Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Daniel Earls
Color Artists: Matthew Wilson & Dee Cunniffe
Cover Artist: Nic Klein
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
While the Hulk travels to Las Vegas, his new adversary the Eldest tells the tale of when she met another gamma mutate like him 3 millennia ago. There we saw the primeval hulk called Enkidu travel to the fabled city of monsters of Nineveh, where he hopes to find someone who can kill him in battle, and there Eldest rules. See the ancient clash of monsters unfold in Incredible Hulk #16.
Review:
This issue concludes the second part of this flashback story as Eldest’s past encounter with Enkidu, the Primal Hulk, comes to a close. Fair warning, there will be some SPOILERS.
Alright, the comic picks up with Enkidu making his way into the city of Monsters, Nineveh. For the first couple of pages we get treated to Enkidu making his appearance into the city as the monstrous inhabitants take notice, in a variety of ways, of the green goliath’s presence. There’s even a bit of a scuffle between Enkidu and another bulky monster who held humans captive with Enkidu the winner, after delivering a swift and brutal beating. But it’s not long before Enkidu and Eldest confront each other, with Eldest even recounting Enkidu’s feats and achievements that feel both historical and mythical. From there, the two monsters engage in a battle for their lives and legacies.
Not much to say about this comic other than it was cool and it was nice to see the series actually advance the main plot forward in a way that bridges the gap between various concepts introduced early on in the run. It also helps that we finally get to see what Eldest’s powers are and how she can actually be a formidable foe against the Hulk as we see her face Enkidu. We also get to learn more about the animosity between Eldest and her monstrous brethren and The One Below All, the dark and evil opposite of The One Above All introduced in Al Ewing’s Immortal Hulk series.
There are some negatives but not too many. Firstly, we do learn more about Eldest and her dynamic with gamma mutates, particularly those touched by the One Below All. But we don’t really learn that much. What we get is really just a taste of what that history is and why it is the way it is. We still don’t know just what or who the Mother of Horrors is, other than she’s locked up deep in the Earth and was sealed there somehow by the One Below All. And in order to unlock the seal, Eldest requires a gamma mutate like Enkidu or the Hulk to do it, which explains why she wants the Hulk in her possession, he’s the key to bringing back the Mother of Horrors. Hopefully we get more insight into all of this in the next few issues.
Final Thoughts:
Incredible Hulk #16 concludes this flashback arc set thousands of years ago in ancient times. We see the fated encounter between the primeval hulk Enkidu and the main villain Eldest. We get to finally see Eldest in action as well as learning more about her, the Mother of Horrors, and their enmity with the One Below All. But not too much, just a drop of that, and hopefully we’ll learn more as things shift back to the present day in the next issue.