Immortal Hulk #8: His Hideous Heart

As I began to read the Immortal Hulk #8, the excerpt sounded so familiar “Did he who made the lamb, make thee?” – William Blake. By the end of this issue, intriguing thoughts and questions had to be answered. Al Ewing’s superbly warped mind strategically connected one of Blake’s most infamous late 1700’s poems, “The Tyger” as it was used in Hannibal (TV series, 2013-2015) and now to our favorite green goliath.

The poem itself comes from “songs of Experience,” published in 1794 as a companion to Blake’s 1789 collection of poetry, “Songs of Innocence.” Through these works, as well as through “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”, Blake explores his idea of contraries and belief that such dichotomies are not actually opposites, that two people who seem diametrically opposed are both still accurate reflections of a multifaceted God. “The Tyger” speaks of predatory and ferocious “beauty”, but one that was created by the same God who created “The Lamb,” a perfect “vehicle” of innocence and purity. Their shared origins say more about their creator than words ever could.

The Immortal Hulk #8 repeatedly returns to the beating heart of “The Tyer” and to great effect. A government organization was presented with the dismembered parts of the giant green goliath for experimentations. Hulk’s heart was sliced and probed, but as the scientists wheeled the dissected organ closer to the other pieces, it began to BEAT once more! Dr. Clive who, seems to be like an evil mad scientist, but could he actually be the “lamb” of this story?

“The rules” had to be known and understood to manipulate and break the common scientific method. Dr. Clive realizes the Hulk has some sort of regenerative ability, but to what extent? This gruesome section, Ewing takes the reader on a mind-blowing trip between the doctor and the monster. Shortly afterwards, the Hulk escapes from the secret government facility into the desert. The sun is rising and the day is Banner’s time and he has his own set of demons.

Meanwhile, at the Alpha Flight Space Station, Carol Danvers, Walter Langkowski and Ms. McGee are pondering over the ideas that the government either lost or kidnaped Banner/Hulk. The three form a new group they call “Gamma Flight” as they begin the search for their favorite gamma powered monster.

Ewing has been putting out some crazy, horrific, fun shit due to extensive research and references utilized in each issue. The artwork by Joe Bennet and Ruy Jose is creepy and flows nicely from panel to panel. Paul Mounts coloring continues to be superb; however, I prefer Mounts’ colors with Lee Garbett’s nightmarish feeling throughout issue #6. The Immortal Hulk, thus far, has been really exciting and continues to surprise me.