The following was originally posted on IGN.com:

Today, Marvel held a conference call to discuss the continuing events of the Planet Hulk storyline. Among those on the line were Hulk writer Greg Pak and Editor Mark Paniccia. It may be hard to believe, but the epic Planet Hulk is nearing its conclusion. Hulk #105 marks the finale of Planet Hulk. But the story won't end there as World War Hulk begins immediately after.

Issue #100, which ships November 1, marks the "very first ever Hulk #100," Pak was quick to point out. Hulk was originally a regular featured star in Tales to Astonish, with the series officially changing its title to The Incredible Hulk with issue #102.

To celebrate the centennial issue, Marvel is offering a 104-page spectacular, which includes four backup stories. The most significant of these is a tale told parallel to the events on Planet Hulk. Drawn by legendary Hulk artist Gary Frank, we will "finally see somebody [on Earth] discover what is going on with the Hulk." Pak declared that "this qualifies as a Civil War tie-in." And that's about as close as the Hulk will come to Civil War. Sorry folks, but Planet Hulk will still be raging when Civil War comes to a close.

As for Frank's work on the backup tale, Pak did not withhold his enthusiasm. "It's amazing. We've been looking at these pages and they're gorgeous... I think this backup story... the [readers] who are discussing if it was justified to blast the Hulk into space... these questions are going to be put to some of these decision-makers in an interesting way. There's some important moments from Hulk history that we're going to see depicted in an interesting way." The events in this story will pave the way for World War Hulk.

The other backups include reprintings of Hulk #152 (the trial of the Hulk) and Hulk #300 (where Dr. Strange first banishes the Hulk from Earth). Both tie in thematically with Planet Hulk. The final back-up is an origin tale. You know, in case you've been reading Planet Hulk the past year and have no clue how this dude got big and green.

Over the past few issues of the Hulk, we've seen the Green Behemoth "become a rebel and gradually begin not just to smash things, but [to] realize there's a reason to smash things," Pak explained. "He's on a planet where his rage and his strength has become a virtue. 'Allegiance' starts with issue 100. These different groups are starting to come together and we're going to see if [Hulk's] really going to become [savior] or the Worldbreaker."

Hulk #100 sees the return of Carlo Pagulayan, who pencilled the first Planet Hulk arc. "We're going to do some tag-team between Pagulayan and [Aaron] Lopresti," Pak said. "The art is through the roof and I think the story is going places that I think is going to be pretty surprising."

Details were sparse on the actual events of issue #100, but Pak made one bold claim: "I will humbly say [it's] mindblowing."

Rather than dish out the secrets of the final leg of the Planet Hulk storyline, Pak talked in-depth about his take on the monstrous hero. "There have been many different versions of the Hulk and many classic versions of the Hulk.... The Hulk that we're dealing with now, this savage but crafty Hulk, [this] Hulk has roots in the first six issues of the [original series]. We're able to work within a great tradition. As Bruce Banner and the Hulk go through different changes in life, he has different emotional issues he's grappling with and the Hulk is manifesting in different ways. That's cathartic and that's great... but what's the cost of that? There are different ways you can explore that.... The character allows for this kind of exploration and this was the right time to jump on this version of the character. It was time for the Hulk to be the Hulk... [and to] be confronted with real moral challenges."

"Banner has absolutely not been forgotten.," Pak assured. "We've seen him mentioned a number of times and see him appear in the flash in the backup story of Giant-Size. But on a day-to-day basis, he's not running around on Planet Hulk. We're building up to a pretty mind-blowing climax with the Banner/Hulk relationship." Pak added that there would be "some pretty good Banner stuff in issues 103 and 105. You may see something there. Keep your eyes open for those."

As for World War Hulk, Pak explained that there would be a separate miniseries for WWH, but that the main series would "tie in to [it in] a special way." Gary Frank will take over art chores on Incredible Hulk beginning with issue #106, with John Romita, Jr. handling the art for the World War Hulk miniseries.

Don't let the name fool you, World War Hulk doesn't mean Big Green is battling the heroes of the Marvel U. "Who knows if Hulk will be coming back to Earth," Pak teased. "The themes that run throughout Civil War and the themes that run throughout Hulk are similar in many ways. Pak described Hulk as the "misunderstood monster of the Marvel Universe." Heroes have differing views on how to deal with the Hulk. In this way, it is "similar to Civil War, [in] that you respect characters on both sides of the argument."

Look for Incredible Hulk #100 on November 1.

