Thanos Vs. Hulk Coming From Marvel and Jim Starlin

Famed Marvel cosmic creator Jim Starlin will write and draw a four-issue Thanos vs. Hulk miniseries, coming "later this year," which likely means December since that's the first month that solicitations haven't been seen from Marvel for.

Annihilus will play a key role in the series, too, according to Marvel.com, who spoke with Starlin about the announcement.

"Annihilus has something [Pip the Troll] terribly wants and so he kidnaps Bruce Banner to trade for that something. Buyer's regret sets in and the story continues onward,"Starlin said. "Annihilus is throughout the series. He wants the Hulk/Banner for his own nefarious reasons. Telling you any more than that would prove a spoiler. I'm using him in the story because he's already a great villain that could be even scarier than he already is."

Starlin's Bar, a locale that Starlin himself didn't create, plays a role in the story, as a starting point for The Hulk's story and a spot where Iron Man, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and others can be spotted hanging out. The writer/artist concedes that "ego" led him to include that locale as a convenient gathering point for some of the earthbound characters in the book.

The story will play into events introduced in his recent Thanos: The Infinity Revelation and the Thanos Annual stories but according to Starlin, fans won't have to have read those in order for the tale to make sense.

"A reader only has to know who the Hulk and Thanos are—which is just about anyone who knows the name Marvel these days," Starlin joked.