Warning: this article contains mild spoilers to The Immortal Hulk: Flatline #1!
There have been very few comic successes in recent years that can compare to that of The Immortal Hulk. Al Ewing and Joe Bennett - along with other artists - have redefined Marvel's Green Goliath as a horror icon, revisiting and reimagining the vast breadth of the character's history to tell a story about different kinds of monsters and the damage they leave behind. But with a fixed end date for the series with its ever-nearing fiftieth issue, Marvel found themselves unprepared for just how much of a success Immortal Hulk turned out to be. Their answer? A raft of one-shot stories from acclaimed writers and artists, telling standalone stories from this era of the Hulk's life.
The latest of these is The Immortal Hulk: Flatline, with acclaimed creator Declan Shalvey handling writing and art in a single-issue story that promises to be one of 2021's comic-book high points. Lauded for his sharp, striking visuals and gaining in experience as a writer, Shalvey was many fans' number-one hope when the standalone Immortal Hulk titles were announced, and as previews from Marvel Comics show, their growing excitement wasn't misplaced.
While Ewing and Bennett's main title continues thundering towards its conclusion and the Hulk prepares to fight Marvel's version of Cthulhu any way he can, Shalvey's narrative moves away from this central conflict to take a look at a feuding Bruce Banner and Hulk, with the latter traipsing Banner around the country, intent on drawing his attention to something he's missed. Prior information from Marvel has made it clear that at least part of this mystery leads Bruce to a new gamma-powered villain, though the issue's summary also suggests something more personal is afoot. Enjoy the summary and preview pages from Marvel Comics below:
ONE CREATOR – ONE HULK – ONE SUPERSTAR STORY! Declan Shalvey writes and draws an IMMORTAL HULK tale that gets to the heart of gamma! Every morning, Bruce Banner wakes up in a new place. The Hulk is trying to tell him something — but Bruce has had enough of his green-veined alters. When a new gamma-powered villain shows up in a small New Mexico town, Bruce is forced to confront the source of his anger…and it’s not what you expect. Don’t miss an extraordinary tale from one of the industry’s top talents!
Unlettered, much of the story is still tantalizingly unclear, though what's beyond doubt is that readers are in for an artistic tour de force from Shalvey. Hulk's new villain appears to be entirely green, seemingly a telekinetic, gamma-powered version of DC's Green Lantern character. Of course, like any gamma mutate, they're capable of unleashing immense damage, and perhaps even of killing the Hulk; the upside-down panels bring the Below-Place (a realm the Hulk descends to when killed) to mind - a visual trick Bennett and Ewing have used before when revealing the disgusting fate of Bruce Banner.
Ewing's writing and Bennett's grotesque imagery have set a dark, contemplative mood for the series, and it seems like Shalvey is sticking to that theme, and on course to deliver another amazing standalone story equal to prior Immortal Hulk one-shots. The Immortal Hulk: Flatline will be available in stores or online from February 17.