For the complete article along with images, click here.

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The following was originally posted on Comicon.com:

Today Marvel Comics hosted a press conference to discuss their incredible Hulk and his upcoming anniversary issue # 100. Greg Pak was on hand to talk about Planet Hulk and give some teasers about the series, two of the biggest being Gary Frank returning to the Hulk in a back-up story for issue # 100, will be the new regular artist on the series after Planet Hulk; and that a new limited series, World War Hulk, drawn by John Romita Jr that will tie into the monthly Hulk series, begins after Planet Hulk as well. Now, read the article or HULK SMASH!

Greg Pak, who was hanging out at the House of Ideas, began by giving us some details about what's been happening in the pages of Hulk to the jade giant, for those of you who haven't been following the Planet Hulk story. He started noting that the upcoming issue # 100, due in stores this November, would be the first time the Hulk ever had an issue # 100 since the original Hulk issues ran for six and then returned at # 102. Then he enthused, "The actual contents are mind blowing. I'm really excited about this one. The art is through the roof!"

There's no reason why the art shouldn't be through the roof though. Marvel Comics has tapped superstar artist Gary Frank to illustrate the back up story, a Civil War tie in which takes place on the planet earth. "One of the back up stories finally will show someone discovering the fact that the Hulk has been exiled."

A fact that most followers of this story already know, but in case you missed it, just before the Civil War began a group of heroes including Dr. Strange, Iron Man and Reed Richards, to name a trio of the Illuminati, decided to be judge and jury on The Hulk and send him off to a planet where he couldn't ever hurt anyone again. However, their little rocket ship went off course and instead of Hulk landing at their planned destination, he crash-landed on a dangerous planet where he isn't the biggest, baddest mother on the planet. He could be hurt, killed or, maybe, turned into the greatest hero the planet has ever know. But all that's playing out in the pages of Incredible Hulk.

Issue # 100 begins the third act in the Planet Hulk storyline, Allegiance. The first part, Exile, was issues # 92 - 95, drawn by Carlo Pagulayan. "There Hulk went from being a slave to a gladiator," Pak said. "The second act, Anarchy, ran through issues 96 - 99 (# 99 just came out yesterday), there Hulk becomes a rebel and gradually begins to not just smash things but find there's a reason to smash things. He begins to pull together a crew of rebels and forms an alliance, which is very unusual for the Hulk, but he's on a planet where rage and strength are virtues. Here people need him and he may be stepping up to the responsibility, but is he a hero or a monster? In the beginning of Allegiance, we see groups under the Hulk and find out if he will be, in the mythology of the planet, the savior or the world breaker."

Pak is also glad to be re-teamed with artist Carlo Pagulayan and glad to still have Aaron Lopresti on board for issues as well. "He was the artist who started the Planet Hulk arc with issue # 92," Pak said. "Aaron Lopresti penciled the second arc and now Carlo is back for the third, tag-teaming with Aaron. Aaron has been drawing these mind blowingly mighty Marvel slugfests. The pencils he's turning in for Allegiance are through the roof. Carlo's panels are amazing as well. He is the heir apparent to Michael Golden, who was one of my all-time favorite artists growing up. Carlo has some of that same funky dynamism. Aaron, too. I'm thrilled to be working with both these guys."

"The back up is drawn by Gary Frank - the legendary Gary Frank, who is still beloved for his Hulk run with Peter David," continued Pak. "He's probably best-known recently for his work on Supreme Power. So, Gary is drawing this back up story in our Civil War tie-in and it's just amazing. We've been looking at the inks and these pages are gorgeous. I think the back up story will also be answering the questions was it justice to send the Hulk into space and did the Hulk really deserve that - is he really a monster? These questions will be put to the decision makers in a pretty interesting way. Gary Frank is through the roof with the splash pages."

Marvel also prodded Pak to tell listeners what this story by himself and Frank is leading up to for the future of the Incredible Hulk. Pak revealed that there's an upcoming miniseries coming from he and John Romita, Jr. "World War Hulk succeeds Planet Hulk," Pak said. "This is the next big step for the Hulk and whatever will happen for the character begins here. Gary Frank will be working on the Incredible Hulk monthly series while the World War Hulk miniseries is going on. John Romita, Junior will be drawing World War Hulk. All the issues tie in together - you'll want to get them all, folks. I'm thrilled to work with Gary Frank on The Incredible Hulk and John Romita, Junior on World War Hulk."

