The Incredible Hulk #6 Review

Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by: Nic Klein
Colors by: Matthew Wilson
Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by: Nic Klein (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 22, 2023

The Incredible Hulk #6 puts Banner and Charlie back on the road when new reports circulate that Charlie was involved in her father’s death. When they find a camp with a kindly family, a spirit of vengeance awakens to defend against all monsters.

Is The Incredible Hulk #6 Good?

Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s road trip through Hell takes Banner and Charlie through a gauntlet of bad news and bad monsters in The Incredible Hulk #6. Johnson’s monster-of-the-month model is still in effect, but the variety of monsters is creative enough to keep the series fresh, even if the over-arching plot is standing still.

When last we left Banner and Charlie, Hulk destroyed the Swamp Witch monster who used lures shaped like loved ones of its victims, including Charlie’s departed little brother. When the worst of Charlie’s ordeal appeared to be over, a news report announced she was wanted for the death of her father.

Now, Charlie and Banner walk the lonely desert roads in search of a quiet refuge, but the lands ahead are plagued by a lethal predator who takes human form during the day. Complicating matters further, an old WWII motorcycle flames to life with a spirit of vengeance to fight any monsters that threaten its previous owner’s family. Unfortunately, this spirit of vengeance isn’t picky, and it flames to life when Banner is goaded into hulking out.

Contrary to what the cover shows for The Incredible Hulk #6, the spirit of vengeance shows up briefly and is similar to Ghost Rider in appearance only. The spirit looks like a WWII-era Ghost Rider and talks/acts like a WWII Ghost Rider, but there’s no human host, so it’s unclear what it is. We’ll find out more (presumably) in the next issue.

What’s great about The Incredible Hulk #6? Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s monster-of-the-month story structure surprisingly continues to hold up. Each monster, and the scenario it inhabits, is different enough from arc to arc to give the series some variety, reminiscent of the Hulk television shows of the 1970s.

What’s not so great about The Incredible Hulk #6? The individual monster-of-the-month arcs hold up, but the main arc involving Eldest has completely stalled. It’s a bizarre choice to have the Mother of All Monsters send out a call to retrieve the Hulk for her wicked purposes, and use that call as the foundation for the entire series, but not continue to progress the Eldest’s designs in any way except for an occasional crumb of development.

How’s the art? Nic Klein is back on the series, and his horror-infused style looks great. Banner undergoes a particularly gory transformation scene in this issue that conveys much about the pain of transformation and the destructive nature of the relationship between Banner and Hulk.

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 #6 starts another mini-monster-arc to keep Banner and Charlie on their toes as they trek through the lonely roads of the American Southwest. Johnson keeps the proceedings interesting by introducing a new Spirit of Vengeance (that isn’t Ghost Rider), and Nic Klein’s art looks great. That said, the over-arching plot concerning the Eldest is at a complete standstill.