• Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
• Art by: Travel Foreman
• Colors by: Matthew Wilson
• Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
• Cover art by: Nic Klein (cover A)
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: September 13, 2023

The Incredible Hulk #4 takes Banner and Charlie back on the road to Florida where evil burns at the Man-Thing’s touch.

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Is The Incredible Hulk #4 Good?

Phillip Kennedy Johnson continues the new-monster-every-two-months motif in The Incredible Hulk #4 by sending Banner and Charlie to Florida and Man-Thing’s swampy stomping grounds. However monstrous the Man-Thing might be, there’s something far worse waiting beneath the wetlands to snag unsuspecting passersby, and it’s a monstrously good start to a new mini-arc.

Johnson’s script centers on Banner’s next stop on his tour around the backwoods of America with a visit to the swamps of Florida. Banner spends time convincing (and failing to get) Charlie to go her own way for a better life and later contacts Man-thing as a monster ally to aid in ending the conflict with the Eldest. Man-Thing, however, is already up to speed on the Eldest when their little chat is interrupted by a swamp monster that uses your heart’s regret as a wriggling lure.

For clarification, the cover is and isn’t accurate. Hulk and Man-thing wind up in a brutal tussle, but it’s not what you think, and the fight is a clever way for Johnson to progress the plot. So, yes, Hulk and Man-thing fight, but no, they are not enemies.

What’s great about The Incredible Hulk #4? Banner’s contentious relationship with Charlie is interesting, the fight with Man-Thing is brutal, the monster (not Man-Thing) is truly horrific, and the teeny sliver of information we receive about the Eldest ticks the potential for stakes at least one notch.

What’s not so great about The Incredible Hulk #4? Johnson needs to tread carefully with the monster road trip model or risk running into a repetitive rut. You get a teeny bit of information about the Eldest in this issue (good) but not nearly enough to be satisfying or further the overarching plot in any significant way (bad). Monster-of-the-month serves best to help readers get to know a new character and what they can or can’t do in varied situations. The Hulk is a known quantity, so Johnson needs to spend more time fleshing out the Eldest rather than treading water on repeat conflicts.

How’s the art? Well, that’s another kettle of fish altogether. Travel Foreman is listed as a “guest artist” in the credits, so presumably Foreman is either only handling this issue or the mini-arc, and that’s probably for the best. Foreman’s style is not on par with Nic Klein’s, so the difference is immediately noticeable. Foreman’s style isn’t terrible or even bad, but it’s not as good as Klein’s, especially with Foreman’s odd overuse of negative spaces.

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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Bits and Pieces

The Incredible Hulk #4 visits the balmy state of Florida to confront Hulk with two monsters for the price of one. Banner’s contentious relationship with Charlie is the high point of the writing, and the new monster is super creepy, but Johnson doesn’t incorporate enough information about the Eldest to keep the arc moving, and the guest artist’s style is a step down in quality.

6.5/10