Betty Ross, General Thunderbolt Ross, Emil Blonsky and Samuel Sterns –
these are just a few individuals that moviegoers were introduced to in
this summer’s blockbuster film adaptation of the Incredible Hulk by director Louis Leterrier.
However, in the comics, everyone’s favorite giant, green-skinned
monster has an even more colorful cast of supporting characters. The
Hulk has seen his own title retitled Incredible Hercules
and now stars the mythological demigod Hercules and teenaged genius
Amadeus Cho. In its place, a new, red Hulk (or Rulk) now stars in the
new monthly series simply titled Hulk. His cousin, Jennifer Walters, has her own She-Hulk monthly series. Heck, even his son, Skaar, now headlines his own series and we were recently introduced to his daughter.
With such an incredible list of characters, Marvel Comics announced a new Hulk Family
one-shot at this weekend’s Fan Expo in Toronto, Canada. It will include
four incredible stories, four tales of Gamma-fueled destruction
featuring the Sensational She-Hulk; Skaar, Son of Hulk; the daughter of
Hulk and Thundra; and the Spectacular Scorpion by Greg Pak, Paul Tobin,
Fred Van Lente and another writer TBD.
Newsarama.com reached out to the Hulk’s extended family of editors
(Mark Paniccia and Jordan White) and writers for a chat about the
special project.
Newsarama: Hi, Mark and Jordan. Thank you for taking the time to
chat. To start with -- first, Skaar and now, another daughter added to
his ever-growing family tree. Let's not forget about the Hulk Gang in
"Old Man Logan". Hulk sure has been busy growing his family, hasn't he?
With Betty Ross now dead and we all know what’s happened to Caiera, is
the Hulk looking for a new love interest? If he is, who actually longs
for that loving touch? Is it Bruce or Hulk himself?
Mark Paniccia: It’s both. What man/monster doesn’t want love?
Jordan White: Well, I’d say Bruce is usually a lot more
reluctant. He knows he’s dangerous, so he’s not usually hitting the
club scene looking for ladies. But somehow, love always seems to find
him, anyway. I guess women like a brooding, mysterious man who tell
them he’s no good for them. Hulk, on the other hand… well, he does hit
the clubs, just… with his fist.
NRAMA: There's the Red Hulk, who could very well be Doc Samson (or maybe not) starring in the "Adjectiveless" Hulk
series with Rick Jones turning into an Abomination-like monster known
as A-Bomb now. Hercules is the main star in ol' Green Goliath's
previous book. Is the Bruce Banner Hulk getting his own series again
anytime soon?
MP: Unfortunately, I can’t answer that right now. You’re just going to have to wait and see.
JW: Man, and he doesn’t even get to be the star of the book about his “Family”! So much for ‘father knows best.’
NRAMA: Bigger picture – we just had the new summer blockbuster and the attention is now focused on the upcoming Hulk Vs animated film and the planned The Avengers movie but where do you see the franchise heading in the next couple years, especially in the comics?
MP: It seems like there’s never been a better time to be a Hulk fan than now. We gained a lot of new readers with the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storylines, Incredible Hercules and Skaar are getting a ton of great buzz and selling strong numbers and the main Hulk
title is selling out and going to second printings (which are selling
out, too). So, we’ve got a decent number of books in the Hulk family.
Our focus right now is to keep the art and stories of these books at
the highest level of quality we can.
NRAMA: And how will the Hulk Family one-shot fit into
Marvel's publishing plans for the Hulk? Will it introduce new plot
points for the ongoing series (as in the cases of Skaar and She-Hulk/Hulk) or do they serve as springboards to new mini-series/specials, etc (e.g. Scorpion)?
MP: We’re looking at this as not just a way to give readers cool
stories with characters they’re familiar with (like Hulk and She-Hulk)
but to introduce fans to other corners of the Hulk mythos. Hopefully
we’ll see these characters pop up more here and there down the road.
We try to do around four Hulk-related one-shots a year so
keep your eyes peeled for news on the next one coming out in early
2009. We’ve got a few surprises in store. And I might as well take the
opportunity to plug the Hulk Monster-Size Special coming out in
October with stories by Jeff Parker, Steve Niles and Paul Tobin. Hulk
goes head to head with Frankenstein and Werewolf By Night. Two
sensational battles not to be missed! Art by Gabriel Hardman, Lucio
Parrillo and Dave Williams.
JW: I keep pulling for a “Hulk-Size Hulk” special, but so far, I’ve been stymied…
NRAMA: What's in store for fans of all things green in the coming months?
