I recently picked up the Blank Variant cover of the new Incredible Hulk #1 at Forbidden Planet in New York City. I'm a big fan of the writer Jason Aaron who is the writer/creator of one of my favorite Vertigo series Scalped. The art is done by Marc Silvestri while not always an artist that I look for, he always does more than above average work.

*Spoilers Ahead*

So What is Incredible Hulk #1 about, what's with the re-numbering? For those not familiar, the Incredible Hulk comic book became the Incredible Hercules after World War Hulk. Soon after that there was the Red Hulk which turned out to be General Ross. During the recent Fear Itself storyline, the Hulk was possessed by one of Fear's entity, Nul, Breaker of Worlds. He was able to break free from its grips and break the hammer releasing the Nul entity. In Fear Itself #7, there are a bunch of epilogues, two dealing with the Hulk. The first epilogue has the Hulk and Bruce Banner arguing in the Hulk's/Banner's mind til the Hulk says he wants to be alone. Hulk somehow rips out Bruce Banner from his mind! This has never happened before and we'll have to see how it develops. More on that later. In the other epilogue we see Nul loose on earth and the Hulk finding Dr. Strange asking for help. This will lead into the all new Defenders #1

So now that we're caught up, in Incredible Hulk #1 we find the Hulk now Bruce Banner-less, months later in a subterranean cave. He shows that he's among the baddest on the planet by taking on some incredible monsters. He brings one of them back to the moloids, who he has been living with since we last saw him in Fear Itself #7. They revered and accept the Hulk for who he is but he is still defensive. All the time telling the Chief of the moloids, people will still come for him.

Like a prophet from the Old Testament, people do come for him. Military Commander Amanda Von Doom (She immediately upon introductions says, no relations in reference to Dr. Doom) comes for the Hulk asking for his help. She wants him to take down of all people, Bruce Banner! It turns out since the Hulk and Bruce Banner's separation, the doctor has become somewhat of a mad scientist. With his own little private island and all he has been creating are monstrosities, augmentating animals in the hope of...? The book doesn't really explain, but it's of course tied with the obsession of the Incredible Hulk. What drives him to this and how did they get to this point are all questions to be answered. How they even split in the first place is also one that's been gnawing at my mind.

Overall, a good first issue, and well written and drawn as you would expect from Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri. I plan to continue reading more and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.