Have you been enjoying the Al Ewing and Joe Bennett Immortal Hulk series as much as I have? Let's look at some of the characters and key issues.

Immortal Hulk

I'm generally hesitant of reading superhero mags these days because I like the completed series. I like to watch shows when they're finished. And I like to read books with all the chapters. That's just how I am.

Fortunately, I have a friend with excellent taste and he turned me on to Immortal Hulk. I'm glad he did. The comic is the first comic to make me look away in disgust and then look back in hunger for more. It combines aspects of early horror comics with the ever-popular and evergreen Incredible Hulk. It's a crazy run and with 33 issues already out, I don't see what could stop it.

The Talent

Al Ewing and Joe Bennett are the masterminds behind the comic series none of us knew we needed. When talking about it I often hear, "Best Marvel series out," and find myself agreeing. It's something new. It's fresh. And it's totally bizarre. Combine that with beautifully painted covers by Alex Ross and you have nothing short of a modern classic. Admittedly, I haven't read many Hulk comics before this one, but it's everything I could have ever wanted.

But let's get to a couple of the key issues and characters of the series. (If you haven't read the series yet there will be some spoilers below.)

The Immortal Hulk

The original Green Man himself. There are tons and tons and tons of variants of Immortal Hulk #1 and you can go for them if you want, but I'd stick with the original Alex Ross cover. It's the Hulk rising out of the grave in all of the colors of those horror comics from way back. FMV on a 9.8 is currently $160 and if you've read the book I think you know that this is only going up. It's the beginning of a new era for Hulk and non-Hulk fans alike (coming from a convert).

The One Below All

A few months ago I talked about One-Above-All and how you could pick up the first appearance on the cheap. This was long before I started reading Immortal Hulk and made my way through Immortal Hulk #12. And what a surprise it was to come across One Below All pulling the strings from below. In a Dante inspired view of Hell, it just keeps going down and down until it hits the bottom. One Below All is that bottom. He's also got a rock bottom first appearance 9.8 FMV of $55. My advice? Stick with the Alex Ross painted cover (incredible as always) and get it signed by Ewing or Bennett or both! That'll be sure to float your investment no matter what.

Xemnu

He's the most recent villain in the series and he's definitely a twisted one. Unlike One Above All, he isn't new. Far from it, actually. Xemnu first appears in Journey into Mystery #62 from way back in 1960. He's a white-haired (originally brown-haired) alien robot thing with psychic powers. Does he have a chance in future stories? He's been a pretty depraved and demented villain already. While the Abomination is probably the Hulk's most popular enemy, Xemnu's mind games work pretty well against someone who can barely control himself as it is. Could the OG Hulk show up in future Hulk feuds? I think it's a guarantee.

Unlike the previous comics mentioned Xemnu is old school. Not many sales of Journey into Mystery #62 have happened without a 9.8 ever being registered. The most recent sale was for a GCG 5.5 at $325. If you can get higher grades of this 60-year-old comic, then by all means. It may significantly undervalued.

In the End

Of course, there are more. That's the genius of Ewing. He's managed to weave storylines from almost every Hulk comic written. For that reason, I'd be writing a dissertation instead of a quick post if I were to include them all. If you haven't read this series yet, add it to the list. (It's okay if your list is really long. That's what they're for.)