ShareThisWho is the Hulk?Most people would say physicist Bruce Banner is the alter ego of Marvel's green-skinned gargantuan, but that may not be true anymore. In fact, the "green-skinned" part may not be true anymore.Coming off the heels of the wildly successful "World War Hulk" story -- in which the emerald behemoth beat the stew out of most of Earth's Spandex brigade -- a new "Hulk" No. 1 debuted Jan. 9 (with a second printing shipping Jan. 30), in the capable hands of TV/comics writer Jeph Loeb ("Heroes") and artist Ed McGuinness ("Superman/Batman"). Inside the book, Banner is a prisoner of S.H.I.E.L.D -- the planet's foremost law-enforcement/espionage agency -- and some other, unseen, super-strong guy is running around -- one who murders an old Hulk foe called the Abomination. Whodunit? On the cover we see a bright, crimson Hulk who is our prime suspect.Or is he?"We're back to the status quo of, you know, the world doesn't know if Banner is the Hulk now," Loeb said in a phone conference now available as a podcast (www.Marvel.com). "We are going to pose the question ... maybe the Hulk isn't anybody. Maybe the Hulk is just the Hulk. And if you calmed him down, maybe what you get is a Hulk who goes to sleep, not a Hulk who turns back into a human."Since our titular star is avoiding being on-panel for now, the supporting characters are more important than ever. Here's what Loeb had to say about them:-- Longtime sidekick Rick Jones: "He has one friend in this world, and I think it's safe to say that's Banner, and all I know is that when they get together, nothing good comes of it."-- Hulk's gamma-irradiated cousin, Jennifer "She-Hulk" Walters: "Whenever you're on 'Hulk' it's hard not to have She-Hulk involved. And because she's not a member of the Avengers, I'm having an awful lot of fun working within her own continuity. ... I think she'll be running around for a while."-- S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Avengers leader, millionaire industrialist Tony "Iron Man" Stark: "He did take down the Hulk in the middle of 'World War Hulk,' when (the Hulk) was just as big and powerful as possible. So if you won against Mike Tyson, you probably think you can beat him again. ... I've always loved the Iron Man character. I don't think I would have used Tony if he hadn't been the (director) of S.H.I.E.L.D. Because it isn't just Iron Man running around, we're talking about an organization which has much greater sophistication than the U.S. Army. ... But he's got a lot of making up to do after Civil War, and that kind of redemption story being played out in 'Hulk' seemed like a proper way to go."-- S.H.I.E.L.D. deputy director Maria Hill: "It's just the idea of someone who, continually through the story, is going, 'Wait? What?' I just think it's an awful lot of fun. Basically, for me, Maria Hill is the audience. Maria Hill is the one who is continually asking, 'Well, wait a minute! That can't be the Hulk! I don't understand!' She'll continually be that voice of the audience and at the same time is a very powerful woman running a very powerful organization."-- Longtime foe Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, U.S. Army: "As much as I love Ross, I think the United States would at this point be able to point to Ross and say, 'You've been less than successful for however many years.' We'll probably incorporate him into this, because Lord knows I don't think you could keep him out of it."-- Gamma-irradiated psychologist Dr. Leonard Samson: "Doc Samson is certainly a Hulk character that I've loved for a long time. I think putting him in this new, proactive mode as opposed to a defensive mode of being a shrink is something we're going to see a lot of. ... I just love how everyone talks to Leonard like he's the dumbest man alive. That's a very dangerous thing to do."What else? Loeb says to expect some oddball villains from Hulk's past. Maybe "something Skrully" to tie into the Secret Invasion in the Avengers books. "Skaar: Son of Hulk," which may or may not be what it sounds like, debuts this spring. Oh, and Hulk will punch out The Watcher. Seriously!(Contact Andrew A. Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal at capncomics(at)aol.com or visit www.captaincomics.us.)
Changes in Hulk-ville?
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