JW: Oh, man… Skaar fans are going to have a few surprises lined
up. Issue #3 is out next week, where Skaar throws down with the lovely
lady with the robo-sword-arms, Princess Omaka. Then in September, we’ve
got the Skarr: Son Of Hulk Presents - Savage World Of Sakaar
special, which both continues the story forward and gives us some
insight into the backgrounds of some of Skaar’s supporting cast. After
that, it’s right back into the series proper where Skaar is going to
keep on smashing his papa’s former planet.
Skaar:
NRAMA: Greg, you'd previously hinted at the possibility of a
family reunion for Skaar and his father. Is this the tale that you're
telling in your portion of the Hulk Family one-shot? Otherwise, what kind of story can we look forward to?
Greg Pak: No father/son reunion just yet -- Skaar still has some
growing up to do on Sakaar before he'll be ready to face his pops. And
the story we're telling here recounts a key moment in his early growth.
We'll pick up directly from one of the stories in the Skarr: Son Of Hulk Presents - Savage World Of Sakaar
special (coming in September -- tell your local store to hold your copy
today!) -- and show the first meeting between the mysterious stranger
known as Old Sam and the savage Son of Hulk. We'll also get a glimpse
of our young hero's artistic talents. And somebody might eat somebody.
I'll say no more.
NRAMA: So it’s set on Planet Sakaar then?
GP: Earth can't handle the savagery that is Skaar! So it's Sakaar all the way for now.
NRAMA: Will it also feature your other creation, Amadeus Cho?
GP: Nope, but a little bird tells me that the Choster makes an appearance somewhere else in this book...
NRAMA: How will this tale impact the ongoing Skaar series and also Incredible Hercules, if any?
GP: It's a key story from Skaar's early days and sheds some
light on just what Old Sam might have up his sleeve. Dontcha dare miss
it, Skaar fans!
Hulk & Thundra's DaughterNRAMA: Paul, Thundra returned in June's Hulk: Raging Thunder
one-shot and readers were introduced to her and Hulk's green-skinned
daughter. For those who didn't read the story written by Jeff Parker,
what can you tell us about this new addition to the seemingly growing
Hulk family?
Paul Tobin: She's in a future Earth where the battle between the
sexes is just that... all out battle, a full schism. Thundra is the
leader of the female army, but she knows she won't live forever, and
wanted a worthy heir. So, a quick jump back in time to acquire some of
the Hulk's genetic code and then... kaboozle!... Thundra is the first
pregnant women in decades. Our story takes place after Hulk's daughter
is all grown up, and at the full height of her powers. So, she's the
daughter of Thundra and Hulk, and she lives in a planet consumed by
war. Guess what she's really good at! (Hint... War)
NRAMA: Has she been given a name already?
PT: Yes. Sort of. Maybe. Absolutely. I've got it written down here somewhere.
NRAMA: What else can we learn about her in your tale?
PT: More about her world, and how it works, and what being the
daughter of two people like the Hulk and Thundra can really mean...
what kind of heritage she's been given, and whether it's given her
freedom, or has become a crushing weight. Also, we learn if she's good
at war. (Hint... Yes)
ScorpionNRAMA: Fred, you introduced Carmilla Black in Amazing Fantasy Vol. 2 #7 and she was last seen in World War Hulk, right? What sort of situation has she gotten into this time around?
Fred Van Lente: This is an "Untold Tale" that picks immediately after World War Hulk
ends -- And Scorpion is looking to intercept the caravan that is
bringing Bruce Banner to his new "home," such as it is, in the Mojave
Desert.
It seems that everyone's favorite genius rapscallion, Amadeus Cho, has
discovered some information in his prodigious hacking about the Hulk
that he's chosen to share with Carmilla, and she's desperately trying
to verify it.
Information that would make her inclusion in a book entitled Hulk Family extremely... literal...
NRAMA: In your opinion, how has she grown as a character? And
potentially, how big of a role could she possibly play in the ongoing
Marvel Universe?
FVL: It's been fun to see Scorp appearing sporadically all over
the Marvel Universe. She's become a fun little side player, kind of
dropping in out of nowhere, doing her thing, and disappearing into the
shadows -- just as she was always intended to be. A freelance espionage
agent that no one is entirely sure which side she's on -- Not even her!
NRAMA: In saying that, where can we expect her to show up next?
FVL: Sooner rather than later, in a not-yet-announced project not unlike this one.
