The Immortal Hulk: Great Power

The Immortal Hulk (Collected Editions) #Extras

by Tom Taylor, Jeff Lemire, Declan Shalvey (Writer / Illustrator)

The Immortal Hulk stars in tales to astonish from some of the most incredible talents in comics! When Bruce Banner wakes up as himself in the dead of night, he thinks he’s finally free. But the Hulk is immortal — and he has a new alter ego: Peter Parker! Then, after a young girl goes missing on a Kansas farm, Banner searches for answers. But this town doesn’t take kindly to strangers…especially the big, green, violent kind. 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! And 10,000 years ago, who was the first to open the immortal Green Door?!

COLLECTING: Immortal Hulk: Great Power (2020) 1, Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place (2020) 1, Immortal Hulk: Flatline (2021) 1, Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters (2021) 1

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Science Fiction, Adventure

112 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2021

About the author

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter.

Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries.

He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics.

He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contains 3 unconnected issues of Immortal Hulk side stories written by some really good authors who aren't Al Ewing.



Tom Taylor knocks it out of the part with a team-up (mash-up?) with Hulk and Spider-man.
Not to mention appearances by the FF and Loki. It manages to not only be funny, but sweet without getting too syrupy.



Jeff Lemire's story is so very Jeff Lemire that I don't think he'd actually need to sign his name to the thing for it to be recognizable as one of his.
The issue has that feeling of small town doom that permeates a lot of his stories, but because this is Hulk, that vibe works really well here.
A little girl goes missing. A monster is on the loose. And there's an environmental cover-up happening.
Good stuff.



Declan Shalvey's issue makes you feel like you just fell out of the Twilight Zone. It manages to be touching and creepy as hell at the same time.
I've not read anything by this author or if I have I don't remember it. But he's on my watchlist now.



Most of the time, volumes like this with side stories are skippable cash grabs.
But if you're a fan of Immortal Hulk, I think these are worth a peek.
Recommended.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immortal Hulk: Great Power - by Tom Taylor & Jorge Molina ★★★★★
The Hulk is transferred from Bruce Banner to Spider-Man. Taylor is just terrific at building relationships between characters. He injects just the right amount of humor in with all the feels. Jorge Molina's art is really good.

Immortal Hulk: Flatline - by Declan Shalvey ★★★
Declan Shalvey writes and draws this story set in the early days of Immortal Hulk. Bruce Banner is working as a dishwasher in a small town, waking up in odd places as the Hulk takes over his body each night. An old mentor shows up to give the Hulk a swift kick in the ass as she is aware of what he is really trying to do.

Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place - by Jeff Lemire & Mike Del Mundo ★★★
Bruce Banner stops in a small town when a farmer's daughter goes missing and he senses gamma radiation. Given that it's Jeff Lemire, this is surprisingly not about fathers. Del Mundo draws a strange Hulk with a protruding forehead that sticks out at least 6 inches from the rest of his face.

Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters
Actually contains 2 different stories. One of a B.C. Hulk and one with the current Hulk.

Time of Monsters - by Alex Paknadel, Al Ewing & Juan Ferreyra ★★★★
The origins of a B.C. because Jason Aaron has decided we need B.C. versions of all the Avengers. Still this was solid and Juan Ferreyra's art is fantastic.

A little Fire - by David Vaughan & Kevin Nowlan ★★★
I'll take Kevin Nowlan's art all day. The story is about the Scarecrow feeding off the fear of a small town in a movie theater. I like how Nowlan colors it like an old black and white horror flick.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea of making Hulk a horror comic under the Immortal brand, but Al Ewing's run ended up disappointing me. I was hoping the writers of this collection of short stories might top Ewing in the scares department, but, alas, my blood was quite safe from curdling.


Great Power / Tom Taylor, writer; Jorge Molina, penciler; Adriano Di Benedetto with Roberto Poggi, inkers ~ 2 stars ~

Peter Parker gets him some gamma and becomes a Spider-Hulk. He and Bruce Banner do some ho-hum bonding as they work toward a cure.


The Threshing Place / Jeff Lemire, writer; Mike del Mundo, artist ~ 2 stars ~

The perpetually wandering Bruce Banner manages to come across yet another plan to use gamma rays for bad and intercedes. Jeff Lemire changes up his usual father and son theme by doing a father and daughter story. Such range!


Flatline / Declan Shalvey, writer and artist ~ 2 stars ~

Bruce Banner's old mentor has one last lesson to impart. Being a comic book, the lesson of course involves a fight scene.


