So, we have gotten our first details and looks at Thor: God Of Thunder and Iron Man and now we have a first look at Mark Waid and Leinel Yu’s Indestructible Hulk! I am kind of torn on this one myself because I don’t actually read any of the Hulk titles but Waid is a great writer and Yu’s art is fantastic. This may be the one Marvel NOW! relaunch of a title that I am not already reading…that I may have to check out.

Mark Waid on taking over the Hulk:

It feels amazing. Honestly, it’s a lot like my experience with “Fantastic Four” — I never thought I’d want to write this book until it was offered and I began thinking about it. So many great writers, so many landmark moments — it was intimidating, still is. But the more I began to think about the relationship between Bruce and Hulk, the more I began fantasizing about what it would be like to take the core concept a little more “back to center” like we did with Daredevil, the more intrigued I became. In 1962, Hulk was one of the most unique characters ever in comics because he viewed his powers as a curse, not a blessing. But that point of view is no longer unique — heck, that’s practically the emotional keynote of half the superhero books currently running. So Marvel gave their blessing to morph that attitude into something a little more heroic. Jason wraps things up, elegantly and brilliantly. (I’m forever jealous of the ideas he based his whole run around.) “Indestructible Hulk” #1 picks up a few weeks after the events of “Avengers vs. X-Men.” No one’s seen Banner or the Hulk for a while, and that makes the whole world very nervous.

Lenil Yu on his approach to the title:

In all honestly, I drew both the Ultimate Hulk and Ultimate Wolverine the exact same way I would’ve drawn my regular universe versions. The only change would be the pot belly as specified by Damon Lindelof in the script, a result of his change of lifestyle gorging himself with food in the company of pretty women. Remember Banner’s line from the “Avengers” movie? His secret is that he’s “always angry.” Well, I was always drawing the regular Wolverine and Hulk in the Ultimate Universe. I was very relieved that I didn’t have to draw the young Wolverine with a goatee. The only thing I have to watch for is his height and size. I realize he’s only supposed to be at most 8 feet tall.

Mark Waid talking about the significance of the word indestructible in the title:

There’s a very good reason we chose the word “Indestructible,” it’s actually a subtle story point. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that it ties in with Banner’s whole new attitude. Again, take the concept back to center. Hulk is about what happens to us when we lose control — or when we try to exercise too much control. The stories we’ll be telling treat the Hulk less like a time bomb and more like a targeted WMD — and he’ll be moving throughout the Marvel Universe, exploring (on Banner’s behalf, for reasons you’ll see in issue #1) certain corners of the universe — Jotunheim, The Negative Zone, Lemuria. Hulk and Banner have a mission — and it will take them far and wide.

Lenil Yu talks about the armor we saw in the Marvel NOW! promo:

They asked me to hand in designs for the armor, which I thought was refreshing and could open up new story lines and possibilities. An armor to me implies an inherent vulnerability and that in itself is interesting, especially with the title “Indestructible” Hulk. I’m also a huge fan of Sci-Fi and video games so this is definitely right up my alley. I just love drawing technology.

Source: CBR

Check out this preview for next weeks issue of Age Of Apocalypse! Including a look at the 50th Anniversary Spider-Man variant.

“The X-Terminated activate their secret weapon, the AOA version of THE HULK!”

Click images for larger view.

Source: CBR

One thing that can be said about Marvels Ultimate line is that well… anything goes. And if you’ve been reading ULTIMATES… you’ll know what I’m talking about. Starting July in ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #13 is Divided We Fall… a story stretching across all three Ultimate books. This story began in ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10 which was the first issue that saw co-writer Sam Humphries and artist Luke Ross joining Jonathan Hickman. This issue had former Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards eradicating Washington D.C. decimating the U.S. government to the point where the off-site Secretary of Energy became next in line for the presidency.

“That’s something you can’t get away with in the mainline Marvel books, or in the movies, the cartoon shows, the video games—any place where they tell stories about Marvel characters,” says Humphries of the incnident. “I’ve always looked at the Ultimate Universe as a place that is fundamentally different. Characters are bigger, stakes are higher, and fate is more extreme. Day to day life has sharper edges.”

“It’s like the Earth’s axis is tipped one inch further to the left—you’d never be able to measure it, but everything about living on the planet would be irreversibly affected.”

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #11 hits shelves next Wednesday May 30th and we will see S.H.I.E.L.D under new leadership with their top operatives on the run as fugitives.

“The previous president removed Nick Fury and put a new guy in his place,” Humphries recounts. “Then an attack on Washington vaporized most of the United States government. The world security agency doesn’t know which way is up anymore. They’ve got an identity crisis, and to paraphrase Marshal McLuhan, the less identity we have, the more violence we see.

“[But] Nick Fury is always in control. Even when you rip S.H.I.E.L.D. away from him and put him on the run, he’s still the man with the plan.”

And while this is all going on the other Ultimates will have their own issues to face. The worst off of them all being Tony Stark. Tony has discovered his dormant brain tumor has returned and with comes growing hallucinations.

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #12 will be hitting shelves June 27th and with it we will see Hickman take his final bow. Humphries will take over the title full time… but will definitely not be ignoring the path Hickman has set the book on.

“Jonathan’s been crushing it on ULTIMATES with some huge developments,” he says. “I’d be a fool not to work from what he’s set up—it’s a world rife with potential and big moments. At the same time, Hickman has maintained from our very first conversation that it’s imperative for me to write what I’m interested in writing instead of trying to ape or continuing someone else’s work. What you’re reading now is a true blend of two perspectives on the Ultimates.”

And finally as stated above… starting in July… Divided We Fall.

“The thing about Divided We Fall is that the books are interconnected, but not interwoven,” Humphries explains. “All the books are experiencing the same chaos, but each book gives you a different point of view. What Miles Morales sees isn’t what Thor sees isn’t what Rogue sees. So each book tells the same larger story, but they can be read independently of each other.”

I can say that i’ve definitely been reading all of the Ultimate books and right now they’re great and this is definitely looking like something that I will be looking forward to.

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10 is on stands now. Get it. Read it.

Source: Marvel