Defeated?
To see Hulk and Banner in such a weak moment sure was something. The image is actual horribly beautiful. Banner is stretched out from the canvass of Hulk who looks like he’s half throw rug, half emaciated tree. Powerful imagery indeed.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson has done a wonderful job throughout this run at putting Hulk and Banner in situations that actual feel dangerous to them. That’s hard to to an indestructible being and one of the smartest men in the world. Next up is building a formidable enemy like the Eldest and Mother of Horrors. It helps that they have a sort of connection to the Hulk. They are great villains that feel like they could handle the mythical, horrific side of the big green monster.
What is the Hulkscape?!
How Do You Compete With the Oldest Being on Earth?
Of course it makes sense that with all of these eldritch horrors making easy work of the Hulk, a young woman named Charlie would be the one to stand tall and take the fight to Eldest. As you may know, Charlie has been recently resurrected. However, she didn’t necessarily come back to the world of the living alone. This is another awesome plot device used by Johnson to give credibility to Charlie being strong enough to distract Eldest and her forces long enough for the Hulk to regain his strength. Then it’s a slobber knocker between Hulk and Eldest!
The Incredible Hulk is an Incredible Horror
Let’s give a round of applause for another fantastic piece of horror artwork from Nick Klein and Danny Earls. I love the abstract designs, flesh and bone twisting in some wild, disturbing ways. It really keeps you off balance enough to forget how strong the Hulk is long enough to put him in actual danger. Monster designs shine through and create some really visually stunning concepts.
The color by Matthew Wilson takes what is already a visceral style and adds that push into the macabre. Pale, sickly colors give you that feeling of disease and death like nothing else. That doesn’t that everything is devoid of color. Oranges, reds, yellows, and obviously greens bring it all together, give it depth, and brings the reader into this world.
What’s Next for the Hulks?
After we wrap up this chapter of The Incredible Hulk, we get 3 more short stories from other Hulks to celebrate 800 issues! It seems as they have slight connections to this current run, but mostly stand alone. Each has a unique creative team and seem to act as previews for future titles. This includes a run in between Brawn and Hulk, an adventure from She-Hulk, and a real intriguing story for Red Hulk.
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Everything Points to 8.5/10
This was a great way to basically put a pin in the Mother of Horrors arc. I’m sure that it’s not completely over, but we start another story that will involve other Hulks and helping Charlie. Johnson continues to wow me with some awesome horror story telling that is perfect for Hulk. The artwork is so much fun to explore. It’s gross, it’s disturbing, it’s beautiful. I’m excited to see where Hulk and Charlie go from here and what new horrors await them in the future!