Donny Cates Exits Marvel's Hulk, Artist Ryan Ottley Takes Over Writing Duties

Though his been on the title for about a year at this point, superstar writer Donny Cates has exited Marvel's Hulk comic series with artist Ryan Ottley taking over in his absence. As noticed by CBR, Ottley confirmed the news on Twitter earlier this week, revealing that despite Hulk #12 being solicited with Cates credited as the writer he would be pulling double duty for the title's "Hulk Planet" arc. When asked by a fan if Cates was still writing the series and perhaps taking a brief break, Ottley replied: "No, he moved on to other things. I'll be writing the rest of this arc. There's always a chance he comes back for later arcs but I just don't know. I miss his amazing scripts, fortunately he created such a solid foundation that the world is such a blast to continue creating in!"

To his credit, Cates confirmed the news as well himself, writing on Twitter: "Hey guys. I'm okay. Just needed to breathe and deal with a bunch of...life. Anyway, yeah no fear, I've been working with @CBCebulski @Wil_Moss and @Marvel in the background on something INSANE that will...well, you'll know it when you see it. Love you guys! See you soon! #Excelsior" One can only assume that if Cates is already teasing a project that has him working with the Editor-in-Chief of the company that it must be something big! 

Through his career at Marvel, Cates has worked on a number of notable Marvel characters including Doctor Strange and Thanos, leading to his extended work on Venom which made him a household name in comic circles. His time with Venom would ultimately lead to the major crossover event King in Black, after which Cates took on two of Marvel's other biggest heavy hitters, Thor and Hulk. It would appear that Cates is still penning the former of these two, his name still appears on the solicitations for the series, but considering he's got a tease for something "INSANE" he may well be getting his hands on another major Marvel hero.

You can find the full cover and solicitation for Hulk #12 below.

HULK #12

(W/A/CA) Ryan Ottley
TITAN IS COMING...
Bruce Banner has finally found paradise. Revered as a god and with no fear of hurting everyone around him, for the first time in a long, long time... things are looking pretty good for the Hulk. But as with everything else, Bruce Banner should have known that he can never know peace for long. And Titan, the darkest part of him, refuses to remain caged like an animal...
Rated T+
In Shops: Feb 15, 2023
SRP: $4.99