Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by: Danny Earls
Colors by: Matthew Wilson, Dee Cunniffe
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Nic Klein (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: September 4, 2024
The Incredible Hulk #16, by Marvel Comics on 9/4/24, concludes the Eldest’s memory of the time when she encountered another Hulk who could bring about the release of the Mother of Horrors. It was not to be.
Is The Incredible Hulk #16 Good?
The Incredible Hulk #16 is an odd issue because it brings readers closer to Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s central concept but still tells you nothing at all, just from a different point of view. In a series plagued by rinse & repeat monster-of-the-month stories and a central premise that lacks context, something is at least better than nothing.
When last we left Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk #15, the main arc paused to recount an alternate version of the legend of Gilgamesh and a fractured man, Enkidu, who swore to rid the fallen city of Nineveh of the Eldest. All that’s happening now has happened before.
In The Incredible Hulk #16, Enkidu enters Nineveh to confront the Eldest, referred to by the monsters inhabiting the city as the Child God. Enkidu destroys all comers with ease and steadily walks to the city’s palace. There, Enkidu faces the Child God.
In fairness to Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Enkidu is a formidable badass as he strides with a steady confidence towards the Child God. The story may not be telling you much, but it looks good doing it.
The Child God considers Enkidu’s presence a gift because his power comes from the Green Flame power of the One Below All, which is the only power able to unlock the prison that holds the Mother of Horrors. After a brief fight, the Child God possesses Enkidu’s body and heads for the prison where the Mother of Horrors remains trapped. The prison, however, is surrounded by a pit of green flames that drive the Child God out of Enkidu’s body. Enkidu grabs hold of the Child God and forces it into the flames to destroy its Earthly form for now. Likewise, the flames soon consume Enkidu, granting him the death he’s been seeking since this fable started.
And that’s it.
What’s great about The Incredible Hulk #16? If nothing else, this issue shows you why the Eldest wants the Hulk and a loose idea of how it intends to free the Mother of Horrors with his body. Considering we’ve been given no information about the Mother of Horrors since this series started, something is better than nothing.
What’s not great about The Incredible Hulk #16? Something may be better than nothing, but that something is too small to make up for the repetition and lack of plot development for 15 issues. We don’t know why the Eldest wants to set the Mother of Horrors free. We don’t know what will happen if the Mother of Horrors gets free. By not knowing these elements, we have no sense of stakes or consequences, which is inexcusable after 16 issues.
It would be different if the series was so entertaining, so captivating, that the enjoyment of the journey makes up for a lack of a destination, but Johnson hasn’t pulled off that magic trick here. Therefore, the net result is a series that’s been floundering for way too long.
How’s the Art? Danny Earls does a commendable job dreaming up behemoth monsters to attack Enkidu at every turn. The smashing action looks great, and the fiery end for the villain and hero looks painful.
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
The Incredible Hulk #16 gives readers a small look into how the Eldest intends to use Hulk for its nefarious means. That said, a side trip into history doesn’t help a series that’s been floundering with a lack of direction, a lack of stakes, and a lack of excitement.
5.5/10
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