The Incredible Hulk returns with a new #1 this June as the title reboots with the creative team of writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Nic Klein, who will pit Bruce Banner against all the monsters of the Marvel Universe - including the one that rages inside of him, the Hulk.
The new Incredible Hulk relaunch comes hot on the heels of the conclusion to writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Ottley's sci-fi fueled Hulk run in which Bruce Banner turned the Hulk's body into a kind of living starship for Banner's own consciousness.
Now, it seems as though some of Banner's manipulations of the Hulk will come home to roost as the Hulk tries to eclipse Bruce Banner forever amidst a war of the monsters.
"As an enraged Hulk tries to take control of Bruce Banner’s body permanently, a mysterious immortal turns every monster in the Marvel Universe against Banner in an attempt to free their creator, the primordial Mother of Horrors," reads Marvel's official description of the new Incredible Hulk #1. "With the help of an unlikely new friend, Banner and Hulk must try to stop the world from getting plunged into darkness!"
The title The Incredible Hulk dates back to the '60s as the name of Hulk's first ongoing series, but it hasn't been used since 2017 when Amadeus Cho briefly became the title's lead character.
After that, the Hulk was relaunched in writer Al Ewing and artist Joe Bennett's horror-fueled title The Immortal Hulk - a take on the character that incoming writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson says has a big influence on the upcoming Incredible Hulk relaunch.
"The work that Al, Joe and the rest did with Immortal Hulk was so impactful and spoke so clearly to me personally, it was impossible to come up with an idea that wasn’t inspired by it," Johnson states in Marvel's announcement.
"We’re getting back to Stan Lee’s Frankenstein/Jekyll & Hyde inspirations for the character, and giving readers a proper monster book in the best, truest Hulk tradition," Johnson continues. "If you loved Immortal Hulk, if you love ghost stories, if you love Marvel monsters, if you loved old school ‘adventure of the month’ stories from books like Marvel Team-Up, and if you want the best, most timeless Hulk art you’ve ever seen, you DO NOT want to miss this return of Incredible Hulk.”
"Phillip and I put a big serving of monsters, a bit of eldritch gods, a good dash of suspense, and some cool new characters into the cauldron," adds series artist Nic Klein.
"We’re trying to serve up a Hulk the readers haven’t seen before. And if they like it half as much as I’m enjoying drawing it, they’re gonna love it."
Incredible Hulk #1 goes on sale June 21 with a cover from series artist Nic Klein, but you can catch an early preview in May's Hulk Annual #1.
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