(Panini Books)

When the sun sets the onset of darkness heralds the change, and until the dawn breaks over the horizon it is HIS time. More cunning, ruthless and powerful than he has ever been before, the gamma-spawned monster can now defy death itself, forcing the resurrection of host body Bruce Banner no matter the extent of his injuries.

This then, is the era of the Immortal Hulk.

Picking up on the numerous occasions over the years in which both the Hulk and Banner have come back from the grave and using that as the premise of his narrative, writer Al Ewing has crafted a version of the character which goes back to his roots, at the same time charting a new direction in a series which is arguably more horror comic than superhero action-fest.

In the wake of his recent return from beyond the veil of mortality in Avengers: No Surrender, Bruce Banner has become a fugitive, stealing clothes and cash in order to survive as he hitch-hikes across smalltown America, aware that at any time his deadly alter ego might be unleashed.

As his sporadic appearances are tracked by local newspaper reporter Jackie McGee (in a lovely nod to the 1970s TV show protagonist), he attracts the attention of covert forces within the US Government, the latest team of Avengers, and even his former college pal Walter Langowski, aka Alpha Flight's gamma-powered Sasquatch.

But all of these opponents pale into insignificance in comparison to that which lurks behind the green door… (and we're not talking Shakin' Stevens!)

This is unquestionably shaping up to becoming one of the defining runs in Hulk comics history, taking an inherently dark look at the motivations and abilities of both Banner and his other self, while casting a grim shadow over the world in which he now inhabits. An outstanding read, which shows that in the right creative hands there are still new and entertaining stories to be told about a character now over half a century old.