The Immortal Hulk #32 // Review
Everybody’s favorite monster, Xemnu, finally returns in The Immortal Hulk #32, written by Al Ewing, with pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Ruy Jose and Belardino Brabo, and colors by Paul Mounts (and special Xemnu sections by Javier Rodriguez on pencils and colors, and Alvaro Lopez on inks)! What? You don’t remember Xemnu?? What’s wrong with you??? Previously, Bruce Banner and his Hulk personalities forged an unprecedented alliance to end the world as it is. They began their campaign of destruction by focusing on Dario Agger and his Roxxon Energy Corporation. Agger is no pushover, though, having faced off with multiple Thors in his alternate form of a minotaur. Surprisingly, there were no fisticuffs to be had. Agger chose to surgically strike at the Hulk by attacking his increasingly good reputation. Now, Xemnu, an alien invader who can manipulate the public’s perception on a massive scale, has been added to the Roxxon payroll, and become the world’s favorite celebrity/hero. But what of the Hulk and Banner? Now, they are only remembered as public enemy #1, if at all.
Ewing continues to fold eerie bits of horror into this book in different ways. While before, he chose to focus on the horrors of Banner’s psyche and his gruesome physical changes, now he has switched to more of a psychological unease. Xemnu, an old Marvel monster dating back to before the Fantastic Four even first appeared, has never been more effective than he is here. One could wonder why he’s never been used like this before, with his creepy self-focused rewrite of the history of the Marvel universe. Ewing has found a great, untapped foil for the Hulk, in that he is physically imposing, but also able to attack the great green one where he is most vulnerable--his mind.
Speaking of the titular hero’s mind, with Banner being twisted into something sinister and unsettling by his new enemy, his Hulk personalities are left trapped in his head, having to fend for themselves. Ewing makes the most of that situation this issue and surprises longtime fans by reminding them that Hulk is never alone, even when Banner is opposing him. The writer has been teasing the state of Bruce’s mind for a while, giving only vague glimpses of how he has restructured his Banner/Hulk personas into a new kind of alliance. Still, this chapter of the story throws in a potentially bigtime game-changer that could upset the equilibrium...or give Team Hulk everything it wants.
The usual team of Bennett, Jose, Brabo, and Mounts knock this issue out of the park, as always, but they are also joined by Rodriguez and Lopez for special one-page entries interspersed throughout the story. The guest team does a wonderful job of adding to the disturbing visuals of this book, and they are used in a seamless manner, which doesn’t disrupt the main team (as guest artists often do). Hopefully, they’ll be used more throughout the remainder of this arc, to play up the effects of Xemnu on the minds of the public.
This arc is a tiny, but not abrupt, change of pace from the usual tone of this book, adding a little bit of humor to its horror. That’s not a bad thing at all, though. Xemnu makes for a terrifying Hulk villain, and Agger continues to be an unexpected, but worthy foe for ol’ Jade Jaws. Ewing can do no wrong, and if you’ve been missing out on this book, you’re passing up one of the all-time great Hulk runs.
