Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Danny Earls
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Nic Klein
Price: $4.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
When Bruce and Charlie arrived at New Orleans, the last thing they expected to happen was get caught up in a murder mystery. While fleeing a police officer, Charlie ends up getting trapped by Frozen Charlotte, an ancient monster working for Eldest and Betty, Bruce’s wife. However, the Hulk isn’t going to let Frozen Charlotte keep Charlie, and he will find some unexpected ghostly aid as well. Read Incredible Hulk #10 to see Hulk unravel more of the mystery of Frozen Charlotte to rescue Charlie.
Review:
Okay, the second part in the Frozen Charlotte story, and I have to say, it’s better than the first part. Granted, the first part wasn’t bad, but this made things a little better. Fair warning, there will be some SPOILERS in this review. Let’s get to it.
While people are celebrating in New Orleans, it doesn’t take long before the Hulk leaps smack-dab into the middle of a parade, and starts shouting, “Give her back!” like a monster out of a pulp gothic comic book, ironically enough. And while this is happening, young Charlie was running for her life trying to escape from the titular villainess, Frozen Charlotte. The only problem is she was trapped in the monster’s lair and it doesn’t take long before she’s caught by the home’s ancient owner.
However, not all is lost when Hulk comes across the ghost of one private inspector Francis Bergeron. A man who once investigated the cases of a serial murderer who turned out to be the same monster that Hulk is searching for now. The two form an unlikely partnership as Inspector Bergeron shows and tells Hulk his past and everything he knows about Frozen Charlotte. Even the location of her lair.
For once, I’ll get the negative out of the way before delving into the positives of the comic. First, the biggest issue is the fact that this comic lacks tension and isn’t all that excitable, I’m not gonna lie. My first reading of this comic felt a little bit like homework since not much was happening after Charlie got caught, it was just Hulk getting to see Inspector’s Bergeron’s flashback of his prior investigation. As such, the comic can come off as a quick read or a boring one. But there are things that keep it from feeling like the latter at least.
While Earls’ art doesn’t really work well when it comes to depicting the Hulk especially his face, in my opinion, it definitely excels when it comes to everything else. The characters and their heated emotions, the dark and gothic environments, and of course Frozen Charlotte herself. Earls’ art gets to really shine with Frozen Charlotte and depicting her twisted lair; everything about it just screams horror show. For example, when Hulk finally enters her lair and delves into it, we get a solid page of Hulk in a key part of Frozen Charlotte’s lair, and it looks like he stepped into the location of a boss enemy from the Dark Souls games. The writing helps build the murder mystery atmosphere as Inspector Bergeron gives the low-down of Frozen Charlotte’s murderous history and even how she earned the nickname since we learn that’s not her true name. And now that we’ve had all this setup, we’re definitely going to get more action next issue.
Final Thoughts:
Incredible Hulk #10 delivers the second part of the Frozen Charlotte story. Here, we see Hulk rampage a little before finding a friendly ghost who once investigated the titular villainess, and helps him find the monster’s lair. Admittedly, this comic is not that excitable, but you do learn more about the history of Frozen Charlotte and her murderous time in New Orleans, even how she got the name. The art from Danny Earls works best when depicting the dark and gothic lair of the new monster, and Frozen Charlotte herself. But while this issue was low on the action, we’ll be getting more of that in the next issue as Hulk finally confronts Frozen Charlotte.