Savage Hulk Coming in June From Alan Davis, Jim Starlin and More

In June, Marvel Comics will launch Savage Hulk, a new series that will see rotating teams of high-profile creators jumping on for short periods to tell Hulk stories. Alan Davis and Jim Starlin will be the first creative team to launch the new anthology series, which Marvel says will see "an astonishing array of storytellers" contributing to the continuing exploits of Dr. Bruce Banner and the beast within. "We wanted big names, super stars and break out talent to tell their unique Hulk stories within continuity," said series editor Mark Paniccia. "That might be now, or using elements of the past and perhaps even glimpses of the future. It all comes back to the current Hulk mythos while letting the talent cut loose with that Hulk story that they've been dying to tell." The publisher says that these stories require little familiarity with the events in Mark Waid and Mark Bagley's forthcoming Hulk series, though they remain informed by that same status quo. Though the title suggests a depiction of the Hulk at his most primal and uninhibited, his long-suffering alter ego plays a crucial role in these tales as well. "I like to see the heroic side of Bruce Banner," said Paniccia. "He's one of Marvel's most tortured souls and yet he wants to do the right thing. I find stories that emphasize this very interesting. It's not just about the man or the monster, it's about both. How do you cope with such a curse? How do you deal with that inner turmoil and the constant fear of hurting those around you?...And I like lots of punching and smashing like any Hulk fan." The first story will be a battle royal between the Hulk and a cabal of his most formidable enemies, written and drawn by Alan Davis. "Alan's [story] involves the X-Men, the Leader, the Abomination and the Hulkbusters," explained Paniccia. "It's great because he taps into the stuff I was just talking about with Bruce yet still manages to get in the kind of action and mayhem you want to see in a Hulk book. There are some great splashes and spreads. The story is great and the art is amazing and he reminds us that he's one of the best X-Men artists out there all over again." The next storyline, by Infinity Gauntlet's Jim Starlin, will apparently go cosmic. "Jim's stuff is classic Starlin, taking Bruce and Hulk into some very freaky places and it's another case of a creator going full blast with the kind of stuff we love to see from them," Paniccia said. "Thanos, Annihilus, Blastaar and more. It's crazy fun and action packed and super detailed. Jim's putting his A-game into this."