Marvel Reveals First Look at Maestro #1 (Exclusive)

Few heroes are as iconic as the Incredible Hulk, who can be seen fighting alongside the Avengers when he's not fighting his own inner demons. That said, one of the most popular versions of the character manifested when he became a tyrannical ruler known as The Maestro, a version of the character introduced back in Peter David's Future Imperfect storyline. Now fans will get to see the origins of the Maestro courtesy of David, artists German Peralta and Dale Keown, and colorist Jesus Aburtov, and we've got your exclusive first look at the anticipated storyline right here. The series kicks off in Maestro #1, and you can check out the issue below.

As you can see in the preview, fans will see the world that the Hulk initially wakes up to, which is a battered shell of its former self. Not only that, but it seems he woke up to an older M.O.D.O.K. and a bunch of A.I.M. goons pointing guns at him, which is never how you want to wake up from a deep sleep.

While the world is decimated, Peralta and Aburtov are bringing it to life in an absolutely gorgeous way, and we can't wait to see what else they have in store for the full issue.

"For the long-anticipated origin story of the Maestro, we knew we'd need an artist who could handle both the larger-than-life visuals of the Hulk and also the world-building that depicting this post-apocalyptic journey would require," Senior Editor Wil Moss said. "As you can see from these preview pages, Germán Peralta is that artist and then some! While the legendary Dale Keown will be drawing select sequences in each issue (including the backstory of how Rick Jones assembled his infamous "trophy room" from the original FUTURE IMPERFECT story!), Germán and colorist Jesus Aburtov are the main art team on this miniseries, bringing to life every crazy idea Peter David can throw at them -- like "Old Man M.O.D.O.K." here, for example! And that's just the tip of the gamma-irradiated iceberg!"

"I had no idea that when I first created the Maestro for FUTURE IMPERFECT, that he would have the kind of popularity and staying power he has now," David said. "Until now, I've only been able to allude to his origins, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to explore them in this series, and I can't wait for fans to see all the artwork that's been coming in!"

You can check out the full preview in the images above and below, and you can find the full solicitation details for Maestro #1 below as well.

MAESTRO #1 (OF 5)

PETER DAVID (W) • GERMÁN PERALTA & DALE KEOWN (A) • Cover by DALE KEOWN

VARIANT COVER BY JOE BENNETT

VARIANT COVER BY GEORGE PEREZ

VARIANT COVER BY ED MCGUINNESS

VARIANT COVER BY RON LIM

VARIANT COVER BY RON GARNEY

GAME VARIANT COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

THE STORY YOU'VE WAITED DECADES FOR: THE ORIGIN OF MAESTRO!

Almost 30 years after the landmark story Future Imperfect, legendary INCREDIBLE HULK scribe Peter David returns to the far-future version of the Hulk known as Maestro — the master of what remains of the world. With astounding art from HULK veteran Dale Keown and up-and-comer Germán Peralta, Maestro will answer questions that have haunted Hulk fans for years — and inspire some new ones. How did the world fall and the Maestro rise? What happened to the world's heroes in between? And where is the Hulk we know and love? Find out here!

40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Maestro #1 hits this August.

Are you excited for Maestro #1? Let us know in the comments and as always you can find me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things comics!