HULK SMASH PUNY WAR ROOM: PAK & PANICCIA TALK WWH #5 AND THE FUTURE

[MattBrady]

by Matt Brady

SPOILERS FOR WORLD WAR HULK #5 AHEAD

And it’s over.

World War Hulk ended this week with both a bang and a whimper. The cataclysmic battle between the Hulk and the Sentry took place on the streets of New York with enough ferocity, panel-busting splash pages, sound effects and exclamation points for the fight to be the clear heir to some of Stan Lee’s finest.

But in the end – again, tragedy. With a new birth…and signs of change.

As we have with each issue to date, we caught up with World War Hulk writer Greg Pak and Editor Mark Paniccia to talk about the story, and get the inside view of the battle, the aftermath, and those teases in the back of the issue.

Newsarama: So – to get into this final issue, the story picks up right where it left off from World War Hulk #4, with the heroes beign forced to battle thanks to the obedience discs they’ve been outfitted with. What are the disks doing to the heroes? Compelling them to do the Hulk's wishes? Totally overtaking their motor systems?

Greg Pak: Yes and yes. Those disks are trouble. Even the Silver Surfer couldn't overcome his obedience disk by himself in the gladiatorial arenas of Sakaar during the "Planet Hulk" saga.

Mark Paniccia: We sure could use them around the office!

NRAMA: A quick aside - yeah, the larger continuity questions can cause headaches, but what about more micro-continuity, that is, how long has it been since World War Hulk started? A week? A handful of days?

GP: Just a couple of days. The Hulk and his crew struck hard and fast -- they knew that they'd lose the edge if they gave the heroes any more time to organize.

NRAMA: Guys, explain the Hulk's mindset in the arena a little - "we came for justice, not murder." This is the Hulk we're talking about here, who sees things in a black and white fashion. Isn't "eye-for-an-eye" justice in that regard? Killing the members of the Illuminati would be that kind of justice, wouldn't it? Just showing the world that they are the monsters feels kinda...Twilight Zone twisty rather than justice....

GP: The Hulk's never been a murderer. He loves to threaten murder. And he's killed before, in wars or in self-defense or when he was driven mad. But he's never knowingly killed an innocent in cold blood. Furthermore, his experiences fighting alongside the Warbound and the people of Sakaar during Planet Hulk changed him -- he became the Green King, the liberator of Sakaar, the hero protector of entire world. Given that context, his sparing the Illuminati makes sense -- he's showing them what he and believes a true leader does. And even if you still want to think of the Hulk as a monster, sparing the Illuminati can make sense -- a really vicious person might actually take more pleasure from watching his enemies humiliated and hated than dead.

MP: Remember that at the heart of the Hulk is Bruce Banner, a noble man who risked his life to save an innocent. What happened on Sakaar was enough to push anyone to the brink, but deep down, killing in cold blood is something a real monster would do, not a hero, not someone who would jump in front of a bomb blast to save another human. But hey, even I thought he was gonna kill ‘em at the end!

NRAMA: Before we get into the fight between the Hulk and the Sentry, Greg, what kind of power does the Sentry have over the Hulk? We saw in Paul’s [Jenkins] original stories that he could calm the Hulk down and make him feel good, but that was the savage Hulk. Do his powers still work on the cunning Hulk we've got here, or can he just brush them off?

GP: The Sentry's traditionally had the power to calm the Hulk -- the theory was that it hurt to be the Hulk, and the Sentry's mere presence soothed that pain. But that power doesn't work on the Hulk any longer. The Hulk's just too angry and strong. Or maybe his anger is a different kind -- maybe it's a righteous anger that he's accepted and embraced to such a degree that he doesn't need or want the relief the Sentry once had to offer.

NRAMA: When you've got someone like John Romita Jr. ready and more than able to draw a fight between the Hulk and the Sentry, do you bother choreographing that much of it in your script, or just write, "They fight for seven pages, like two gods at the birth of the universe?" Seriously, can we see some of the script?

GP: Sometimes I go into great detail about the choreography -- if there's a specific plot or character point that needs to be nailed, I might need to lay it out panel by panel. But other times, working with John, the best thing is to open the gate and back the heck away. For example, here's some of what I wrote for the big Sentry/Hulk battle:

PAGES SIXTEEN AND SEVENTEEN

VARIOUS PANELS

The Hulk battle to end all Hulk battles. This is the Hulk at his absolute peak, fighting an almost cosmically powered individual.

