The Immortal Hulk #39
Marvel Comics
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Joe Bennett
Inks by Ruy Jose and Belardino Brabo
Colors by Paul Mounts
Letters by Cory Petit
The Rundown: The Leader enlists some unexpected help in his plot to take over Banner’s mind.
Sterns needs to know who is behind the power of the green doors and those answers will come from Banner’s father. In order to get the power to control gamma mutates, Sterns will have to take it from the man and use it to gain access to the Hulk’s mind. In the present, Sterns has been discovered and the Devil Hulk has been freed to stop him.
As the two fight, Bruce escapes but finds himself in the clutches of his enemy again when Leader uses the man’s father against him. As he beings the next part of his plan, Hulk holds back the worst aspect of himself giving Sterns the time he needs to take what he’s after and Hulk is powerless to stop him.
The Story: Al Ewing continues the deep dive into the fractured and damaged psyche of Bruce Banner in this issue and the story is compelling and complicated. The story is filled with great dialogue and some deep emotional layering that makes the events more compelling. The ending is truly disturbing and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
The Art: Joe Bennett delivers some haunting imagery in this issue. There are some horrific visual moments throughout that amplify the horror of the story itself and I loved every page of it.