THE GIANT-SIZED FINALE!
• Down in the Below-Place, the Hulk searches among the ghosts of the past for the answers to all his questions.
• The One Below All, the Green Door, Samuel Sterns, Jackie McGee and Bruce Banner. It's all been leading here.
• This is the last issue of THE IMMORTAL HULK.
RATED T+
This ending was fucking great. I know some people might be a little... confused or disappointed by the ambiguity of the issue. And, ambiguity is being used for lack of a better word here, I just don't know what else to call it. I remember way back during the Hulk in Hell arc, there were a lot of people who turned their nose up to the Judaism mythology present there. So, if those people even make it this far, I wonder if they'll dismiss this too. Hulk is essentially the Job of the Marvel universe here. The One Above All created him as a test. Either he becomes a hero, and becomes Geburah (Good), or he succumbs to all the suffering and he becomes Golachab (Evil). Luckily, in spite of issue 25's dire predictions, he is not broken, and therefore he's Geburah. And from there, it's all about the balance of Geburah and Chesed. Either Hulk becomes the left hand of God, embracing strength, and therefore the breaker of worlds. Or he becomes the right hand, embracing mercy, and doesn't smash everything. I'm simplifying the ideas here, but nonetheless, this is a very smart way to end this book and I can't help but get that needling feeling in the back of my neck that too many people will not appreciate it. This is one of best Hulk runs ever. It deserves all the praise it gets, if not more.
I have no idea how Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley are going to transition from this to what they're doing. It's going to be very different, it's probably going to turn some people off, and I just hope there isn't nonstop comparisons between that run and this run. That won't be good for anyone. Seriously, if Al Ewing never writes another issue of comics, he's left an indelible mark on not just Hulk, but Marvel, and the wider industry. I guarantee that, much like with Hickman's Avengers into Secret Wars, there will be attempts to capture this lightning in a bottle again by other creators on other properties. I just hope they're successful. We need smart comics. They're always written by people from the United Kingdom, it seems. Maybe the rest of the world can get in on this at some point.
© 2025
I guess so? Anti-semites don't exactly know the religion well. And as the artist, it's not like he controls what's written in the comic. What does this have to do with my review though?
Yeah, it's odd, but you can buy the issue without directly supporting Joe Bennett. Artists get paid via commission. He's already been paid, he's not getting more from you buying a comic he drew. The most you could argue buying the issue would do is give Marvel incentive to rehire him because his name brings in sales, however they've blacklisted him publicly so that wouldn't happen.
Maybe wait till it goes on Marvel Unlimited.
https://youtu.be/zMVkZGm4L_I Joe fell off hard, just take a look at the losers interviewing him.
Great review. You did a great job breaking down the subtext of the issue. I agree that this is one of the best Hulk runs in the last 20 years. However, I'm one of the confused and disappointed people who didn't appreciate the way it ended. I've re-read it several times, just to see if I"m missing something, but I find myself getting irrationally angry, each time, at the investment of money, time, and energy that was necessary to get here.