Storyboard Sounds

Which was the best comic book I read this year?

The more I thought about it, and the more I tried to be objective and base my decision only on characters, storyline, and art, the more I was derailed by strange synchronicities of everyday life.

My choice surprised me. I realized my preference resulted from the combination of experience, emotion, and art mirroring life melding slowly and seeping out of each page.

From Jung's quote appearing in white on a black background on the first page of the comic book, the 'Immortal Hulk' series got me hooked. It provided the backdrop to understand better why I have always gravitated towards the outcast characters in comics—the ones with multiple personalities like Bruce Banner or Bruce Wayne.

Something more meaningful started to happen.

Unknowingly, I started to use each quote as a catalyst. Every issue began with a journey inward, and as I advanced with the Immortal Hulk's storyline, my inner conversations became deeper, darker yet bearing more meaning. The pages became my own safe space to explore the monster in the mirror.

I dove right into the creative team's mission using this latest perspective on the character's nearly 60-year history. That of establishing Hulk as the hero with multiple personalities this current age lacks—one defined by environmental ruination and institutional corruption while battling his hero/monster duality.

By trying to answer the question: 'Just who exactly is the Hulk?', the latest re-envisioning manages to rethink the concept and do something new.

 Looking inward to understand my choice, the experience of determining my favorite comic of this year gave me answers to questions I struggled with throughout the year. A year that saw me coming to terms with loss, demons of yesterday, and moving towards tomorrow. Through all, the Immortal Hulk comic became a catalyst for both changes and, strangely, inner healing.