The gamma radiation that powers the Hulk gives him the strength to smash the mightiest of foes, but it's also given him the power to elude the most inescapable abstract force in the universe, Death. How that works is one of the big mysteries of Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's currently unfolding Immortal Hulk series, and one of the series biggest revelations so far is that Bruce Banner and the Hulk aren't the only gamma-powered characters trapped in an unending cycle of death and resurrection.

The Hulk's deceased former psychiatrist turned gamma-infused superhero, Doc Samson, was revealed to be back among the living in Immortal Hulk #14, and in Immortal Hulk #16, Ewing and Bennett will delve into what the Hulk's former sidekick Rick Jone has been doing since his resurrection.

CBR spoke with Ewing about his take on Jones, the possible return of the Hulk's gamma powered opposite number, the Abomination, and his plans for the series, which include an escalation of the war between Bruce Banner and the clandestine government forces of Shadow Base.

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CBR: In Immortal Hulk #16 you start to address another important part of the Hulk mythos, Rick Jones, who like the other gamma irradiated characters, appears, to be back among the living. I know you like to keep your stories informed by continuity whenever you can, but Rick has been so many different things over the years. So what can you tell us about your sense of the character and what you're hoping to explore with him?

Al Ewing: Good question! I guess I've always seen Rick as the perennial sidekick, the ultimate supporting character - he even called his autobiography Sidekick, as I recall. These days, he's kind of a linking point between the whole shared universe - the Kevin Bacon of Marvel, so to speak - but I've become really fascinated by how he was when he was first introduced, when he was essentially a juvenile delinquent. There's a kind of James Dean pout to him; "Nobody ever did anything for me before!" He's doing suicidal dares on bomb test sites. He's running wild with zero adult supervision aside from "Aunt Polly," who we never see again. Were they even related? Was it a commune situation?

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Immortal Hulk #17 by Joe Bennett and Ruy Jose

Anyway, Rick isn't some Dick-Grayson-style fortunate son -- he's a no-good punk. And it makes so much sense that the Hulk's only real friend should be this outsider, this rebel. I feel like that's integral to the Hulk, that he's got that counter-cultural thing going on. Sure, he's a founding Avenger -- but then they kick him out for not wearing shoes, and he drops out of society entirely for a while and starts hanging out with Namor, and later Dr Strange and his weirdo Greenwich Village crowd. I love that.

Admittedly, Rick is a square adult's idea of a sixties teenage misfit, but he's about as close to the real thing as Marvel got back then. I guess Hulk's kept up his counter-culture cred in a way Rick hasn't quite managed to over the years, which is what happens when you dump the Hulk and start hanging out with Steve Rogers instead.

NEXT PAGE: When Will The Abomination Meet the Immortal Hulk - If Ever?

With all these gamma powered characters coming back I cant help but think of the character who's sort of the the Hulk's opposite number, the Abomination. With a name like that and a history of villainy, Emil Blonsky seems like the perfect character to show up in Immortal Hulk. Do you have an interest in the Abomination? Could he show up somewhere down the line?

Ah, Emil. There are all sorts of rumors swirling around the more spoiler-y corners of the internet about his imminent return, which I'll neither confirm nor deny - I will say, though, that the Abomination makes a great opposite number for the Hulk, and if you were wondering how Joe would design an opposite number for the Horror Hulk we've built... well, keep watching this space.

It looks like in issue #17 you and Joe kick off a tale that brings Banner and the Hulk's rivalry with Shadow Base to a head. What can you tell us about this story? Is it more of a Hulk tale, or a Banner one?

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Yeah - from here on in, the war between Hulk and Shadow Base really ramps up. Things are going to escalate to a seriously intense level, and what comes out of that war is going to surprise quite a few people and set the stage for the third act of the book. (At the moment? I'm thinking there are four. Make of that what you will.) #16 and #17 are both a Hulk story and a Banner story, and those issues will make a pretty big change to both. Seriously, nobody is going to expect issue #16's cliffhanger. This is why I'm always so vague in the solicits, so we can have moments like this.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Immortal Hulk #17 by Joe Bennett and Ruy Jose

With Immortal Hulk #17 you'll be almost a year into your run on the book, and because of the publishing schedule, other artists have helped out, but your primary collaborator has been Joe Bennett. What's it been like having this long of a collaboration with Joe in an era or rotating artists? What are some of the ways he's influenced past stories that readers might not necessarily know about?

Joe is the best. I can't really say it clearer than that. He's such a prolific artist, with such a fantastic imagination, that sometimes it's hard to keep up with him - I have to really strain to think of new horrors for him to draw. And he kills it on the emotional beats as well - he's got an absolute mastery of facial expression, of body language and posture. It's hard to think of any other "realist" artists with his level of mastery of the craft. I really hope that when we finally finish up Immortal Hulk - and I want us to reach that finish line together - he moves onto some star-studded triple-A-list book that deserves his level of talent.

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Ways he's influenced stories... when I found out we were both big fans of The Thing - the film, not Ben Grimm - that pretty much made issue #8 happen. Since then, I've been writing a lot more body horror, and Joe's been rising to the occasion and surprising me with new, horrible monster designs - and of course, then that affects how I write those monsters in terms of how scary and disturbing they are. It's become a kind of feedback loop at this point - we're almost trying to top each other. Which is good - I'd hate for Joe to get bored!

And obviously, along with Joe, there's Ruy Jose doing fantastic inking work and bringing that amazing Wrightsonesque feel, Paul Mounts picking the perfect colors every time, and Cory Petit, who makes everything flow seamlessly with his lettering choices. Not to mention Wil Moss and Sarah Brunstad keeping the whole show on the road, and Alex Ross' phenomenal covers. I don't think you could lose any one of the Gamma Gang and have quite the same book out there, so let's hope the whole crew keeps together for a while!

NEXT PAGE: How Much More of the Immortal Hulk's Story Do Ewing and Bennett Have Left To Tell?

Bruce Banner and Immortal Hulk

Earlier, you mentioned the next arc will set the stage for the third of a possible four acts. What else can you tell us about your long term plans for Immortal Hulk? Do you have a definite endpoint in mind for your run?

My current thinking - and this is subject to change, because obviously I can't predict the weather or sales or whatever might come and I don't what to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing - is that I've got a definite four-act structure in mind with a middle and an ending, and we're past the first act, but we've got a fair way to go before we get to that halfway point. And there are things in there that I'd love to tease, but quite frankly I'm more worried about jinxing them than spoiling them. If we can pull some of these ideas off, they'll be - pardon the pun - incredible.

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I've got a very strong idea what the final page is going to be, and what the last line of the book is - but even that's subject to the whims of fate. I guide the story along certain pathways, but the Hulk is a creature of chaos, and between now and that last issue, whenever it might come, there will be massive, seismic changes to any grand plan I have now. That's why I'm so down on any ultra-definitive statements about where we're going - I don't fully know myself. We're heading into the heart of the storm, the map is lost... and the Hulk is at the wheel.

I'd like to conclude by saying a big thank you to all Hulk readers for sticking with us, and letting us tell this story. We ask a lot from you all in terms of patience, but judging from the responses we've been getting, you folks are enjoying the ride and spreading the word. Thanks for the incredible word of mouth!