The love for the Hulk is hereditary

Immortal Hulk #1

My original plan was to write about Immortal Hulk #2, one of my favorites from the first 10 issues. But I didn't find the time to do a deep reading, so necessary to write a proper analysis. So, instead, I'm going to talk about something I've wanted to share with my comic mutuals on Twitter since some time ago, and that is the experience of reading comics with my mother, specifically The Immortal Hulk.

But first, I must say I've been a Hulk fan since I was kid. My first contact with the Green Goliath was the Incredible Hulk series from the '90s, where I discovered Dr. Bruce Banner's tragic story, haunted by the military and unable to enjoy a quiet life with the love of his life, Betty Ross, all due to an accident that turned him into the powerful gamma-fueled monster known as the Hulk. In this show, Hulk was portrayed as the pinnacle of physical prowess, and I was amazed to see this unstoppable force proving his might against very imposing antagonists as the Wendigo and the Abomination and I liked that interesting rival that was the Leader. But at the same time, I was sad by the fact that Bruce, and therefore the Hulk, could never be happy. Bruce always had to be on the run, afraid of being caught by the authorities even though he was a good person who saved people whenever he could; and the mere idea of him having a joyful life with Betty was just an impossible dream, and this was so unfair that I couldn't help but feel sympathy for both the scientist and the Jade Giant. I was also surprised to see that it was anger that triggered the transformation. At such age, when seeing that I was like "Woah. When he gets angry he becomes an almost uncontrollable green titan. Incredible". I loved the concept, it was interesting and cool, but very problematic at the same time; but above all, it was something I could relate to when I was a kid (I think almost everyone can relate to it to a degree, eh?). There it started my love for the Hulk, with a show that could portray adequately such interesting and complex characters and themes. 

Title for the 1996 TV series

As you can expect, I enjoyed the character in other shows, movies, and even video games, until I could finally not only watch the Hulk but read it. I can't remember the exact date I had my first Hulk comic, but it was a trade of the second John Byrne's run. I felt like I was reading the best thing in the world, it was a comic book about the incredible Hulk after all! And it was something beyond special to me. First, it was a gift from my older brother; second, it's really hard to find a comic in a store here in my country, so it was a treasure; and third, it was my first superhero comic! And, well, I continued reading more and more comics (everything digital, of course). But nothing has changed my mind that the Hulk is the best there is! Hulk is, and always will be, my favorite thanks to the great stories written by Stan Lee, Peter David, Paul Jenkins, Greg Pak, Al Ewing, and many more, which made me see how complex and interesting the Hulk really is.

The John Byrne trade

Such fanaticism led me eventually to read the Immortal Hulk, my favorite comic book series at the time, and one of my favorites of all time too. Turns out I'm the type of person who always tries to share my latest interests with all my family and friends. If I watch a series, and the show leaves a considerable impression on me, I try to talk about it with almost everyone I know, and I try to get them to watch it too. And in the last two years, my biggest interest has been the Immortal Hulk, so you can assume that I've talked about it repeatedly with my family and friends each time a new issue is released. I even turned my best friend into a Hulk fan with this series! And of course, this includes my mom.

One day, when the series was still about on its first 15 issues, I asked her if she would like to read it with me, she said yes. We started from the beginning, and so far she's enjoyed every issue considerably. She waits for the next one as much as I, and her excitement is huge and honest. We've had very cheerful and long discussions about the issues (she has made me see things I was unable to see myself and that's the best). She finds the art of the series marvelous and shocking; she loves how unpredictable, deep and interesting the plot is and how well defined the characters are. Talking about the characters, her favorites are Jackie Mcgee, Bruce Banner (the whole system), Dr. McGowan, and... Doc Samson (yes, you read it right, Doc Samson. But don't blame her! All she knows about Samson is what is shown on the Immortal Hulk, nothing more). She hates Brian Banner A LOT (logically), she was very angry when the Avengers attacked the Hulk and has trembled at any antagonists who have put the Hulk on the ropes and beyond (which are, well, almost all of them).  And now, she is just waiting to see the destiny of the terrible Leader after all he has done. So you could say she's a Hulk fan, she is part of the gamma gang! But not because of me, I tell you. Actually, my mother has been a fan of the Hulk even since two decades prior to my birth.

The Incredible Hulk (1978)

Around the time I had my first Hulk comic, my mother told me she loved the Hulk when she was a teenager, that she watched the Hulk every day on tv, "when he was called David and the Hulk was just a very tall, muscle man painted green". She told me it was a tragic story, Banner could never have a moment of absolute calm, he always had to be on the road, escaping and fighting all the time, unable to settle and find love, among many other things. She felt a lot of compassion for the poor David, to the point she wanted to be his girlfriend to take care of him (and because Bill Bixby was very handsome too hahahaha). She watched a lot of episodes, probably watched them all, and always smiled when reminiscing those times.

I saw that as something very cool, my mom liked the Hulk too and that was amazing. But despite that, we never actively shared that love, aside from watching The Incredible Hulk movie with Edward Norton and the animated Planet Hulk movie together a long time ago. Maybe this happened because I made the mistake of believing that she wasn't interested enough or because her love for the Jade Giant was somewhat dormant at the time. I'm not sure. But the truth is, we never developed a strong bond based on the Hulk, for years our only conversations about the Hulk were just some occasional fan rants I threw at her. But that changed, as you can see.