Then the conference opened up for the question and answer session.

QUESTION: How tough is it to portray Hulk with the depth you're using here?

ANSWER: There have been many different versions of the Hulk. A lot of us grew up with the silent monster Hulk on TV, the "Hulk, Smash!" caveman talk Hulk, then Peter David went nuts with many different incarnations. But when you look at the original Hulk in those first six issues, it's like the savage but crafty Hulk we're dealing with now: mean, smart and angry. He has roots in the first six issues of Hulk. That Hulk was talking in full sentences. He was mean. He was smashing things right and left. Was he a hero or a monster? You never quite knew. So it's nice I can work within a great tradition that's not like we just decided to throw away the Hulk and do something different. This is a part of the Hulk.

It makes for a great character: the argument could be as Bruce and Hulk go through different periods, he has different emotional problems he's grappling with; so Hulk manifests in slightly different ways, but still the central issue is the price of anger.

One of the things I love about the Hulk is exploring him in many different ways. The character allows for this kind of exploration and this was the right time to jump on this kind of story or this version of the story. It was time for the Hulk to cut loose and it was time for him to just be the Hulk and smash things. It was also time to be confronted with real moral and emotional challenges. Suddenly he is in an environment where he has to cut loose, but maybe there's a reason.

This version of the Hulk is a version who is smart enough to know what he's doing, but he has to take responsibility for smashing things. I feel really lucky to come on board when these were the options to do with the character.

QUESTION: Out of all the new aliens is there one you've grown particularly fond of?

ANSWER: The Hulk has a posse. There are a few characters I just love. Korg is probably one of my favorite characters. He's a Stone Man. Back in the very first appearance of Thor, one of his first opponents were Stone Men from Saturn - these big rocky guys with Easter Island shaped heads. For Planet Hulk I was thinking of who should be on this planet with him and his buddies? This was a perfect character to play with. He's rooted in Marvel Mythology and it was a way to take his fight with Thor and look at it from a different way. What if we made him a good guy? I love Korg. He's a rock, and we all need rocks in our life. He kind of knows what life is about in a way - and I, for some reason, just really love writing him.

The artists will also run with the characters and give them great moments and faces and expressions. When Carlo and Aaron draw Korg, he has a gravity about him and depth and sadness in his eyes. Similarly when they draw Miek the six limbed bug character. In the first four issues, Carlo drew all these crazy facial expressions for Miek. As a result Miek got a lot of fun one-liners and tweaks.

So Miek and Korg, I've really had fun writing.

The character I'm most excited about right now is the Lieutenant Caiera, the Oldstrong the tall gray shadow warrior, who started out as the evil red king's bodyguard. As the story progresses her allegiances are shifting.

QUESTION: Percentage wise what are the chances of him making it back to earth to interact in the Civil War?

ANSWER: I think it's out there that the main action of the Civil War - if you just look at the schedule - it will be done before World War Hulk begins; but who knows if he will come back to earth for WW Hulk? He has a great reason to come back, seeing as he was exiled by those guys, but who knows.

MARVEL: Hulk won't have an impact on Civil War but Civil War will have an impact on what the world is like when and if Hulk returns.

PAK: One of the things exciting about issue 100 is the themes that run throughout the CW and Planet Hulk are tied together in a great way. I've been joking about the CW tie-in in Hulk 100, but the great thing about it is it's the perfect next step for carrying forward some of the themes of Planet Hulk. The tie in isn't a sales game, it actually works. It's a huge gift to work with that on a creative level. Every once in a while, you hear folks complain about working in a tie in, but for this particular case, it's the furthest thing from a burden, it's a great gift.

The story moves each other forward in great ways. The reverberations of the Civil War are certainly going to have an effect on WW Hulk.

QUESTION: When will we see Banner persona return? How will Planet Hulk affect it?

ANSWER: Yes. I can't say too much more. Banner isn't forgotten. We haven't seen much face time, and saw him in the flesh on Planet Hulk in the back up story in Giant Size # 1 issue that came out a few months ago. On a day to day basis, he isn't running around Planet Hulk, if he did, he wouldn't last that long.

We're building up all kinds of stuff with the Banner/Hulk relationship. This is all building up to a mind blowing climax.

I think we probably have some pretty good Banner stuff in #103 and #105. Keep your eyes open for those.

QUESTION: Were the three other back ups included for a particular reason?

