Immortal Hulk: Time of Monsters #1

The Immortal Hulk (Single Issues)

by Al Ewing, Alex Paknadel, David Vaughan

AL EWING AND ALEX PAKNADEL INTRODUCE THE ORIGINAL HULK! Ten thousand years ago, something green and glowing comes to poison the ancient ground of the Fertile Crescent — and the hearts of its people. One boy is left to bear the consequences — and, for the first time...to open THE GREEN DOOR. Plus: Bruce Banner faces a challenge unlike any he's seen before as writer David Vaughan makes his Marvel debut!

Genres: Comics, Marvel

31 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2021

Reviews

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two Hulk stories in this one.
The first doesn't actually have our Hulk in it, and is instead about an ancient version of the Hulk. This story was really good and the highlight of this one-shot.

The other story is Hulk vs Scarecrow (Marvel's Scarecrow, of course. Not that there is much of a difference). The art on this story didn't seem as good and the story overall just felt like filler.

[MrColdStream · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to think about this one. I'm not a fan of Al Ewings recent takes on Immortal Hulk, as it's all so convoluted. This one isn't really tied to the main series though. The first story is set in ancient times, has some gorgeous art and is mostly a pretty pointless story, even though I like the savage depiction of an early Hulk. The second story feels like something Stan Lee could have written and sees Hulk take on Scarecrow (no, not the DC villain but a direct rip-off) in a cinema. It's fine, but I don't understand what it's supposed to achieve. So, a hit and miss for me.

[Francisco Rivero]

There are two stories here. The first one is the best, with a "Proto-Hulk" 9500 years in the past in an ancient tribe, which makes perfect sense considering The One Below All would have created "monsters" like Hulk a long time before Bruce Banner was born. It is a nice addition to the lore of the gamma creatures, even if it doesn't impact the main plot of Immortal Hulk aside from a little reference in Immortal Hulk #50m, and I loved the art-style.

The second story is shorter and pretty standard, with Hulk fighting against Scarecrow (a rip-off of the DC Scarecrow which I didn't know existed until reading this) in a setting pretty reminiscent to old horror stories that you would read in EC Comics. It isn't nothing revolutionary, but still entertaining and perfect if you want to read something simple and with cool visuals.

So, is it worth reading it? Well, if you like Hulk I'd say yes, even if you don't care about Immortal Hulk, which main setting isn't really relevant to both stories.

[Horror DNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything we know about the Hulk has been changed over the course of this series, so delving into the past like this is a welcome addition. Alex Paknadel and Al Ewing worked on this story, with Paknadel scripting. While having background knowledge of the Hulk and what's going on in the main series is helpful, this one-shot is designed to be enjoyed by newcomers too. It quickly introduces these characters and this world while also blending it with the overall mythos of old Jade Jaws.

You can read James' full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Raif · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two shorts that comprise this one-shot don't necessarily measure up to Ewing's usual, lofty standards, but what you get is still slightly better than the average fare.

If anything, it does make me yearn for the regular run's impending return!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stories here. One from current times and one from ancient times. Neither really did anything for me.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4

[Daniel Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the most "just average" of the whole ancillary Immortal Hulk run so far.