One of my mom's favorites moments

While reading Immortal Hulk, I discovered that the love for the Incredible Hulk is actually as immortal as the character itself when I witnessed my mom's love for the Hulk resurrect stronger than ever. She loved that the first issues had some elements present in the 70's series, which was great to her, but what she liked the most was to see how much she didn't know about the Green Goliath. For her, it was a great journey to rediscover a character she liked so much when she was really young and to find out that Bruce and therefore the Hulk was considerably more than her beloved show portrayed. The complexity, the tragedy, the metaphors... Everything was deeper than she thought, and she loved that. She was shocked by Bruce's terrible childhood, she found interesting all the philosophical, theological, and psychological content; she liked to see all the political discourse, and was aghast (in a good way) by the distressing panels, pages, and terrible situations of the series. In conclusion, her once inert love for the Hulk was not only awakened but strengthened by the Immortal Hulk.

As a fan of the Hulk, this was something very beautiful to see. I love my mother with all my being and beyond, and I appreciate to infinity every moment we spend together. So imagine how I feel seeing that our reading of the Immortal Hulk has made our relationship the strongest there is. It is impossible not to smile.

And this is how I ended up enjoying The Immortal Hulk along with who you might say is a veteran when it comes to loving the popular Jade Giant, who is none other than my beloved mother. And, looking at the evidence, it seems the love for the Hulk could be hereditary, no? Just as Skaar inherited his gamma powers from his father, I inherited my love for the Hulk from my mother.

Bruce Banner with his son, Skaar

IN EVERY MIRROR

"THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE IN EVERY MIRROR", with that great line the Immortal Hulk begins, after a quote to Carl Jung put on a dramatic black page, which tunes us into the tone of the series. And I can't say anything more than it's true. I am an example of that. On one side of the mirror, there is the young man who excitedly started his blog mainly to share his views of Immortal Hulk, and on the other side is the young man who didn't know how to start the review of the very #1. And the frightening part is... THEY'RE THE SAME PERSON, MYSELF!

It's nothing new to say that Immortal Hulk is  great, that it's not only one of the best comics Marvel is putting out, but one of the best American comics out there in  the last two years. After more than 40 issues already released counting the One-Shots, two Eisner awards nominations, and being critically acclaimed, it's a widespread truth that Immortal Hulk is good, or at least that many people like it. I'll like to say that I come to tell you something that it's not more of the same, but it's impossible for me to write about Immortal Hulk and not start with "Immortal Hulk is great", because, in my opinion, it is. Al Ewing, Joe Bennet, Ruy José, Berlardino Brabo, Paul Mounts and Cory petit, along with Alex Ross in the covers and a good amount of tremendous guest artists, have been doing an astonishing job with this incredible series since the beginning.

Let's go back to Immortal Hulk #1, an almost standalone story titled "OR IS HE BOTH" about a robber who assaulted a gas station to pay his debt with a gang, killing all the witnesses in the process, including a poor 12-year-old girl, and got his divine and rough punishment by the heavy hands of the HULK. A very good and surprising start, the reading is smooth and intriguing, but also shocking because it could be a little unexpected what Hulk does here, especially if you're expecting this to be a Savage Hulk (Classic Hulk) story. 

Regarding that, #1 also establishes the new status quo in an excellent way, by making you bite your nails as a side effect, either because you got caught up in the story and you want to read the next issue so bad, or because you found the Hulk somewhat disturbing.

The issue tells us this Hulk is apparently a new one. He talks fluently but doesn't talk like Joe Fixit (Gray Hulk). More than righteous, he's vengeful but even more than Green Scar (the main Hulk in Planet Hulk and World War Hulk), and it's more ruthless. In fact, he acts like karma itself, rough and brutal after sentencing by seeing the true self of people that they deserve nothing more than punishment. And I have to admit this is very appealing. Most of us understand revenge, and few things are better than seeing the bad people getting what they deserve. Who wouldn't want to have such power to do, more or less, what Hulk did in this issue?

It also shows us, in a very straightforward way, the Hulk is immortal, as the title tells. Bruce dies but comes back at night as the Hulk. "Bruce Banner can die, but then... There's the other guy" says the officer. The introduction of a new character, Miss Mcgee, a reporter who apparently has some personal problem with the Hulk is also well done. And with these new dynamics that include immortality, rough justice and revenge, and a new Hulk on the loose, I couldn't help but want to see what will happen next, and believes me, there's no way to imagine what happens next.

Now, the art is more than outstanding. I'm not exaggerating. The visuals of this comic are full of dramatism and detail. The emotion they transmit is huge, and the distribution of the panels reinforces this considerably. It's possible to feel the fear, the rage, the sadness, the satisfaction... Some images and pages by themselves are very striking and expressive, like the one illustrating the murder of the girl, the resurrection of Bruce Banner as the Hulk, and more. But the ones that stand out above the others are the two double-page splashes, one after the other to intensify the effect. It just leaves you cold. The Hulk never looked so colossal, so imposing, I have to admit. What a way to express how powerless we are when we have the full force of justice (but also of our own guilt) in front of us.

