Comic Info
Comic Name: The Immortal Hulk
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Joe Bennett
# of Issues: 5
Release Date: 2021
The Immortal Hulk #42
Reprints The Immortal Hulk #41-45 (February 2021-June 2021). With the Leader in charge of Hell, Joe Fixit and “Big Guy” are the only remaining Hulks surviving in the Bruce Banner body…and everyone seems to want Banner. A face off with the Thing and an attack by the U-Foes could mean doom for Joe and Big Guy unless they can find a way to regain their former strength from the Leader. Plus, one of Hulk’s allies discovers a new ability as the quests to restore Doc Samson leads to a surprising encounter.
Written by Al Ewing, The Immortal Hulk Volume 9: The Weakest One There Is is a Marvel Comics superhero comic book collection. Following The Immortal Hulk Volume 8: The Keeper of the Door, the collection features art by Joe Bennett.
The last volume of The Immortal Hulk was pretty twisted and sometimes difficult to follow. The story involves the Leader taking over Hell (the place where gamma beings go when they die) and using the Green Doors to reach Earth and crush the Hulk. This volume continues on that story and like the previous volume is a bit hard to track…but it doesn’t necessarily have to be understood to enjoy.
The volume is pretty much Joe Fixit and Big Guy on the run in Banner’s body. After a sit down with the Thing, Joe discovers Gyrich has sent the U-Foes after him…and it doesn’t turn out well for Joe or the Big Guy. This is mixed with Gamma Flight trying to restore Sasquatch and finding themselves caught up in the middle of the now revived Rick Jones and Del Frye. Jackie McGee also gets into the mix with new “gamma seeing” powers. It doesn’t feel much like a stand-alone volume because there doesn’t seem to be much of a through story in this collection. It largely feels like set-up for the next storyline.
The Immortal Hulk #44
An issue in this collection did face controversy. In The Immortal Hulk #43 (April 2021), Banner in his Joe Fixit form goes to a jewelry store to buy merchandise to pawn. The store’s front window (backwards) is adorned with a word that appears to be a misspelled version of “jewelry” (take out the l) and a Star of David. Bennett denied that he was making a racist statement with the window and pushing a stereotype, but Marvel did re-edit the panel for the graphic novel collection to not have wording on the window.
This is the penultimate The Immortal Hulk collection. Ewing is winding up for his big finish. With a lot of eyes on the title and a lot of anticipation, I hope Ewing isn’t painting himself into a corner for people who want a big finish. I have to say a lot of the “Green Door” hopping is a bit confusing, and I hope for the final run, it gets to the nitty-gritty of the Hulk…and also sets up a path for the character’s future since Bennett has created a rather dark and dangerous world for Hulk…I don’t know if Hulk can come back from this run and just be a “normal” Hulk story. The Immortal Hulk 9: The Weakest One There Is is followed by The Immortal Hulk 10: Of Hell and Death.
Related Links:
The Immortal Hulk 1: Or Is He Both
The Immortal Hulk 2: The Green Door
The Immortal Hulk 3: Hulk in Hell
The Immortal Hulk 4: Abomination
The Immortal Hulk 5: Breaker of Worlds
The Immortal Hulk 6: We Believe in Bruce Banner
The Immortal Hulk 7: Hulk Is Hulk