These first two pages should show the Sentry blazing with inconceivable power -- the Hulk’s flesh is getting burnt from his body, but the Hulk keeps fighting him. Fearlessly. Taking every blow -- and returning every blow. Entire blocks shatter.

The other heroes evacuate civilians as the city crumbles around them -- and watch in awe and horror.

Maybe the second page ends with a explosion that looks like it should certainly destroy both the Hulk and the Sentry.

PAGE EIGHTEEN

VARIOUS PANELS

But the Hulk and Sentry clash on in the fiery debris -- both are broken and shattered -- but that just makes their blows more wild and dangerous. The Sentry’s energy tentacles are shredded and jagged -- but they’re still flailing, insanely destructive, ripping up the city around them.

PANEL X

Close on the Sentry. Jagged tentacles shredding the debris in the background. Staring into the Hulk’s eyes as they clash -- an eerie combination of terrible fear and terrible joy in his eyes as it dawns on him that he might just destroy the world today.

SENTRY: C- can’t stop.

PANEL Y

Tony, shaking, black blood streaming from his nose and maybe eyes, stares upwards, using his Extremis powers, trying to take control of the satellites. Reed behind him, maybe with his arms wrapped around him, as if trying to hold Tony together. Tony looks like he’s dying.

REED: It’s got to be now, Tony.

PANEL Z

Angle on the satellites in space, starting to shift under Tony’s command.

So it goes from no individual panel descriptions in the first part of the battle to more specific panel descriptions as we get into more complicated cross-cutting on the next page. It's also worth noting that I knew I'd add more dialogue to these pages to flesh out the development hinted in that "C- can't stop" line, but I waited until I saw Johnny's pencils to see exactly where and how that dialogue would play. It's an incredibly satisfying, organic way to work -- I can't say enough about how exciting and inspiring it was to work with Johnny -- and the entire creative team -- on this book.

MP: And there’s no way around the fact that Johnny’s one of the best visual story tellers in the industry. No one else could have done this book and given it the power and emotion it has on every page. It’s, in my humble opinion, the best stuff Johhny’s done. He worked hard on this, from making sure the perspective played framing action on a subconscious level to making sure the military copters were authentic. Johnny will even tell you this was one of the toughest gigs he’s ever tackled, but he rose to the occasion and knocked this thing out of orbit.

NRAMA: Okay - it's no KRAKABATHROOM! from the earlier issue, but one of the sound effects - VJJJWOMMMVVVVVVB - what does that sound like? Do the consonants give it a more metallic sound?

GP: Assistant Editor Nate Cosby is the World War Hulk sound effects guru. I think he records explosions and lighting strikes and cantaloupe smashings in his basement and runs the sounds through a transcription program on his laptop.

MP: He’s already had several visits from the Fire Dept. His poor neighbors!

NRAMA: Getting back to the fight - after the Sentry really lets go, he's changed his attacks - they're open-handed in nature...what gives? Is he just smacking the Hulk around, or is the energy at his command moving in time with his hands?

GP: Nine out of ten scientists agree that the power of a million exploding suns radiates better with the open palm attack.

NRAMA: Also with the Sentry - he's pretty much beyond pain at this point, isn't he? After all, he's getting the crap kicked out of him too...

GP: Yeah, he's reveling in the insane exhilaration of shedding all his inhibitions and finally unleashing all that power. But when the buzz wears off, those Hulk haymakers are gonna sting.

NRAMA: The Sentry’s "Goodbye old friend" - what was that prelude to? I don't mean to sound like the guy who only saw the special effects and missed the story - but what happened to the Sentry and Hulk to change them back to Bob and Bruce? Was this Bruce consciously deciding to stop, to save the world by sending the Hulk away?

GP: "Goodbye old friend" is the Sentry's way of saying that he figures they're both going to die now that he's unleashed his power so completely. Bob and Bruce appear because these two megaheavyweights have pounded each other so hard and so long that they've forced each other to revert to their respective puny human forms.

MP: And thank God they weren’t naked!

NRAMA: What an…interesting thing to bring up…

MP: Just saying…

NRAMA: Bruce, with the eyes of green...that's a...new look for him, huh? What's it signify?

GP: It's Bruce and the Hulk achieving a new equilibrium for one brief, shining moment. Ah, what could have been...

MP: This was something Greg and I talked about a lot in the past--the merging of the two personas…the potential of a Banner/Hulk amalgamation. It’s something you see come to fruition in “Peaceful Planet”, the second story in the What If? Featuring Planet Hulk that came out last month. But it’s a cool concept that may, some day, be explored further.

