Incredible Hulk #4: Nobody Rides With Charon For Free…

Four issues into the new Incredible Hulk series, and series writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson is joined by guest artist Travel Foreman, as they bring Bruce and his newest teenage companion, Charlie, to the swamps of the Louisiana bayou, the home of Man-Thing! Yes, that Man-Thing, the guardian to the nexus of all realities! The two are on the run from the Eldest, a new primordial evil avatar that is hellbent on releasing the Mother of All Horrors! As the two try to catch their breath is when the real story begins. 

Johnson has become one of the fan favorite newer writers over the last couple years, so when word got out that he was coming over to the Hulk fans seemed beyond elated, to say the least. His pitch was to take a look into the horror roots of the character, something that Ewing had explored in the not so distant past, with his highly lauded run, the Immortal Hulk, with series artist Joe Bennett. In the run the duo would explore, and build a mythology around Bruce, and the effects that gamma rays have had surrounding those most affected by it. So hearing that we’d be getting another run where the team would explore the genre further left fans a bit more apprehensive, luckily he’s proven his critics wrong. 

Where the themes from Ewing’s run dealt with the effects of the gamma rays on the people who had been exposed to them, Johnson’s gives us a more eldritch tale, where he’s exploring the mystical corners of the universe. It’s something that we rarely get to see with the Hulk, since the character’s origin is so intrinsically tied to the science fiction genre. That’s not to say that we don’t get some mystical stories featuring the Hulk, we have stories dealing with the Wendigo, or on the rare team ups with his former Defenders non-teammate, Dr. Strange, or even stories with the Man-Thing, but this? This feels like Johnson’s going to give us something different, and that’s something to look forward to. 

Joining Johnson is superstar artist Travel Foreman. Foreman’s been around for awhile, who has a keen talent, with a style that’s uniquely his own, but he’s never had a run on a book that’s brought him to the next level. It looks like he had a chance during the launch of the New 52 over at the Distinguished Competition, and helped with the creation of the Dark Line with the Animal Man comic, which was a critical darling, and fan favorite title. Alas he would only stay in the book for a very brief time, but his run had a huge impact on the title. Bringing us to today. Foreman’s style is perfect for this storyline. His linework oozes creep, and horror, and his Man-Thing is macabre. His use of shadows, and textures amplifies the tone Johnson’s going with to elevate it to a darker level. It’s definitely one of the biggest highlights of this story. Hopefully we’ll be seeing Foreman in something else in the dark recesses of the Marvel Universe in the future.