ANSWER: Yes. One is the Origin of the Hulk. I think Tom Brevoort was the one who picked the back ups, and he did a great job of doing that. He is the big brain of Marvel. Issue # 300 is a Bill Mantlo written comic from 1984, and that is absolutely germane to all of this story. It's the one that preceded Dr. Strange exiling the Hulk the first time around. It was a story where Hulk was driven insane by Nightmare and tore up Manhattan. It's a 40 page smash fest where Hulk rips through Manhattan and all the major New York characters. It climaxed with Dr. Strange exiling Hulk to the Crossroads, which was like a Twilight Zone type place where Hulk was thrust into different universes to see if he could survive. We're kind of doing that and tackling the same questions in Planet Hulk.

Issue 300 is a big smash fest that may be a teaser for World War Hulk who knows? It also fits into the whole themes of exile and the is the Hulk a monster question.

Issue # 152 is the Trial of the Incredible Hulk. It's the same themes Marvel heroes passing judgment on the Hulk. Did they make the right decisions? What is it? Is he a monster or hero? It's the same themes in the Gary Frank illustrated back up story. These all fit together in a thematic way. It's nice for # 100 to have these stories in it, too. These are critical stories that really explore the misunderstood monster theme. It also provides very different angles on it. Different Marvel characters have different ideas of the Hulk and how he should be treated, based on their experiences with him.

This is similar to the Civil War, there are people you respect on both sides of the argument.

QUESTION: Will you be retro-numbering Hulk?

ANSWER: No plan right now. We know WW Hulk first issue would be Hulk 106 in May. At least that far out and beyond we know at least through 108 in the current numbering.

Pak closed by saying, "I also want to thank all the journalists who have written nice things and given us some props here. This is the funnest things I've ever done in comics and it's nice to have folks like yourself along for the ride."

Hulk # 100 is due in stores November 1st by Greg Pak, Carlo Pagulayan Gary Frank and variant gray and green covers.

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The following was originally posted on The Incredible Hulk Comic Boards by Maineventsmoothe:

In Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine Oct 2006 issues, Stan Lee was asked his opinion about Hulk vs Superman and this is what he wrote, "If I wrote the story, I guarantee the Hulk would win. The way I established the Hulk, the more he fought, the stronger he got. And Superman has a certain amount of strength and thats it. I assume at some point he'll get worn out, but never the Hulk."

The magazine is on stands now.

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The following was originally posted on Newsarama.com:

NRAMA: crazywwolf - Joe, before the end of Civil War is She-Hulk gonna find out what Tony and Reed did to Bruce and if she does will she turn against them and the Registration act and hand Tony the Butt-whooping he deserves?

JQ: No--but she might become aware of it in the Planet Without a Hulk storyline that begins in She-Hulk #15 in January.

NRAMA: rama7 - Is there any chance seeing Dale Keown penciling the Hulk anytime soon? Hulk fans dig Keown and consider him one of the top artists to ever draw the Hulk.

JQ: My understanding is that Dale is currently working on other projects so we have nothing planned with him currently. And I agree, Dale is one of the best ever on the Hulk.

For the complete article, click here.

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The following was originally posted on Marvel.com:

Civil War is going to get a taste of the incredible in the pages of Incredible Hulk #100 as the seeds are planted for next year’s epic World War Hulk. The milestone centennial issue of Incredible Hulk will feature a back-up story penned by Greg Pak with pencils by Gary Frank bringing to readers a very important Civil War story that examines whether the Illuminati was justified in banishing the Hulk into space. Plus, learn more about the Thor clone that debuted in Civil War #3 and killed Goliath in Civil War #4.

Not only will this Hulk-sized issue contain an important Civil War back-up story and reprints of the Incredible Hulk #3, #143, and #152, but this issue continues the instant-classic Planet Hulk story as the next chapter, “Planet Hulk: Allegiance,” begins.

Like the “Road to Civil War” issues, which sold out quickly and had multiple reprintings, Incredible Hulk #100 is sure to be a red-hot issue as the road to next year’s big event, World War Hulk, begins here!

Will the Hulk save Sakaar from the planet’s greatest enemies or will he fulfill the prophecy of the Sakkarson and be revealed as the Worldbreaker? It’s an all-out smash-fest as the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong lead their warriors against the horrifying Spikes. And amidst the battle, Miek undergoes a shocking development.

There are 100 reasons not to miss Incredible Hulk #100: Civil War, Planet Hulk, Greg Pak, the return of Carlo Pagulayan, Gary Frank penciling Hulk again, classic Hulk stories, and the list goes on.

