[spoilers] Immortal Hulk #11

[Huntsman Spider]

I usually trade wait on this book (not a huge fan of the Hulk, but In Ewing We Trust), but this issue got recommended for having a particularly good scene with Puck. And yeah, that was right on the money. Ewing got the essence of Puck just right - not a joke, not a self-pitying sad sack, but the larger-than-life badass adventurer in an unlikely package that made him such an interesting character to start with. If more writers could remember to do this with Alpha Flight, as opposed to making Canuck jokes, maybe that team could support a book.

I also really liked McGee and the Hulk quasi-bonding over her expression of rage, and it's been annoying how many remarks I've seen about Ewing "virtue signaling" because of that scene. FFS, this is a horror book with the Hulk at the center of it. Showing us the shape of McGee's rage and knowing she'd *still* go gamma despite her listing the Hulk's litany of destruction? I'd lay odds this is foreshadowing of things going badly.

I thought it might've been a discussion worth having, given how nowadays society, generally speaking, is starting to try to reexamine how over the years we've come to normalize or excuse certain destructive, maladaptive behaviors or impulses when exhibited or acted upon by certain (kinds of) people while simultaneously demonizing certain other (kinds of) people for exhibiting or acting upon those same behaviors or impulses. There's always going to be pushback on that from people who feel like they're personally being called out, when it's more of an indictment of society as a whole.

[matt levin]

Keep talking to me. I'm old. I liked/like the Hulk of the Herb Trimpe days. I liked Peter David's gray Hulk. I sorta liked the early red Hulk issues, though grew bored with the series as 'reds' began multiplying beyond relief. And whatever's been happening since then, I haven't cared to follow. I've...sort of...liked this new take, but found this recent issue fatiguing, as I've rarely been an Alpha Flight reader and found Puck and Sas characters I didn't care about, or understand this issue, (though admittedly, Puck's speeches were pretty impressive). Don't know/remember? McGee, but her commentary was the best thing for me, this issue. I'm hanging on, sort of, to follow this series a bit more. I'm finding everyone's comments here-on really helpful to re-engage me with the character and the storyline, thanks.

[Prof. Warren]

TBH, this was another incredible issue. This team is killing it!

Agreed. The quality from issue to issue never falters!