Immortal Hulk #49: Why They Kill My Dog, and Man, I Miss My Uncle Charles Y’all

It’s the penultimate issue before the big finale of Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s game-changing and groundbreaking three-year run on Immortal Hulk. The issue is told completely with one to two splash pages slipping effortlessly through the history of not only this run, but with the Hulk’s history with the greater Marvel universe. Whether that be interactions with his cousin, the She-Hulk, to his on-again, off-again allies, the Avengers, to the Fantastic Four, and one of his primary antagonists, the Thing. Ewing and Bennett give you glimpses of Bruce’s personal demons, and events that would help fracture his mind, and give you his multiple personalities. 

A character that has been around for nearly sixty years, and you would ask yourself, “What is there new to say with the property that hasn’t already been said before?” …and then you get a writer like Al Ewing who brings you this concept and it catches the American superhero comic world by storm. You’re probably asking yourself, “What did they bring to the table?” and the answer is… everything that was already there. What Ewing and Bennett tapped was the right mixture of horror, science fiction, and examination into a shattered psyche that has propelled this series over the last forty-eight issues. 

Ewing has been the underappreciated golden child writer that Marvel has had for the last several years. His knowledge of Marvel’s continuity is deep, and he’s definitely the prodigal successor to creators like Kurt Busiek, Mark Waid, and the late, great Mark Gruenwald. He has a deep respect for continuity, and characterization, and it shows with every project he takes on. He not only delves into who Banner is, but who the Hulks are individually, giving them a depth and gravitas that we haven’t really seen before. Sure, we’ve had some issues that we’d get from time to time where a writer would try to give an insider’s view into who the Hulk was compared to Banner, but Ewing’s view is much more nuanced and complex. Ewing really gives us something exhilarating with each new issue that comes out. Joe Bennett has been Ewing’s partner in crime, and has really delivered some career defining work with this run. He’s come a long way from his time in the ’90s, where everyone was trying to ape one of the Image founders, and it really shows with this book. It’s gritty, and dark, and really helps set the mood for the narrative of this run.