REVIEW: The Infernal Hulk #1

Marvel’s Monster Unleashed in a Brutal, Brilliant New Evolution

The Infernal Hulk #1 hits like Marvel said, “Yo… what if Hulk stopped being angry and just became straight-up nightmare fuel?” and the creative team said, “Bet.” This comic kicks down the door, stomps through your living room, and leaves footprints of radioactive despair on your rugin the BEST possible way. Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein didn’t just evolve the Hulk… they dragged him down into some cursed underworld, strapped a horror engine into his spine, and lit the fuse.

Bruce Banner? My guy is spiritually evicted. Not fired evicted. His conscience is torn out like a late bill he couldn’t pay, and Eldest moves in like the world’s worst roommate. Imagine seeing someone driving your car like they stole it, except your car is a seven-foot wall of muscle that can level cities. Banner’s just in the back seat screaming into a paper bag while Eldest Hulk is out here smashing helicopters like they’re Styrofoam props and turning soldiers into Jell-O samples. It’s wild, it’s nuts, and it’s absolutely incredible.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson is cooking with gamma infused adobo here. He takes the classic Banner/Hulk tension and flips it into pure horror tragedy. Banner always feared the monster inside him… now imagine having to WATCH that monster operate without you. That’s the vibe, guilt, dread, and oh snap no one’s-stopping this energy. Add in the mythic lore, the monstrous Eldest, and a creepy sense of destiny, and Johnson builds a Hulk story that feels both ancient and brand new at the same time.

But let’s talk about Nic Klein because that man woke up and chose violence. This is the most terrifying Hulk has EVER looked. Miss me with “Savage Hulk,” miss me with “Maestro”this is “your-night-light-isn’t-saving-you” Hulk. Split down the middle like a demonic science experiment, leaking toxic green sludge like a busted nuclear Capri Sun, and moving with this sickening, heavy power that you feel in your teeth. Klein draws action like he’s trying to break your retina in the best way. There’s a panel where Hulk slaps a dude so hard it liquefies his brainand it’s not even the craziest thing in the issue.

And the soldiers? Bless their souls. These dudes roll in with heart, training, and weapons that look like toys once Hulk shows up. Johnson makes you root for them immediatelythey know they’re outmatched, they’re scared, and they’re hoping for any hero to appear. Spoiler: no hero’s coming. It’s like watching people try to fight a hurricane with Nerf guns.

The Infernal Hulk #1 is bold, bloody, smart, and viciously inventivea reinvention that doesn’t feel forced. It feels inevitable. Hulk fans will be talking about this for YEARS because it’s not just good… it’s “why wasn’t Hulk always like this?” good. It’s monstrous, mythic, and metal. If Hulk had a Spotify playlist right now, it’d be 90% horror soundtracks and 10% “somebody help Bruce Banner.”

This issue? Must-read. Must-experience. Must-brace-yourself.

SCORE:
4/5

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Nic Klein
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Author Profile

Al Mega

I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!