INFERNAL HULK VS. FANTASTIC FOUR #1 – The Experiment

Creative Team – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Cian Tormey, Romulo Fajardo Jr., VC’s Cory Petit, Nic Klein

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1!

The Story

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Shawn – The Infernal Hulk’s warpath continues. After battling Wolverine, we now see the Infernal Hulk take on the Fantastic Four. As the city is torn apart by these mutants of the Infernal Hulk, the Fantastic Four are battling to simultaneously protect the city and solve the issue of the infection. While the battle with Wolverine was enjoyable, it’s this issue that really lets us see the depraved depths that the Infernal Hulk will go to in order to succeed. The result is Phillip Kennedy Johnson giving us some killer body horror moments in The Infernal Hulk vs Fantastic Four #1 that truly allow us to see this character in an all-new way.

Johnson truly turns the corner with this issue, making you begin to wonder who can truly defeat this version of The Hulk. The way the Infernal Hulk takes on the Fantastic Four while allowing these mutants to take over the city is just impressive. Johnson just raises the stakes for this entire Infernal Saga with this issue in a really satisfying way.

Megan – In this next issue of the Infernal Hulk slowly but surely taking down the Marvel Universe, it’s the Fantastic Four’s turn to come toe to toe with the monster. Reed Richards is doing what he can to find a way to take down the Infernal Hulk and cure the world of his terror while the rest of Marvel’s First Family is doing what they can against the mutates that are tearing cities down as they please. Reed has an idea that may help the creatures that have been affected by the Infernal Hulk and it includes the Sanguine Tree. However, the Infernal Hulk is closer than they realize as he has a garden of his own right below the Baxter Building.

Infernal Hulk vs. Fantastic Four #1 continues the spectacle of how terrifying and unnerving the Infernal Hulk truly is. Reed said it best when he said “you really are just a monster now” and that couldn’t be more true. Phillip Kennedy Johnson ensures that the Infernal Hulk is a monster inside and out. There’s never going too low in terms of destruction when it comes to the Infernal Hulk. This is something I appreciate. A villain that you can’t emphasize with. A monster that truly only cares about themselves and is nothing but a bad-to-the-bone villain. Excellent work by Johnson in this dark one shot! I am very excited to see how the next one goes when the Infernal Hulk meets Spider-Man!

The Art

Shawn – Cian Tormey, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Cory Petit crafted an action-filled body horror spectacle. Tormey really captures the body horror element as the heroes battle the Infernal Hulk. While things may eventually turn around, the line work from Tormey makes it feel like our heroes may be dealing with the scars from this event long after the saga is over. Tormey does a particularly impressive job on The Thing in this issue.

Romulo Fajardo Jr. does a really stellar job in capturing the colors of this issue. He manages to perfectly capture the dark, despairing feeling as the Fantastic Four fight against all odds. The colors feel subdued and muted, making the reader instantly feel the weight of the stakes of this battle. Cory Petit does a fantastic job helping the dialogue flow through the issue. He particularly shines in battle scenes, letting the narrative breathe while also giving the art room to shine with his positioning of speech bubbles.

Megan – Cian Tormey, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Cory Petit do what they do best and make this a comic to remember! Tormey is able to illustrate all the terrifying devastation of the Infernal Hulk and make it a gorgeous spectacle with excellent linework and expert detailing. Romulo Fajardo Jr. relied on the darker tones for the colors while using Johnny Storm as an excellent vibrant focal point. The darker colors really pushed the narrative of how monstrous the Infernal Hulk is, as the Fantastic Four is usually accompanied by vibrancy. Cory Petit handled the lettering and wrapped this issue up in a perfect bow with the excellent flow of dialogue he provides throughout the issue. Together, they made this a very memorable issue!

Final Thoughts

Shawn -9/10. Another satisfying issue in the march towards the Infernal War. This issue really felt like it had some gravitas and set the stage well for the battle as it moves forward.

Megan – 9/10. The Infernal Hulk is on his own world tour of destruction, and it’s Marvel’s First Family’s turn to come toe-to-toe with the monster. I’m loving how we get to see how the Infernal Hulk handles Marvel’s most iconic heroes and can’t wait for the next one!

Overall Grade –

Let us know in the comments what you thought of Infernal Hulk vs. Fantastic Four!