Immortal Hulk vol. 3: Hulk in Hell

Sadly, this isn’t the volume where we get to see Hulk punch Mephisto in the face.  The “hell” that Hulk and the rest of the cast were pulled into at the end of the previous volume is a more desolate place which is filled with the talking shells of the dead people closest to them.  It’s also being lorded over by the ghost of Bruce Banner’s father who’s apparently acting as a host for the mysterious force that’s behind Gamma radiation and wants to come into the Marvel Universe itself.  So there’s lots of creepy, character-driven stuff going on as Hulk has to confront echoes of characters from his past, using his words and his fists, and that’s stuff’s pretty good as writer Al Ewing knows what makes his characters tick.  Not as interesting are the lengthy expository digressions and speeches where it feels like the writer is working hard to add some profundity to the story he’s telling. It doesn’t really add much to what this story had from the start, even as artist Joe Bennett never stops delivering incredible visuals on each page.

Things wind down quite a bit in the two issues that follow the title arc as Banner and the Hulk catch up with some old friends.  First up is his ex-wife Betty, who’s dealing with the death of her father General Thaddeus Ross. The issue has some great stylized art from Kyle Hotz who makes the conversation scenes just seem strange enough, while things get much crazier for the fights.  It’s arguably better than the story deserves since it’s more about making sense of Betty’s status quo in order to set her up for a bigger role in the story down the line. More to my liking is the Doc Samson-centric issue which follows as it’s always a good time seeing the doctor’s logical approach to addressing superheroes’ mental issues.  It’s especially welcome here as he’s not only able to hold his own against the Hulk’s claims, but his return ties into the greater issue of why the Gamma-enhanced just don’t die. Something which is tantalizingly dangled in front of the reader on the final story page to stoke anticipation for the next volume.