Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by: Danny Earls
Colors by: Matthew Wilson
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Nic Klein (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: August 7, 2024
Incredible Hulk #15, by Marvel Comics on 8/7/24, takes another break from Hulk’s journey to save Charlie to visit ancient Akkadia for a retelling of the legend of Gilgamesh.
Is Incredible Hulk #15 Good?
Harumph, harumph. What is Phillip Kennedy Johnson doing with this title? First, he starts the run by getting stuck in a monster-of-the-month rut. Then, he finally gets some traction by giving Hulk/Banner a quest to save Charlie from being trapped in a figurine forever. Much like the Israelites in the desert after leaving Egypt, the short trip to the promised land is taking a meandering route that could last years. I don’t know who told PKJ that all the cool writers use time-wasting decompression, but that person should be shown the door. Toot sweet.
When last we left Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk #14, he traveled the ruinous, monster-filled lands of the Hulkscape to find freedom from the mental prison. Banner eventually found his way to a shaft of light that the vision of Rick Jones promised would free him, but in the end, it was all a bait-and-switch to torment Banner and cover him in hopelessness.
In Incredible Hulk #15, we don’t catch up with Hulk or Banner. Instead, we finally get a look at Eldest in Las Vegas. There, she recalls 3,600 years ago when she inhabited a different body and found another super-strong person who could help her free the Mother of Horrors.
“Huh? What? Why are we flashing back to a story like the one we’re in when we already know the outcome, and this series is moving at a snail’s pace?” you might rightly wonder. I have no idea. Phillip Kennedy Johnson is dead set on taking the slowest, most circuitous route to wherever he’s going. We’ve now reached the point where we’re telling stories that don’t involve the main character, which is probably why one of Marvel’s most recognizable characters can’t crack the Top 25 on the monthly sales charts.
The story we do get follows a withered man wandering the desert on his way to Nineveh 3,600 years ago. He was told by an old woman that he would finally find the peace of death in the Fallen City, which is overrun by monsters. When the man reaches the town, he finds nothing but death, and he fears his hope for eternal peace may be false.
The man hears screams in the caves near Fallen City’s border, and he sees a trio of demonic monsters capturing refugee humans to be used for food and torture. When the monsters turn to attack the new arrival, the man turns into a Hulk-like Behemoth and tears the beasts apart. Later, the humans recognize this hulking fighter as the legendary Enkidu from the tale of Gilgamesh.
“The tale of who..? The legend of what…? Come on, man! Where’s the Hulk smash action? I didn’t pick up a Hulk comic to get a lesson in ancient mythology!” you might say. I know. No, that’s not why you picked up a Hulk comic. I don’t know why Johnson is so far off track. Hold on. Maybe it gets better.
One of the monsters, beaten and bloody, crawls to the palace of the Eldest to inform her that a warrior has come with the power of the Green Door. Eldest kills the beast for his weakness, but she senses an opportunity to free the Mother of Horrors. Meanwhile, Enkidu warns the humans he saved to flee because he’s going to the Fallen City to clean house or die trying.
What’s great about Incredible Hulk #15? Enkidu may not be the Hulk you’re looking for, but you do get some decent smashing action, a bit of gore to keep up the horror theme of the series, and the possible glimpse at where the Mother of Horrors is imprisoned, which is more than we’ve gotten in the last 14 issues.
What’s not great about Incredible Hulk #15? Oy! Phillip Kennedy Johnson is wasting huge amounts of time wandering aimlessly through this title. It’s as if he’s building a grand, sweeping epic but got lost along the way. This series might read much better in trade format, but it’s a chore as a monthly, single-issue read.
How’s the Art? Danny Earls steps in for Nic Klein (again), and in fairness, this issue has some of the better art we’ve seen from Earls. The panels’ backgrounds are surprisingly detailed, and the character designs are impressively rendered. Overall, this comic is a nice bit of work from Earls.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Incredible Hulk #15 continues Hulk’s long, slow trek to save Charlie by taking yet another detour to tell a side story that drags the slow pace of this series even slower. Phillip Kennedy Johnson has cool ideas, but this series is so far away from a Hulk story that it might as well be an indie comic.
5.5/10
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