With the conclusion of Greg Pak's Incredible Hulks just a month away and the introduction of Jason Aaron and Mark Silvestri's new Incredible Hulk (singular) ongoing just around the corner, you'd think that Marvel had forgotten about its ruby hued engine of destruction, the Red Hulk.
Introduced in 2008, the Red Hulk was a devious villain operating with a secret goal in mind. Appearing with a S.H.I.E.L.D. issue blaster in hand, his first appearance spelled the death of the Abomination. This Hulk was far more dangerous than the jade giant. While many readers struggled to guess the character's human identity, personally I was tipped off the first time he used the phrase 'milksop,' a term that I have only seen General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross use. The eventual backstory told the tale of a frustrated soldier overcome by a lifetime of failure looking for a way to make things right. Manipulated by the Leader, one of the Hulk's oldest foes, Ross underwent an intense exposure to gamma rays that transformed him into a red-skinned powerhouse. Teaming up with the Leader's Intelligencia, the Red Hulk was part of a massive plot to spread havoc using gamma-irradiated soldiers and take control of America in the confusion.
Ross saw the error of his ways just in time to team up with Banner and put an end to the Intelligencia's World War of Hulks. In the aftermath, he became Banner's lackey, sent on operations to stop several doomsday operations set in motion by the Leader and MODOK called the Scorched Earth Protocols. Banner knows that Ross cannot risk showing his real face to a world that thinks him dead without losing what pride he still has in his military career. Commander Steve Rogers, working with Banner, has taken the Red Hulk in, on a limited basis, always keeping his eye closely on Ross, waiting for him to make the first rebellious move. With only Life Model Decoys for company, Ross has struggled to maintain his sanity and composure, but this September he finally goes off the rails and it's destruction on a grand scale.
Jeff Parker spoke to CBR recently about the ideas behind the Hulk of Arabia story.
CBR News: Jeff, the action in "Hulk of Arabia" begins with the death of one of Ross' old friends. Can you tell us a little bit about who this friend was and what he meant to Ross?
Jeff Parker: Ross' friend was Will Krugauer, a Major who seemed to be career military, and then left for the private sector. Which didn't sit well with Ross, who frowns on the kind of mercenary work Will did after they parted ways. It's this job that led to him being killed in the country of Qatar.
CBR: When Ross learns of his friend's death he sets out on a mission of revenge. How much does he know about things going in though? Is the "Hulk of Arabia" arc more an espionage thriller where Ross has to find out who killed his friend and why? Or is this a straight up revenge story where Ross knows his targets and sets out to take them down?
JP: It's both of those kinds of stories. Like a Hulk, he gets upset and goes charging into a war zone. But things are never that simple in global disputes. And frankly, he's having a hard time figuring where he should place blame, he just wants so badly to smash something.
CBR: The Middle East is a complex, politically-charged area of the world that's been the scene of much conflict and strife in recent years. What's it like writing Ross in that environment? We imagine as a solider, and an opinionated one at that, Ross might have an interesting perspective on the area.
JP: The area appears to be more in flux than ever. Currently, many are hoping for a domino effect of government changes across the region-the Arab Spring as it's called. But even though he has more power than ever, Ross isn't interested in affecting change. Really, we get a sense that was never something he was big into, he was more about direct threats to the U.S. I don't clean up the way he would likely regard the Middle East, and we do meet some counter point-heroes like Arabian Knight.
CBR: Earlier you mentioned Qatar. Will Ross be traveling to real Middle East nations in "Hulk of Arabia," or are we going to see some fictional Marvel Universe locales as well?
JP: The initial fighting is in Qatar, [which is] real of course. And the disputed region he goes to is at the border of Libya and Egypt. That's where we discover a place being carved out that is completely fictional, but really amazing to see!
CBR: Ross has been working as an agent for the U.S. government in the pages of "Hulk," but for this arc he goes rogue and charges into the Middle East without authorization. Ross' government handler, Steve Rogers, dispatches the Secret Avengers to bring him back and keep him from creating an international incident. What's it like writing the dynamic between the Hulk and the Secret Avengers? Do they believe Ross must be stopped, or are any of them sympathetic to what he's trying to do?
JP: It's important to remember a couple of the SA joined She-Hulk to fight Red before: Black Widow and Valkyrie. So that comes up right away! War Machine of course will unleash all the armament he has to to follow Steve's mission, but also a surprise Marvel character gets drafted into this operation.
Attendees of the 2011 San Diego International Comic Con got a free ashcan preview, something that Hulk fans unable to make it to the comic book mecca are desperate to get their hands on. Well, your humble narrator managed to find a copy and it is a doozy.
Color preview
The ashcan is of course in B&W which really shows off Zircher's phenomenal artwork. Like many fans of the Jeff Parker era of the Red Hulk series, I have become attached to the fantastic art by Gabriel Hardman and while I was sad to see him off the title, the Hulk is in good hands with Zircher. The explosions and fisticuffs are still just as big, the monstrous close-ups just as horrific and the action is non-stop.
Under Parker's pen, the Red Hulk series has been a nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. The Hulk is on the run from the military, unable to show his face in public and under attack from strange enemies. I do appreciate what Greg Pak is up to in his final storyline over in Incredible Hulks, but the only thing missing from the Red Hulk comic that would make it the ideal Hulk book is a change in color.
A new addition to the growing gallery of villains for the Red Hulk is General Fortean, an old friend of Ross' who blames the Red Hulk for General Ross' death. It's complicated but essentially Parker has recreated the old Ross hunting the Hulk using high tech weaponry angle with a new twist. Fortean has no idea that Ross is actually the Red Hulk and Ross of course cannot tell his old friend that he is mistaken. The result is a fire fight that grows more intense with each issue as Fortean tries more ingenious and deadly means to destroy the creature that murdered his friend and mentor.
The Hulk of Arabia story will introduce a new villain, the deadly Sultan Magus, who has discovered a strange new source of power that is tilting the scales in his favor in Qatar. This leads to the death of an old friend of General Ross, Krugauer who had left the military to become a mercenary for hire. Wanting to avenge the death of his old friend, Ross takes off for the Middle East just as Fortean is headed there as well. Facing the locals in a firefight, the situation gets even worse when Rogers' elite team of Secret Avengers arrives to take Ross to heel.
If you are looking for a good jumping on point, the forthcoming Hulk of Arabia story may be just the thing for you.
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