- 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: May 12, 2024
The Incredible Hulk #13 sends the split souls of Banner and Hulk into a prison for monsters and dangerous magic wielders to find the one man who can return Charlie to her human form. The trip doesn’t go as planned.
Is The Incredible Hulk #13 Good?
Following the events in New Orleans against the demonic Frozen Charlotte, Charlie’s soul was trapped in a figurine doll. In The Incredible Hulk #12, Hulk sought the help of the inhabitants in the wizarding world of Strange Academy to help restore Charlie to human form. Doctor Voodoo presented a solution that involved sending Hulk and Banner into a soul cage to enlist the help of a malignant sorcerer, Sumanguru, who has the power to weave souls into flesh. Can the timid scientist and the green behemoth work together to find Sumanguru without driving each other crazy? *Cue the Odd Couple theme music.*
In the unlucky The Incredible Hulk #13, the split souls of Banner and Hulk briefly tussle before calling a temporary truce to find Sumanguru and restore Charlie. Settling grudges can wait.
The unlikely duo encounters monsters, beasts, and foul creatures of all sorts before eventually finding Sumanguru’s lair, a cave inside a mountain littered with bones. Inside the cave, Sumanguru appears in the form of many avatars who all slash, hack, and attack while Sumanguru speaks through them. Banner notices the cavern ceiling is covered in a massive web, and he tosses up a torch to reveal Sumanguru in his true form, a being with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a gigantic spider.
Sumanguru attacks, but he’s easily swatted down by Hulk’s massive strength. Realizing he’s outmatched, Sumanguru explains he cannot restore Charlie, but he knows how or what can – the pelt of a beastial god, located in a temple in the West (Las Vegas). Banner calls Doctor Voodoo to return, but not before Sumanguru slices Hulk’s chest to obtain a drop of blood.
What’s great about The Incredible Hulk #13? One of the biggest gripes I’ve had about this series is the lack of direction or purpose, leaning heavily on the monster-of-the-month brand of episodic storytelling. To Johnson’s credit, he’s finally figured out how to have his cake and eat it too by introducing another new monster but incorporating that monster into a journey with a destination. The monster fights are fun and purposeful, and the extraction of Hulk’s blood foreshadows a new problem in the future.
What’s not so great about The Incredible Hulk #13? There are two problems. One deals with the past, and the other, the future.
Looking back. The whole reason this series started was to introduce a being called the Eldest who wants Hulk to free the Mother of Horrors. It says as much in the preface page of every issue, but after a year’s worth of issues, we’ve never seen the Eldest for more than a glimpse, haven’t made any positive or negative headway against the Eldest, and for all intents, that foundational arc of this series has gone nowhere.
Looking forward. Phillip Kennedy Johnson finally… FINALLY… has figured out how to break out of the Rinse & Repeat hamster wheel of a series just in time to hit the pause button for a Blood Hunt tie-in. That’s not Johnson’s fault, but Marvel collectively can’t get out of its own way.
How’s the Art? Nic Klein is back on art duties, and thank Uatu for small favors. Klein’s art is grim, powerful, rage-filled, and even gory. All around, Klein is a welcome return after a revolving door of less good artists.
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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Final Thoughts
The Incredible Hulk #13 delivers monsters, smashing, horrific gore, and (at last) a journey with purpose and direction. Phillip Kennedy Johnson has finally gotten off the monster-of-the-month hamster wheel to present a story that feels like it’s going places, and Nic Klein returns to restore the series’ art quality. Sadly, the momentum will take a hit when the series gets sidetracked with a Blood Hunt tie-in next month.
8.2/10
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