King in Black: The Immortal Hulk Review

 Writer: Al Ewing

Artist: Aaron Kuder

Rating: 8 of 8

King in Black

Immortal Hulk

Scorn noooooot.... his simplicity. But rather try to love him all the more! In life, Kelly's words are some of the wisest around. Scorn Not His Simplicity is, to me, a song about loving a child 'all the more', despite their 'simplicity'. Maybe that was Brian Banner's problem.

Instead of giving his son love, patience and a little understanding, he gave him violence, and so much anger. It didn't matter how young, or smart, Bruce was. In fact, that probably only made it worse. In KiB: IH, we're reminded of just how destructive he really was, as Hulk remembers a time when, one Christmas, his Dad destroyed something he'd built and hurt him when he tried to protect his mother.

This time, his Christmas is rudely interrupted by a different kind of monster, as a mass of symbiotes overwhelm the Earth. Though usually this'd be easy enough for most of the Hulks, Devil or otherwise, there's nothing usual about this. Especially not for the Hulk. 

Bruce has been taken by one of his greatest enemies, his protective Devil Hulk side is dead - and the usually Incredible Hulk's strength is barely hanging on. All of this combined makes this one of the best times to have him take on a threat like this. Whereas usually, this'd be a walk in the park for him, now he has to rely on what little wit, strength (and luck) he has left.

Though Ewing is in his usual fantastic form, it would be remiss of me to go without mentioning the art. Throughout, Kuder does an incredible job and, early on, gives us a shot of some symbiote dragons flying over NYC, which is simply breathtaking. Shortly after, we get a rather eerie moment, as a number of panels go by. showing the dark, deserted city streets.

It's simple and quiet, but chillingly effective. It's definitely one of the best parts of the issue, though it's certainly not lacking for them. One thing I love about Kuder's art is not only how well he makes the issue flow, (despite the lack of dialogue) but also just how expressive he makes its' lead character(s). 

Hulk's expressions range from childishly desperate, to quietly sad, to overwhelmingly happy. But he's definitely not without his anger, as he faces not only otherworldly monsters, but also ones uncomfortably close to home. Meanwhile, Joe's (his morally grey counterpart) range from suspicion, to surprise to devilish delight. Though we don't get as much of him as the Hulk, what little we do get is certainly effective.

This shows just how great the duo are as storytellers as, even without dialogue, the tale just works. Overall, this is just a wonderful issue, which I highly recommend, even if you're not keeping up with King in Black.  Ultimately, it works perfectly as a standalone issue, though if you're a Hulk fan, it's bound to put an even bigger smile on your face.