NRAMA: Miek's target – and there’s a lot of question about this among readers - was he gunning for Rick, or for Bruce? If he was aiming for Bruce, what was his plan, his reason to hurt his Warbound?

GP: Miek was aiming for Bruce -- to force him to turn back into the Hulk and finish the destruction that Miek believes is the Hulk's entire reason for being. Miek doesn't see that as hurting the Hulk -- he sees it as fulfilling his Warbound oath by helping the Hulk become who he's destined to become.

NRAMA: Following Miek's confession...the rage the Hulk feels - while he's been off the charts before, does this top that? From what was shown, I'd gather that this revelation is just too much for him - something that he can't process or even make sense of in a fashion?

GP: You got it.

MP: Yeah, you’re looking at someone in shock. Especially the Banner side that’s running the numbers and looking at how this all circles back to the lessons he’s imparted on Miek, the impact he’s had on his fellow humans and quite possibly going back to the day he dreamed up the gamma bomb. This is a mental meltdown of super nova magnitude.

NRAMA: And that rage - the Hulk we see...that’s the Worldbreaker, right? His very steps are causing fissures to open...he's an elemental force at this point, right?

GP: Absolutely. I love some of Christina Strain's coloring choices here -- light is streaming from the Hulk's eyes -- he's radiating an insane amount of energy.

NRAMA: Even as the Hulk realizes that Tony and Reed must take him down, Miek is trying to get him to fight it. What's Miek's goal here?

GP: Miek believes the time has come for all things to end, for the Worldbreaker to wash away this world of hate and pain so that the next thing can come.

NRAMA: What did the weapon from Tony do to the Hulk?

GP: As Tony indicates before firing the satellites, there hasn't been enough time to calculate the effects of these combined rays. We know they hit the Hulk hard enough to force him to revert back to Banner and for Banner to revert to a catatonic state. Who knows what happens beyond that -- although I'd hazard a wild guess that this may have something to do in some way with Jeph Loeb's upcoming Red Hulk. That's just a wild guess, though, of course.

NRAMA: Right – just a guess. Hey - Black Bolt’s back...this is pre-New Avengers: Illuminati #5...so is that still Black Bolt, or is that Skrull Bolt?

GP: Heh. Excellent question. All will be revealed in the fullness of time.

NRAMA: Okay - let’s talk about the end result here - they tuck Bruce away under Gamma Base, but man...it still sucks for him. I mean, seriously, cue the sad piano music from the end of the television series. Hulk gets sent away against his will, everything is destroyed, comes back, literally sacrifices himself to save the world, and in the end, boom - he's locked up in what looks to be a chemical coma? Are there any happy stories for the Hulk?

GP: Yeah, he can't seem to catch a break, huh? But this is precisely what's made the Hulk such a compelling character for decades. He does what we all wish we could do -- when he's wronged, he rages. And that's an incredibly satisfying vicarious pleasure for us as readers. But as I wrote in the afterward to the Planet Hulk hardcover, rage, no matter how justified, has a price. That's the truth and tragedy of the Hulk -- and it's the massive theme that we've been building for almost two years since the beginning of Planet Hulk in Incredible Hulk #92. Now with "World War Hulk" #5, we finally see exactly what that price is and how it's been it's been paid by our hero and his friends.

But I do have a story for those who ache for a happy ending for the Green Goliath. Alas, it's a What If. But check out the second tale in the What If: Planet Hulk book for a peek at how the whole being-shot-into-space thing could have worked out for our hero.

MP: But the simple answer is “No”. Green is not —unfortunately for ol’ jade jaw—the color of joy.

NRAMA: Okay - the scene on Sakaar. As you mentioned prior to this, the world was not destroyed at the end of Planet Hulk - it's more primeval, but it's still there.

GP: Correct. The Warbound's "world" was destroyed in that Crown City and a million of the Hulk's followers were incinerated and great chunks of the landscape were shattered, but the planet's still spinning 'round out there.

NRAMA: This green guy - did he wake up as a result of something happening on earth, or was he just popping up?

GP: All will be revealed in early 2008 with the debut issue of Skaar: Son of Hulk. It's gonna be massive, friends -- dontcha dare miss it!

NRAMA: And that would be Skaar…the son?

GP: Yes, indeed. The son of the Hulk and the Shadow Warrior Caiera the Oldstrong. Check out Carlo Pagulayan's depiction of the character in the back pages of World War Hulk #5. If you loved Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, you're not going to want to miss Skaar: Son of Hulk.