A Little Fire / David Vaughn, writer; Kevin Nowlan, artist ~ 2 stars ~

Marvel's Scarecrow is utterly indistinguishable from DC's Scarecrow as he runs an experiment in fear in a Kansas movie theater. Hulk handles him as easily as Batman does his version.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Great Power, Immortal Hulk: Great Power #1 (2020) / Tom Taylor, writer; Jorge Molina, penciler; Adriano Di Benedetto with Roberto Poggi, inkers
• The Threshing Place, Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place #1 (2020) / Jeff Lemire, writer; Mike del Mundo, artist
• Flatline, Immortal Hulk: Flatline (2021) #1 / Declan Shalvey, writer and artist
• A Little Fire, Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1 (2021) / David Vaughn, writer; Kevin Nowlan, artist
• Covers and variant covers / Max Fiumara, Jorge Molina, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Declan Shalvey, Kevin Nowlan, and Juan Ferreyra, illustrators

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Immortal Hulk closes the Green Door one final time, we've got a few little side-stories to discuss. None of these are by the series writer (bar one) nor the series artist, but that doesn't mean they don't manage to capture the Immortal Hulk spirit.

Great Power teams up Hulk and Spider-Man for a Spider-Hulk situation thanks to Tom Taylor and Jorge Molina which is good fun. The change in dynamic between the two makes for an interesting read. Then the Threshing Place by Jeff Lemire and Mike Del Mundo goes full-on horror, which the main series doesn't always do (it likes to linger in body horror without going totally spooky), and the artwork really shines here because Del Mundo's style is as warped as Lemire's mind.

Flatline unleashes Declan Shalvey on both pencils and story for another darker tale, before we end on Time Of Monsters, which flashes back to a prehistoric Hulk and the first appearance of the Green Door. This one's interesting visually since it's told in almost a storybook manner, and Al Ewing (with help from Alex Paknadel) and artist Juan Ferreyra manages to make this book feel like part of the bigger story and yet stand on its own as well.

These aren't essential additions to the Immortal Hulk canon, but they're well worth checking out even so for the inventive storytelling and narrative takes on this era of the Hulk if nothing else.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A number of Immortal Hulk adjacent stories that maybe should have been included in the main series instead of some of that dumb filler. The Spider-Man and Fantastic Four team up (with special guest Loki) was excellent. The theme of Great Power Great Responsibility was well done and the writer seemed to actually understand how to write Spider-Man and the FF with the heart those stories should contain (unlike current writers of those comics). Five star story.

The other stories were solid 3 star so that averages out to 4 stars for the collection.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what brought up this collection of stories to be created but they take place between a few issues of Immortal Hulk (at least the first). The first almost seems like a What If but happens in continuity and shows just what would happen if the Immortal Hulk "power" was placed into Peter Parker. It's by far the best of this collection. Once again, Tom Taylor delivers showing he can nail the characters, deliver gravitas, and land a few jokes. This story has it all including some beautiful art by Molina.

I did like the other stories, the second giving ample time to both Bruce as well as the articulate Immortal Hulk. The third, by Jeff Lemire, simply demonstrates another day in the life of Bruce. Lastly is a very short story featuring a rip-off of Batman's Scarecrow. If this character existed in Marvel continuity before, I have never heard of them. If not, then the writer Vaughan shouldn't have been allowed to create such an obvious copy.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Wait, PETER? W-why did you call me that?!”

“You made everyone else forget who you are, Parker. Even Banner forgot. But I don’t.”

A slightly ignoble end to my Immortal Hulk reread but still some neat stuff to be see here.

Obviously, Lemire’s “Threshing Place” steals the show here and provides the closest to the actual tone and look of the original series, but again, it’s like I said in the other tie in stuff, this whole thing is so good it can basically sustain whatever you want.

I’m happy Marvel seems to be resisting that impulse for the time being (probably due to how not-so-good a lot of these non-Ewing written issues went) but I’m still happy to have gone through all this stuff once more. I feel like it’s something I’m going to be revisiting a lot in the years ahead.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story one is a filler story about Spider-Man and Hulk - the type of story that isn’t very interesting because it feels unnecessary and like a filler

Story two about gamma farmland was interesting and had a great pastoral art style

Story three about the old professor was a nice mix of humor and anger- related well to the green door and death in general

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the _other_ apocryphal volume of Immortal Hulk, the one not written by Al Ewing, and it's entirely forgettable.

Oh, I vaguely recall liking the first story of the volume, which was by Tom Taylor, and I think the one where Spider-Man gets hulked out, but even that quickly faded from memory. The lesser stories that followed even more so.

