Marvel breaks ties with Joe Bennett, removes Immortal Hulk artist from upcoming projects

Immortal Hulk #50 variant cover — (Image credit: Joe Bennett/Ruy José/Paul Mounts (Marvel Comics))

Marvel Comics has removed Joe Bennett from duties drawing the upcoming Timeless #1 event one-shot. A Marvel spokesperson tells Newsarama that the company will not be working with him on "any future Marvel projects."

Marvel Comics news — (Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Marvel does not explain its reasons for the sudden break, but their decision follows a statement from Bennett's Immortal Hulk partner Al Ewing on September 2 in which the writer says he is choosing not to work with the artist again due to "reprehensible" artwork drawn. Ewing refers to a 2017 political cartoon Bennett drew, which caricatures some people as rats, but says it's about more than just one illustration.

"This isn't the first issue with Joe that I've been made aware of," Ewing tweets. "I've spoken behind the scenes, but that's no comfort to people at the sharp end of this kind of brutal propaganda."

The artist was previously criticized for apparent bigotry after he made violent comments in relation to the 2019 assault of gay journalist Glenn Greenwald, which Bennett later deleted and apologized for. In 2020, Bennett received criticism for responding to now-deleted transphobic comments on his public Instagram page with laughter emojis, suggesting his approval.

In February 2021's Immortal Hulk #43, Bennett included what appears to be an anti-Semitic message in the background of a page. After publication, Marvel "corrected" it in digital versions, and offered "corrected versions" of the printed books at no cost to retailers.

Bennett apologized for that instance, and an unnamed Marvel spokesperson told CBR the company "fully acknowledged this mistake was missed on our side as well."

Bennett's working relationship with Marvel goes back to 1994.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)