Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Kev Walker
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Release Date: 9th April 2025

Initially appearing to tell a tense, claustrophobic tale as to how Charlie Tidwell might be able to finally control “the pelt of the mother of all skinwalkers” which she now tragically wears, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s narrative for issue twenty-four of The Incredible Hulk is certainly packed full of surprises, and should definitely catch a fair few within its audience on their back foot. Sure, the twenty-page periodical’s plot doesn’t live up to its early promise of depicting Clea Strange guiding the headstrong adolescent through some sort of magical ritual so as to rid the girl of her occasional disagreeable lust for human flesh, but its various twists and turns should still provide most bibliophiles with a thoroughly entertaining trip down into the depth of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Furthermore, when the House of Lycana’s werewolves do eventually launch their ambush, it comes completely out of the blue, and many a reader will doubtless feel a little bit upset for Bruce Banner as the good Doctor suddenly faces a truly grisly death, rather than the peaceful hour of quiet away from his super-strong alter-ego which he had been hoping for. Indeed, the American Eisner-nominated author genuinely makes the scientist’s plight palpably pathetic, and resultantly creates a lot more dynamic energy for this comic’s storyline when the titular character finally emerges to seek his revenge much later on in the book; “Idiots! You were not to consume him!!! Even dismembered the Fractured Son cannot die!”

Quite possibly this yarn’s sole disappointment therefore lies in there being no actual coverage of Stephen Strange’s wife fighting off Lycana’s ferocious minions prior to Tidwell’s visit. Of course, such an insight would clearly ruin the sheer shock suffered later on when it becomes clear that the Clea Charlie is talking to is really a demonic cultist. However, once this startling revelation has occurred there arguably would have been little harm in showing the sorceress unsuccessfully battling her home’s invaders by way of a flashback sequence or two, rather than simply have one of the devils verbally recount the Faltine hybrid’s defeat..?

Just as slightly irritating is some of Kev Walker’s artwork too, which seems to slightly ‘go off the rails’ for the odd panel showing the Hulk’s grotesque transformation back from a pile of gory, previously consumed entrails. This entire scene is understandably not for the faint-hearted, so the British illustrator’s occasional pencilling mishap when it comes to the Founding Avenger’s cartoony facial expression somewhat jars with the overall seriousness of the situation.

The writer of this piece was: Simon Moore
Simon Tweets from @Blaxkleric ‏
You can read more of his reviews at The Brown Bag