Review: The Hulk Punches An Angel In ‘The Incredible Hulk’ #11
by Tony Thornley
When a Hulk story is firing on all cylinders, there are few comics in the industry that can beat it. So when a story that started with the Hulk hunting a witch ends with a brawl with the Bride of the Devil, you have to at least be interested…
The Incredible Hulk rushes to the climax of its first year from Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Danny Earls, Matthew Wilson, and Cory Petit.
The monster known as Frozen Charlotte has taken Charlie, the Hulk’s travel companion. The Hulk is now in a race against time to beat Charlie’s location out of Charlotte. He’s about to find out though that Frozen Charlotte is more than a witch or a monster. She’s one of the Nehpilim, and the chosen bride of Lucifer Morningstar himself, making her potentially one of the most powerful beings he’s ever had to face…
I continue to love this series. It has become more of a sequel to the seminal Immortal Hulk than the volume that immediately followed it. Where Immortal was more philosophical, Johnson has made this volume more mythological, with each story arc exploring some new bit of lore that fits right in with the Marvel Universe. I also like how he’s keeping it all very southern gothic- even though the monster here is practically an angel, she still feels like a creature you’d hear about in New Orleans myths.
Earls’ line art has an interesting quality that enhances this issue. While he still is able to embrace the dirty darkness that lead artist Nic Klein has mastered for the series, he adds an ethereal quality to his panels, especially in the scenery and backgrounds, which Wilson’s colors enhance. The fight between the Hulk and Charlotte is paced incredibly, and he’s able to give each blow weight. Wilson contrasts the greens of Hulk against the cold blues and white of Charlotte to make the fight seem truly inhuman and scary.
Petit does one of the things he does best with the lettering. In an action story, it can sometimes be hard to place captions and dialogue without blocking it. He never gets in the way while still making sure everything is clean, clear and readable.
Incredible Hulk #11 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
This series is such a hidden gem right now, and it’s one every Marvel Universe fan should be reading. It’s that good.