When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced The Hulk in 1962, they were very open about the horror influences on the character, going from Boris Karlof’s interpretation of Frankenstein in the homonymous movie to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The fear of nuclear war and its effects on mankind was also present in the earliest issues of the comic series, which was created in the midst of the Cold War and the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. Decades later, the Hulk would be reduced to a simple brute that would often punch his way out of trouble fighting aliens and other superheroes without being much more than a second-rate character. That is, of course, until Al Ewing took over the title in 2018 and brought back the story to its horror roots with the masterful Immortal Hulk series. And boy oh boy, this comic is pure nightmare fuel.
The story takes place months after Bruce Banner, the Hulk’s human alter-ego, was murdered to prevent the Hulk from causing more damage. Somehow, Banner has returned to life and roams the country trying to stay out of trouble but forces out of his control are still trying to hunt him down. So far, this is a very typical situation, but there is a main difference: usually, in order for Banner to transform into the Hulk, he simply needs to get angry, but now in order to manifest his powers, Bruce needs to die. This leads to a lot of gruesome situations, in which our protagonist needs to commit suicide several times to unleash his powers and defend himself from the monsters that try to take his life.
This is not a superhero story. In fact, you don’t really need to have read any Marvel comics or know any of the mythology or continuity to understand what is going on. I’d argue that it’s even better if you don’t. The Hulk in this run is diabolical, much different from the childish brute from previous iterations. This Hulk is a terrifying demon who wants to hurt his enemies, using his immense strength to brutalize his adversaries in ways that would make Rob Zombie proud. The transformation sequences are straight from a David Cronenberg movie, showing the disgusting mass of flesh, bone and guts going from the soft human Bruce Banner to the immortal monster Hulk.
There is a fascinating mix of horror subgenres in this comic. From classical Gothic storytelling with the Dr. Jekyll and Hyde aspects, to cosmic horror, body horror, and psychological thriller. Is the Hulk only a separate part of Banner’s psyche, or is he something else coming from the darkest corners of the universe?
This is the kind of comic that would be recommended reading for fans of the superhero genre who would like to get into horror and expand their horizons. The writing is masterful, and the artwork is mind-blowing, with this being one of the best graphic novels to come out in the last decade.
Are there any other horror comics you’d like me to cover? Let me know in the comments!
This was such a classic