The problem is that there's no continuity here, no depth. It's just peoples' take on Ewing's take on the Hulk. And, they do a pretty good job, but there's really nothing missing if you don't read it.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Side stories between issues of Immortal Hulk, mostly by writers other than Ewing. But they feel like they go with his work, so that's good. I found these stories enjoyable enough, but I think I would have liked them more if they'd been collected with the issues they're set between. Bonus points to the Spider-Man team up for a good running joke and ending on a surprisingly profound note.

[Xroldx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough worth for your money. While all stories are okay it's nothing compared to Ewings' Immortal run.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume collects five shorter stories written by various writers that were released during Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk run.

Immortal Hulk: Great Power - by Tom Taylor & Jorge Molina ★★★

This book opens with Bruce Banner waking up in a crater to find that the Hulk is gone. He quickly learns that the Hulk has somehow been transferred from him to Spider-Man, and the two heroes team up with the Fantastic Four to figure out what happened. This story feels ENTIRELY too rushed and is ultimately forgettable. And there's a joke about the Fantastic Four not being able to count that is cute the first time and gets repeated so often you get sick of it by the end of the issue. What saves this one-shot from outright mediocrity is a couple really nice character moments between Peter Parker and Banner and Peter and Devil Hulk. This really should have been a double-sized issue for the amount of story they tried to cram into it. Jorge Molina's art is crisp and clean and very nice to look at.

Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place - by Jeff Lemire & Mike Del Mundo ★★★

In this story Banner is looking for a missing nine-year-old girl somewhere in the American midwest. He's drawn to the situation because he can sense that gamma radiation is somehow at play in her disappearance. This story also feels too rushed in its 30-or-so pages and the only moment that feels satisfying is the conversation-leading-into-narration at the very end, in which Banner relays a rather depressing outlook on life that seems rather unavoidable after everything he's been through. The most noteworthy thing about this one is Mike Del Mundo's beautiful watercolor art, which is quite a departure from the rest of the Immortal Hulk series. Of particular interest is the page depicting Banner's transformation into the Hulk, which is a much more abstract take on this metamorphosis than I have seen before.

Immortal Hulk: Flatline - by Declan Shalvey ★★★

Bruce Banner is hiding out in Albuquerque working as a dishwasher, and an old college professor comes to pay him a visit and drop some harsh lessons on him. Seeing the Hulk fighting an elderly woman is quite novel, and I appreciate the heart monitor flatline being a metaphor for the thin green line that not simultaneously separates Banner and Hulk as well as holds them together. There were a few nice moments here between Banner/Hulk and his former mentor. Declan Shavley does the art as well as the writing, and I particularly enjoy his use of colors--the gamma greens contrast nicely with the desert oranges.

Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters

This issue contains two shorter stories:

Time of Monsters - by Alex Paknadel, Al Ewing & Juan Ferreyra ★★★★1/2

This is EASILY the best story in the collection, about an early Hulk in a prehistoric tribal society. When a member of the tribe is sacrificed to the Mother Goddess's good green eye (a gamma irradiated meteorite that's impacted with Earth), he becomes one of the earliest Hulks. This tragic tale is short but does SO much with a small amount of pages. I could speak more about this but I feel it would be best to experience this story for yourself. It's quite unexpected that the story that's most far removed from the timeline of the main Immortal Hulk series is the one that ties most directly into it. Juan Ferreyra's art is phenomenal--absolutely the best work in the volume. I need to find out what else he's done, because he's certainly an artist worth following!

A Little Fire - by David Vaughan & Kevin Nowlan ★★

This short tale features a villain named Scarecrow that I was actually unaware of existing in the Marvel universe before now. There are some clever little nods to the Wizard of Oz here as Hulk confronts him in a Kansas movie theater, but ultimately this story doesn't offer much. Kevin Nowlan's art is of a simpler, cartoony style that has it's place, but it doesn't really seem to fit here in this volume, particularly as a follow up to Juan Ferreyra.

[Trike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of One-Shots, Marvel speak for self-contained shorts.

Great Power by Tom Taylor. 5 stars. Taylor is easily my favorite comics writer at the moment and this one doesn’t disappoint. The Hulk and Spider-Man team up, aided by the Fantastic Four and a cameo by Loki. Humorous bits, clever dialogue, nice moments, all hallmarks of Taylor’s work. Jorge Molina’s art is nice and clean.

The Threshing Place by Jeff Lemire. 4 stars. This one is super brutal, and uses the format of the old Incredible Hulk TV show. One can almost hear the “Lonely Man” theme at the end. (https://youtu.be/Ntv9R1She5A) Art by Mike Del Mundo is painterly and evocative.