MP: Yeah, Skaar is going to be something fans of WWH and Planet Hulk will really enjoy. There are a lot of cool touches that Greg’s putting on it but it’s very visceral and epic. He’s Genghis Khan but with the Pak twist.

NRAMA: And meanwhile, Hulk's book is usurped by Herc and Amadeus? Can you give us just a quick taste of what their adventures will be like?

GP: A ridiculously fun and sometimes surprisingly moving exploration of the insane amount of trouble that the planet's most irresponsible god and most incorrigible teen genius can make when they put their minds and muscles to it. Crazy hijinks, tons of smashing, occasional deep thoughts, and gorgeous art by Khoi Pham. Co-written by yours truly and the genuinely brilliant Fred Van Lente.

MP: That says it all! The book’s turned out to be a personal fave of mine. The art is fantastic and the story that Greg and Fred are telling is really cool and entertaining and filled with some of the best superhuman battles this side of World War Hulk.



Newsarama Note: According to Jim McCann of Marvel’s Sales Communication department, Incredible Herc is the permanent, ongoing status of the former Incredible Hulk series. Retaining the former series numbering starting with next month’s issue #112, the title officially changes to Incredible Hercules with issue #113.

Sakkar: Son of Hulk is an ongoing series launching in March.

NRAMA: Overall, looking back, did WWH work out the way you originally thought it would? Were there any changes along the way that you didn't anticipate? Any that you wished you could have implemented?

GP: I still wish I could have found a way to work Morbius the Living Vampire and the Deathlok Cyborg and Dragon Man into one of the tie-in books. Ah, regrets...

MP: We pretty much got everything in that we hoped for. There were some different ideas brought to the table way back when Planet Hulk was being put together, but I think we would up with a helluva tale.

NRAMA: And, you’ve kept saying, WWH was Act II. When does Act III start, and who's playing key roles in it? Safe to say that the events in Hulk, Herc, and Skaar are building towards it?

GP: Act III is Skaar: Son of Hulk. It will take the themes and world of Planet Hulk and World War Hulk to the next level with the insane, epic story of a son of rage fighting for survival on a savage planet.

And let me also take a second to plug the World War Hulk: Warbound miniseries, which debuts in December, written by me with blisteringly awesome art by Leonard Kirk. The book will focus on the Hulk's Warbound companions Korg, Hiroim, Brood, and Elloe as they escape New York and find themselves in the middle of a new crisis in the New Mexico desert featuring one of the Hulk's former loves and one of the Hulk's greatest enemies. The book will carry through on big threads from World War Hulk while laying critical groundwork for future stories. The book will also feature "Tales of the Warbound" backup stories that will shed additional light on these Warbound heroes and continue to build the history and mythology of Planet Sakaar -- again, not to be missed if you dug "Planet Hulk" and "World War Hulk."

MP: Look for Skaar, Son of Hulk in the early part of 2008.

GP: And one last thing to all the readers, reviewers, and retailers who have been buying and talking up these books -- you guys are the best.

MP: Yeah, we couldn’t have done it without ya!

[ascloseasme]

EDIT: heyhey, first!

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I think the ball was dropped in the last issue. There were great moments -- like with Rick Jones, Hulk playing the hero (to some extent), and Skaar being birthed -- but all-in-all it was just too over the top even for WWH.

[-Armando523-]

it was okay

[rwsmith]

Loeb's Red Hulk sounds interesting. And the adventures of the Incredible Hercules sounds okay too. But Skaar just sounds incredibly crappy. I'll definitely be passing on that one.

[Blackbeard]

I hate to say it, but this was an extremely disappointing end to an exciting story.

[Lot 49]

A good event, from start to finish...

Story and art were great...

Not very many deep thoughts, but all of us who were looking for Hulk to really come out and smash stuff weren't disappointed...

[Evil@work]

Keep on Kickin butt and taken names Greg. Thanks for Making the Hulk damn cool again!

[BlackDog]

I am completely dissapointed with the ending to WWH. That was just terrible writing. At one point The Thing says: "he's unleashing the power of a million suns!" or something along those lines, and he was referring to Sentry as he battled Hulk...

It just angers me that Pak didn't put his mind to work here. During the whole battle, we see these HUGE explosions...buildings exploding, cars desintegrating, GIGANTIC BALLS OF ENERGY and yet, the others heroes who are in the immediate vicinity of the two combatatants are all OK(?). If I'm to suspend my disbelief, at least try to insert some logic here for God's sake! The way this battle played out, NY should have been completely destroyed.

