Writer: Al Ewing

Art: Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Belardino Brabo, Marc Deering, Roberto Poggi, Paul Mounts, VC’s Cory Petit, German Garcia, and Alex Ross

Price: $3.99

Release Date: November 20th, 2019

Some monsters are born from gamma… other monsters worship a different kind of green. In this week’s all-new IMMORTAL HULK #27 by Al Ewing, Hulk is taking the fight to its lords and masters – the Roxxon Corporation. But when you mess with the Minotaur, you get the horns. Let’s smash into this issue to see how the Big Mean and Green takes the fight directly to Roxxon!

For those who have been scouring for the past two issues for a Hulk comic that was more straightforward, more action-packed, and less convoluted, then welcome back to the IMMORTAL HULK that has been the smashing force behind its long-running success! Al Ewing goes back to the well and provides fans with another engrossingly dynamic monstrous melee versus the Roxxon Cooperation. Fans may not get the intense battle they were looking for or hoping for, however, they get the Hulk they’ve craved for almost 2 months now.

That said, as extremely entertaining as this issue was, there were a few aspects of the narrative that seemed a bit disconnected to this reader. It feels like the entire overarching storyline of “Hulk being this God-like supernatural infused entity” has been Al Ewing’s theme since day one. It also appears as though the first arc or so of the secondary, surface-level plot threads were also planned out thoroughly before his run began. However, Ewing’s direction of Hulk trying to take on Roxxon, take over Shadow Base, and ultimately destroy humanity with a little help from his friends, seems unnatural and out of place.

This reader understands Hulk’s motivation for wanting to destroy humanity but not his friend’s reasoning and not how the Immortal Hulk is going about humanity’s demise. Furthermore, the past couple of issues of Ewing’s run seem unfocused and unplanned as if he’s establishing the story issue to issue instead of something precisely matriculated gradually throughout multiple issues and story arcs like the first 20 stories in the series. Additionally, readers will discover a drastic change to the character of the Hulk. This new change has been a foundation throughout Ewing’s run. So, why the sudden change now?

This, there may have been some unexpected modifications recently, however, Joe Bennett and his art team are a constant that this reviewer looks forward to every single issue. Bennett’s terrifyingly thrilling artistic style is the backbone of this series each and every issue. When given the opportunity to showcase his monstrous talents, each abomination leaps off the page with such fury, aggression, and bone-chilling action. Bennett’s battles are what have been missing the last two issues. Without the Hulk present in the narrative, Bennett didn’t have an opportunity to shine. However, that was not the case this week. The Immortal Hulk is nothing without Joe Bennett’s art and this reviewer could make a case that Bennett’s artistic style is more important to the character than Al Ewing’s writing at this point. When glancing back over multiple past issues this week, the underlining theme for this series’ success and high ranking amongst fans and peers very well may hinge on Bennett’s continued opportunity to illustrate this mean green machine without holding back!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now, this reader understands that readers of this review may think this critique leans more towards the negative side. It looks as though after what has been said, this reviewer doesn’t like the issue. However, IMMORTAL HULK #27 was far and away better than the prior two issues, captivated my attention from start to finish, and showcased Joe Bennett’s art throughout many horrifyingly thrilling battle sequences. Even though the past two issues, as well as this one, seem a bit disjointed, it still appears as though Ewing is getting back on track. Ewing appears to be going back to what has worked and what has made this series so successful early on, which ultimately makes this Hulk fan optimistic as we move ahead. Let’s hope he continues this trend throughout the next arc and beyond.

8.3/10