The Immortal Hulk #28 // Review
The Immortal Hulk #28, written by Al Ewing, with art by Tom Reilly and Matias Bergara, and colors by Chris O’Halloran, focuses not on the Great Green One. Still, on the people he has set to tear down in his war on humanity...but is it filler, or artistic pacing? Previously, the Hulk defeated his enemy, General Fortean, and took over his secret base and government resources. Deciding to make full use of those resources, Banner and his alter ego pulled themselves together to declare war on humanity. Their main targets? The rich and the corrupt of the world? The poster boy of the rich and the corrupt? Dario Agger, head of the evil Roxxon Corporation, monstrous minotaur in disguise, and former Thor villain. Now, Agger must figure out how to stop Hulk from smashing his entire company or risk losing everything.
Ewing works his magic on Dario, making him much more than the corrupt businessman, who happened to be a minotaur, from Aaron’s Thor run. Now, he’s a monster barely holding on to the last vestiges of his humanity, desperately seeking a way to keep his disintegrating company from slipping through his fingers. He’s no longer pretending to be a law-abiding citizen, instead boldly killing his employees on a whim, and going on about his day without a second thought. It is clear that Ewing’s Agger has lost his grip on sanity, and that makes him a far more interesting character than he ever was before.
The B story offers a much more grounded view of Hulk’s war. Focusing on a disenchanted family man who has lost touch with his daughter, and pines for a bygone era of America that never really existed, this story shows the flipside of Agger. The family man of this tale has never had any real control of his life and does everything in his power to make himself feel like he has. The Hulk becomes the focal point of all of his rage over his own inadequacies, and the result is a personal loss on multiple levels.
The art this issue, handled by Reilly and Bergara, is a fair substitute for the usual masterful work of Joe Bennett. Some parts of the visuals work better than others here, but in particular, the sections focusing on the family man sometimes only feel partially rendered, or lacking full definition. That could be a style choice, but it’s such a sharp contrast to the rest of the book that it can be a little jarring. O’Halloran’s colors complement both artists very well, giving this interlude chapter its own unique flavor. Paul Mounts, the usual colorist, is missed here, but O’Halloran makes a fine substitute in a pinch.
Overall, this issue isn’t quite up to the level of excitement of other recent chapters, but it’s still a solid story by a top-notch creative team. It is clearly filler, meant to extend the arc a little more past its natural runtime. Still, Ewing draws you in with his fun take on Dario Agger, and his poignant B story about an average Joe who can’t maintain his relevance in an ever-changing world. You could skip this issue and not miss much, but it’s still some of the best writing in the biz today.