But wait, there is more: At the end, Hulk makes the WHOLE WORLD TREMBLE!! literally...he did! Again...NY should have been sunk, and if Hulk could do that all along, how come he wasted his time making a scene and endagering all the NY citizens??!!

Basically Hulk's plan was: I'll beat all you guys up, make destruction, make you try to kill each other, but at the last minute, I'll stop you from killing and give you a guilt trip.

Man this was a very awful ending and it was worst than the ending to CW, and that's saying something. John Romita Jr. was great on the art though, but this whole event was damn silly and stupid.

But just to leave this on a good note, I will say it was refreshing to see an action oriented story from Marvel.

[markfdavis]

Sakaar: Son of Hulk could be HUGE!


www.grandcanyoncomics.com

[johnstumbo]

This was great. Really great story and I loved the art. Tie ins felt forced and didn't meet the quality of the actual WWH issues. But I have to say I enjoyed this much more than Civil War.

[Marius665]

wasn't even considering reading Skaar: Son of Hulk after I read WWH #5 but I'm starting to reconsider

hoping the Warbound doesn't stay on earth, there really isn't a place for them unless the become a state team but that would be stupid, they are all great warriors who can hold there own, they should go out in space and be in the next Annihilation story, with Super Skrull as a member

[Stormbreaker]

I freaking loved this issue and am stoked about the aftermash. Loeb's Hulk book seems interesting, Herc and Amadeus will be fun, Warbound should rock and Skaar just seems awesome to me. I appear to be the only one, but oh well. Greg Pak + Hulk = One satisfied fanboy

[jackolantern]

I enjoyed the way the central dilemma of the Hulk was at the center of the climax - is the Hulk a force of destruction, or a hero?
- In trying to stop the Hulk, Sentry was allowed to play God, and got the chance to be one or the other, and it was Hulk who informs him that, whichever he chose, the important thing was that it was his choice.
- When the Warbound are standing around wondering "Where's the Hulk?" Hiroim also refers to this dilemma - that the Hulk has been both the Worldbreaker and the Savior.
Miek obviously didn't like this answer, and tried to choose for the Hulk - he prefers the Hulk who smashes, and it was ironically appropriate that Rick, the guy who always saw the potential for good in the Hulk paid the price.

P.S. is Rick dead or what?

[delawarejoel]

I thought it was brilliant, a great ending. Some of the best comic art in years and JRJR just keeps getting better. The scenes where Sentry and Hulk are plowing through buildings were some of the most visceral, take-your-breath-away pages I have seen in years. I think if you look back over the whole thing, the Hulk's actions at the end make perfect sense - especially in light of the issues of Incredible Hulk that showed that the Hulk Does Not Kill People. Knowing that Pak has a third arc in the works fills me with great anticipation, and the fact that we are not done with the Sakarr part of the mythos is welcome to me. This series and WWH are among the very best comics out there right now and the fact that they are not resting on their laurels but again upsetting the apple cart (eg Red Hulk, Skaar and Incredible Herc - though I have a bit of trepidation bout that last one) means I am still on board.

This is what comics are supposed to be like!

[I am MODOK]

I enjoyed the story from start to finish. Great art, great dialogue, and an action-heavy plot like we rarely get to see. I still question the military fight of issue 3, the pacing was odd putting it AFTER the Iron Man and Avengers fights, but still, a great story.

So was Miek dead, or were there two SHIELD containers being taken away?

[MrGreenGenes]

I really enjoyed the World War Hulk event. The only real beef I have with it is the fact that I finally got the version of Hulk I always wanted here on earth (intelligent, righteous, rutheless, and "the strongest one there is" with his own crew) and it only lasted 5 issues. This is the Hulk I wanted to see be integrated back into the fabric of Marvel Earth.

I guess I'm gonna have to pin my hopes on the Loeb/McGuiness series and hope that they don't turn Hulk back into a sentence fragment-spewing imbecile.

[ParisCub]

Brilliant event!!! I'm sure there will be some people wingeing about one thing or another, but that was really epic...

[santino]

I thought the whole miniseries was pretty pointless. Oh well.

And is the new trend at Marvel for the main character to not show up in his own book? Incredible Hulk (now Herc) and Captain America seem to be starting the trend. It works for Captain America... nor sure I'm as into it for other titles.