Having said that, it's more than clear the entire art team did an amazing job. Pencils, Inking, and Colors were on top. These strong images with dark colors and pronounced shading give the issue the perfect atmosphere, an atmosphere that matches 100% with the tragic nature of the plot. And this is another wonderful thing about Immortal Hulk #1, the art is an absolute reflection of the writing and vice-versa, the match is flawless and direct. Comics have two layers, obviously, one is visual and the other is verbal, with words; they're written and drawn at the same time. The message is expressed through images and the plot, and it is the point that both layers go for the same meaning, but Immortal Hulk, and particularly Immortal Hulk #1, achieves this in a very clever, thoughtful way. The broken mirror in the car of the robber, the use of the red color to express killing intent and death, the succession from the pannels of Miss Mcgee talking with the officer to the resurrection of Banner as the Hulk... are really good examples of this, tremendous examples of writing and art perfectly fused to express a message. 

And that's it, that's Immortal Hulk #1! Just that, not really. It so happens that Immortal Hulk # 1 is more than it seems. There are some underlying elements that must be mentioned. 

A rereading lets you see how detailed the creative team was, and how they were writing with a clear future in mind because, in the most subtle way, the very first issue settles some of the core elements and topics the series will touch upon throughout the whole story. These are psychology, ethics, and politics. And, yes, politics. Immortal Hulk has been political since the beginning. It's subtle in this issue, yes, but there you have a clear criticism of the gun industry and the lack of gun control.

It is inevitable to return to the line "there are two people in every mirror". The whole issue is an exemplification of the premise behind said quote visual and plot-wise, and we could say that's the point of the Immortal Hulk series and of the Hulk as a character, to deal with and show the multifaceted nature of humanity. Through the mirror analogy, the comic is saying the human being is a compound of two aspects, the one we recognize as the defining part of our self, our good attributes and positive things about ourselves, and the other one, the aspect we hide, we ignore in purpose and even don't considerate part of ourselves, which is what we abhor about our way of being. In other words, the human duality of reason and instinct, analysis and reaction, or simpler, the good and bad things that exist within our self. In the terms of Immortal Hulk, the aspect we can see, and the one we don't want to. 

Just look at how much we separate that shadow-half of our self from ourselves that when we harm our loved ones, we say something like "I'm sorry, I really didn't want to hurt you. It was a mistake." As if to suggest that what led us to say or do ugly things was an external force that doesn't exist within us. But the truth is, that's a lie. At that time we wanted to purposefully cause harm, we let ourselves be driven by our dark motivations, incubated in the malicious part of our self, to hurt them. And what happens is that, as soon as we return to our analytical state, we notice we did wrong and we want to amend the mistake, and so to be able to bear the blame, we pretend that aspect of our conduct that wanted to provoke the damage was, in fact, not part of us, in a way to avoid the responsibility. But this is a lie, and Hulk knows it. 

When Hulk confronts the apparently poor Tommy about the murder of the little Sandra, the guy says "No. I didn't--didn't want--". But Hulk now is able to see through the veil used by people to cover their dark self and tells him what he sees behind it: the heavy truth the poor Tommy is unable to process. He wanted to kill the counterman of the gas station, he wanted to kill Bruce, and he wanted to kill Sandra; he, no one else, decided to pull the trigger and even it felt good to a degree. But it happens that Tommy is not just a killer, he's also a father that was looking for a way to give a good life to his family, to his little daughter; he -Tommy says- just committed a mistake in the process. Seeing this, how he killed three people, but at the same time is a "good" father, he says to the Hulk "I'm not a bad guy. Am I?" "What do you think?" Hulk replies.

The issue ends with the very same question. Bruce Banner, in front of the mirror of a bathroom, asks himself if he's a bad person. "What do you think?" he asks, and all he sees in the mirror is his own dark side, the part of himself he's afraid to confront, the aspect of himself he doesn't want to see, all he sees in the mirror is himself, is the Hulk. Considering the duality of the human being, what we should take into account to say if someone is a good person or not? What has more weight? What defines us? The bright, visible, analytical side of the psyche, or the dark, repressed, reactive one? In the case of Bruce Banner, whose duality is even accentuated physically, he has saved Earth countless times, but he has caused massive destruction many times too. Bruce Banner is not more the hyper-intelligent scientist than the green giant fueled by rage that despises humanity. Bruce Banner and the Hulk are the same, just two aspects of the same person. And from the fact that Bruce and the Hulk are the same comes the classic question that has accompanied the character since the first Hulk comic and gives name to this first chapter, the one that says: "IS HE MAN OR MONSTER? OR IS HE BOTH?"

This is something true about humanity. We are both the person who lies to our mothers and the person who feels bad afterward. We are both the person who wants to be more productive and the person who decides not to because of whatever reason, too. And there are many more examples, some a lot more concerning.

And now I ask you, what do you think? Not regarding Tommy or Bruce, but about us in general. We're not bad guys. Are we? What do you think?