In 2018 Marvel announced a new Hulk series written by a Briton who was still relatively unknown in the American market (Al Ewing, of 2000 AD and Ultimates) and drawn by a seasoned Brazilian artist (Joe Bennett). The concept was unusual: Hulk as a horror comic. Most readers assumed it would be a niche experiment lasting maybe 20 issues. It ran 50, was nominated three times for the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series, and came to be regarded by critics and committed readers as the best Hulk run since Peter David's in the 1990s.
The whole series is gathered in a single volume: The Immortal Hulk Omnibus. That is 1,616 pages, and the most ambitious book Marvel has published in the past decade.
The radical premise
Al Ewing took up an idea Peter David had suggested decades earlier but never fully developed: Hulk is not triggered by anger; Banner is triggered by death. By day Bruce Banner walks around in charge of himself. At night, when the sun goes down, the Hulk takes over — and if Banner has been killed during the day, the Hulk rises at sunset anyway, with indestructible rage and a body that cannot be destroyed. You cannot kill the Hulk, because the Hulk always comes back.
That premise turns the Hulk into a supernatural creature rather than a superhero with control problems. And it lets Ewing do something no Hulk writer had done before: write the character as a ghost story.
Body horror
The first half of the series is pure body horror. Ewing and Bennett take seriously the fact that the Hulk is an impossible creature: the transformations are gory, the regenerations are viscous, and the fights leave bodies in states other Marvel comics never show. There are scenes in this omnibus that would have been cut from any other mainstream title. Marvel approved them because the tone of the series justified them.
Joe Bennett draws the Hulk with one very clear influence: Bernie Wrightson's Swamp Thing. Pasty greens, organic flesh, detailed interiors of the body. It is an aesthetic that had not appeared in a mainstream Marvel comic for a long time, and it runs through the volume with impressive consistency.
Existential horror
The second half changes register. Ewing is no longer interested only in physical horror; he is interested in existential horror. What if, every time you died, you went somewhere an entity called The One Below All was waiting for you? What if gamma rays were not radiation but a cosmic form of life with intentions of its own? What if Bruce Banner was, at bottom, the unwilling vessel of something far older and far larger?
Ewing builds a complete cosmology for the Hulk in fewer than 50 issues. There is a Green Door, a place called the Below Place, and a hierarchy of gamma entities that existed before humanity knew radiation at all. It is Lovecraft with superheroes, and it works.
The political dimension
Halfway through, Ewing introduces a theme that is unusual in mainstream American comics: a critique of contemporary capitalism. Roxxon arrives as the villain — an energy corporation that smears heroic reputations through disinformation campaigns, funds politicians to pass anti-superhero laws, and buys media outlets to control public discourse.
Ewing does not hide the fact that he is writing about the real world. The Hulk becomes a metaphor for resistance to corporate power: something that cannot be silenced, cannot be destroyed, and cannot be framed by the people who control the media. That is a level of political engagement few Marvel comics reach.
The cosmic climax
The series ends in a cosmic confrontation between the Hulk and the One Below All, the primordial entity of the gamma afterlife. I will not go into detail because it is worth discovering, but the ending redefines the Hulk's powers and nature in a way no other writer had attempted. It is the climax this series deserves.
Honest weak points
The series is dense. This is not a comic you read in 30 minutes between work and home. Ewing writes every issue like a chapter of a novel, with reversals, reflections and interior monologue. It asks to be read attentively.
The body horror of the first half can also disturb sensitive readers. There are regeneration and organic-violence scenes that are very explicit. If you came looking for a Hulk with straightforward fights, this is not your book.
Finally, the mythology Ewing builds is complex. It is not a casual read: leave six months between sittings and you will need to reread to remember who is who. Better to take it in one go.
What it contains
The omnibus gathers all 50 issues of The Immortal Hulk in one volume, together with Immortal Hulk (2020) #0, Defenders: The Best Defense, Absolute Carnage: Immortal Hulk, Empyre: The Immortal She-Hulk, King in Black: Immortal Hulk and Gamma Flight #1-5, plus bonus material and the original covers. Only issue #50 was published oversized; there is no Giant-Size Immortal Hulk. It reads straight through with no interruption: if the first issue catches you, the whole series is there.
The art is mainly Joe Bennett's, with guest artists on a number of regular issues — Ewing alternated him with others deliberately. Bennett still gives the whole run a visual consistency that is rare in a Marvel ongoing.
Verdict
If you want a superhero comic that surprises you and makes you think, this is one of the best Marvel has published in the past decade. Three times an Eisner nominee for Best Continuing Series, treated by serious critics as a contemporary high point, and a reference for any reader who wants to understand what is happening in mainstream comics right now.
This is not the Hulk of the Ragnarok film or of the Avengers. It is a different character: more adult, more unsettling, and more consistent with what a creature that comes back from the dead every night ought to be. If you only ever buy one Hulk book, buy this one.
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Quick collector answer
The Immortal Hulk Omnibus is strongest if you want a modern Marvel omnibus with a clear author voice: body horror, psychological tragedy and Al Ewing's darker re-reading of Hulk. It is not the safest first buy for someone who only wants classic superhero Hulk, but it is one of the strongest choices for a collector who wants a complete, coherent run with a different Marvel tone.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Immortal Hulk Omnibus a good first Hulk omnibus?
Yes if you like modern horror-driven comics. If you want a more classic or action-led Hulk, it may be better to start with another era and come back to Al Ewing later.
Do you need a lot of Marvel continuity before Immortal Hulk?
No. The run uses Hulk history, but it remains readable as a major self-contained era. Knowing Bruce Banner helps, but this is not only for continuity specialists.
Is the omnibus worth buying in original English?
Yes if you want the full run in its original US format. The English edition keeps Al Ewing's exact tone and avoids mixing the read across local editions or partial formats.
Is it better to buy it in Europe or import it from the United States?
For a heavy omnibus, European stock reduces the risk of unexpected import fees, complicated returns and transit damage. US imports can make sense for unavailable books, but the final delivered price should be compared.
What should you read after The Immortal Hulk?
If you want to stay with Marvel, compare major Daredevil, X-Men or Spider-Man omnibus runs. If the author-driven side is what interests you, prioritize complete runs with a strong identity rather than a purely chronological next step.
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