Flatline by Declan Shalvey (story & art). 3 stars. Bruce’s old college professor shows up to impart one last lesson before she kicks it. This one felt choppy to me, as if parts were excised to keep the page count, but otherwise it’s fine as a one-and-done.

A Little Fire by David Vaughan. 2 stars. This one felt familiar, as if I’ve seen it before. It features Scarecrow, who has always been a knockoff of DC’s Scarecrow, and is much less interesting than DC’s villain. There is one solid pun in this story that I really appreciated which almost got it another star. Scarecrow feeds on fear, which he releases by stabbing people with his pitchfork. He declares, “You think you’re a match for me, Hulk? With all the fear I took from Banner, I am king here!” And he stabs Hulk in the chest with the pitchfork. Hulk calmly pulls it out and says, “Afraid not.” Ha! So good. Kevin Nowlan supplies the art, which was a bit of a surprise as he mostly does covers these days.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.
An unnecessary collection, in my opinion. At least the Hulk doesn't look horrible like he does in his main "Immortal Hulk" title. 4 Short stories: 1) "Great Power" where Spider-Man gets the power of the Hulk due to some meddling from Loki. 2) "The Threshing Place" where Bruce investigates the disappearance of a young girl only to find out that she is the monster who "took" her. 3) "Flatline" brings an old friend back into Hulk's life, only for her to die, but that was the purpose for her return all along. AND 4) "Time of Monsters".... wait... Marvel has a "Scarecrow"? It felt like an invasion from DC, though that Bat villain would never stoop to operating out of an old theater.
Read it if you love Immortal Hulk. If not, don't waste your time.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of one-short adventures is a great exploration of the Immortal Hulk character through the perspective of other creators. Thus the collected book makes for a great anthology series as we have different tales of the Hulk that in some ways reveals new tidbits and insights into this monstrous character.

I naturally have a soft-spot for the first story that involves Peter Park getting the Hulk's powers (or curse), but the other tales are pretty solid too. The return of an old teacher and other stories are nice little what-ifs that make for pretty good reading.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great bunch of books. All the art teams approach the Devil Hulk in startling new ways. Shalvey, Molina, and Del Mundo are all terrific artists, but for my money Kevin Nowlan steals the show.

My one complaint with the book is that, on the writers' side, none of their voices for DH ring true compared to what I've come to expect from series regular Al Ewing. Taylor's Hulk is a bit of a softie, Lemire's is too bloodthirsty, and Shalvey's is a weird blend of misogynistic and suicidal. David Vaughan comes closest and I'd be interested to see him do more work with the character.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of one-shots featuring the Immortal Hulk was pretty solid, especially the two standout tales by Jeff Lemire and Declan Shalvey. The entire collection was good, except for the first half of the last chapter, oddly enough, by Immortal Hulk mastermind, Al Ewing. I wished these were collected along with the normal run. The art was very good in each chapter. Overall, not the most necessary book but an entertaining read.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume collects a series of Immortal Hulk one-shots not written by Al Ewing. None of them are particularly "important" for the Immortal Hulk's greater narrative, but I enjoyed all of them. This was a nice encore after finishing the series proper.

[Eric Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven. Though love the art on “the threshing place”. Also liked the attempt at some depth on “flatline” but just felt confusing.

[Don Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both writing and art are about average. Flatline is probably the best. Decent reads but not essential in the overall scope of Immortal Hulk.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Rickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic! Several one-shot stories that are great character-building moments for the Hulk in his current Immortal Hulk form.

[Alex Sarll]

Three entirely inessential but not uninteresting one-shots by other creators which I'd completely forgotten weren't in the main collections.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some good short story types of the Immortal Hulk character. These stories ran during the Immortal Hulk run.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good short stories from the Immortal era by great creator teams.

Hines maybe my favorite contribution from the Immortal era.

[Dave Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the short stories. Especially Hulk not forgetting Peter. I'll say no more.

[JW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spider-hulk. Gamma bloodhound. Deliberate execution is unusual for the Hulk who is usually indescriminate in his destruction.

What's with the five fours? Can you not count?

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple shorts from the Immortal Hulk world. Mostly unnecessary to that narrative, often filled with deep-cut callbacks. The art was often good, but I was mostly bored.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you love Immortal Hulk?
Then here's a tacked-on bunch of stories that are not as good, but aren't bad.

Read after the whole run of Immortal Hulk, and only if you're really jonesing for a bit more of the story. Otherwise, skip.