Hopefully, Messiah CompleX doesn't drop the ball at least.

[Badman]

Originally Posted by MrGreenGenes

I really enjoyed the World War Hulk event. The only real beef I have with it is the fact that I finally got the version of Hulk I always wanted here on earth (intelligent, righteous, rutheless, and "the strongest one there is" with his own crew) and it only lasted 5 issues. This is the Hulk I wanted to see be integrated back into the fabric of Marvel Earth.

I guess I'm gonna have to pin my hopes on the Loeb/McGuiness series and hope that they don't turn Hulk back into a sentence fragment-spewing imbecile.

I agree, I've never been a fan of the Hulk, but have loved Pak's run thus far. A big part of the reason I never cared for the Hulk was the whole "Hulk Smash Rarr raaa rrrrar" persona. I much prefer the style of him we saw in Plant Hulk / World War Hulk as an intelligent hulk, but not "Banner intelligent" just more "Sentient" in a sense.

with any luck he'll remain this way, and his son will become the Savage "me smash rarr rar raar" Hulk. In theory this should be how the character arrives in the world. I'm afraid he'll show up on Earth and speak English ....
I don't mind that he's alive and a massive hulking monster (He's the halfbreed soon of a gamma irradiated monster and a near hulk strength level alien "born" in a potentialy radioactive explosion) but he should essentially have the mentality of a newborn, or even newborn animal, the only emotions he knows are "survival" and "rage"

[Marius665]

Originally Posted by santino

I thought the whole miniseries was pretty pointless. Oh well.

And is the new trend at Marvel for the main character to not show up in his own book? Incredible Hulk (now Herc) and Captain America seem to be starting the trend. It works for Captain America... nor sure I'm as into it for other titles.

Hopefully, Messiah CompleX doesn't drop the ball at least.

dude, surprisingly is works for the Captain America book with having the support cast take over, NO other book would work out like that, imagine if they did it with Spidey having MJ, Liz Allen, Flash Thompson and a dead Aunt May would be stupid, so I have to agree with you that Herc and Cho being in the book just them is kind of pointless, just have the Hulk and use them as supporting cast members not just them, so not going to pick this up.

Hulk better be in Secret Invasion!

[TravisWHoward]

Loved the whole series!

Interesting how the character on the last page is red skinned. Is this the Red King reborn or does Sakaar start out red and change?

Here's hoping Kate Waynesboro makes an appearance soon!

------

Also, as an aside to everyone else (in the hopes that Marvel reads this)

Would anyone be willing to purchase a Director's Cut version of WWH?

Meaning, if Marvel commisioned JRJR to do some additional pages to flesh out some things (the Black Bolt fight; Warbound vs. Heroes; More Hulk vs. Sentry stuff) would you buy it?

One of the complaints was not getting to see some of those fights in full.

For the eventual hardcover, I'd love to see some pages like this.

Pak's original proposal for WWH.
Any storylines that were abandoned or anything that caused major debates (Rick, Hulk's Kid, etc)
A map of NY before and after WWH.
The counseling session Sentry has post-WWH.

Stuff like that.

[jedifish]

Congrats Greg to getting me interested in the Hulk again, even if it was just for this mini-series and the few tie-in issues of the main series. This has been a very entertaining run. Kind of disappointed you're not staying on the main Hulk though, because I'd probably keep buying that. But, there was enough of a finale here to satisfy me. As for the new titles:

Since I didn't read Planet Hulk, I've got no interest in Skaar.

I've just got no interest in Loeb/McGuinness Hulk. Not a huge fan of the art.

Incredible Hercules. Not a Hercules fan, although if you're writing, maybe I'll check out an issue.

I've had my fill of the Warbound in Heroes For Hire, in what was a very weak tie-in, so I can't see checking out Warbound.

[Meglos]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Newsarama Note: According to Jim McCann of Marvel’s Sales Communication department, Incredible Herc is the permanent, ongoing status of the former Incredible Hulk series. Retaining the former series numbering starting with next month’s issue #112, the title officially changes to Incredible Hercules with issue #113.

Well. That sucks.

[Gamma Duck]

In an interview over at CBR, Fred Van Lente talks about his and Greg's plans for Hercules and Amadeus Cho, including the return of Namora and another team she's associated with...one with a goddess in its ranks.

[Spidey616]

So at the end of it all, only 2 major deaths? Rick Jones and Miek- Hulk's 2 best friends. Oh, and some Hivelings.