INCREDIBLE HULK #100 (SEP062113)
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by CARLO PAGULAYAN & GARY FRANK
Cover by LADRÖNN
104 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99
FOC – 10/12, On-Sale – 11/1/2006

INCREDIBLE HULK #100 TURNER VARIANT (SEP062114)
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by CARLO PAGULAYAN & GARY FRANK
Variant cover by MIKE TURNER
104 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99
FOC – 10/12, On-Sale – 11/1/2006

INCREDIBLE HULK #100 TURNER GRAY VARIANT (JUL068127)
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by CARLO PAGULAYAN & GARY FRANK
Variant cover by MIKE TURNER
104 PGS./Rated A ...$3.99
FOC – 10/12, On-Sale – 11/1/2006

INCREDIBLE HULK BY TURNER POSTER (SEP062189)
Art by MICHAEL TURNER
24X36 Color Poster ...$3.99
FOC – 10/12, On-Sale – 11/1/2006

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The following was originally posted on ComicsContinuum.com:

FIRST LOOK: INCREDIBLE HULK #100

Incredible Hulk #100 will arrive in stores on Nov. 1 from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by Greg Park, with art by Carlo Pagulayan and Gary Frank, a cover by Ladronn and a variant cover by Michael Turner.

Here's how Marvel describes the book:

"Civil War is going to get a taste of the incredible as the seeds are planted for next year's epic World War Hulk. The milestone centennial issue of Incredible Hulk will feature a back-up story penned by Greg Pak with pencils by Gary Frank bringing to readers a very important Civil War story that examines whether the Illuminati was justified in banishing the Hulk into space. Plus, learn more about the Thor clone that debuted in Civil War #3 and killed Goliath in Civil War #4.

"Not only will this Hulk-sized issue contain an important Civil War back-up story and reprints of the Incredible Hulk #3, #143, and #152, but this issue continues the instant-classic Planet Hulk story as the next chapter, 'Planet Hulk: Allegiance,' begins.

"Will the Hulk save Sakaar from the planet's greatest enemies or will he fulfill the prophecy of the Sakkarson and be revealed as the Worldbreaker? It's an all-out smash-fest as the Hulk and Caiera the Oldstrong lead their warriors against the horrifying Spikes. And amidst the battle, Miek undergoes a shocking development."

Incredible Hulk #100 will be 104 pages and will cost $3.99.

For the complete 6 page preview, click here.

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The following was originally posted on Newsarama.com:

In a world of "been there, done that, seen it all before" - an attitude that is magnified a thousand-fold by comic fans, next month will see an actual first - the first Incredible Hulk #100 (check the numbering of the original volume). And, appropriately enough, it's a turning point in the current Planet Hulk storyline that marks the 2/3rds point, and starts the ball rolling to its inevitable conclusion.

Last week, Marvel invited a handful of members from the press to take part in a podcast recording with Hulk writer Greg Pak, and he laid things out.

"I was just able to read through it the other day, and it's in my humble opinion, mindblowing. The art is through the roof, and the story is going in places which, I think, will be pretty surprising - and we not only have the next chapter in the Planet Hulk storyline staring, but there's also a backup story which takes place on earth and finally is going to show someone discover what's been going on with the Hulk."

And yes, it takes place during Civil War, so technically, Incredible Hulk #100 is a Civil War tie in.

Back to Pak…

"'Planet Hulk: Exile' ran from issues #92 - #95, wherein the Hulk went from being a slave on this planet to being a gladiator - and then busted loose," Pak explained. "'Anarchy' is currently running, from #96-#99; and that's where the Hulk becomes a rebel and gradually begins to - not just smash things, but begins to realizes there's a reason to smash things on this planet. He pulls together a crew of rebels and forms an alliance - which is very unusual for the Hulk, but he's on a planet where his rage and strength have become virtues, and the people need him. Step by step, he may be stepping up to that responsibility. Of course, you never know with the Hulk - is he a hero or a monster?

'Allegiance' is the next arc, and that starts with #100, and this is where we start to see these groups come together, and we start to see whether the Hulk is going to be the hero on this planet, or if he's going to tear everything down. In the mythology of this planet, is he going to be the savior or the worldbreaker?"

Issue #100 also marks the return of artist Carlo Pagulayan to The Incredible Hulk who hasn't been seen round about these parts since the "Exile" arc. Pagulayan and current penciler Aaron Lopresti will tag-team on the art chores on the final arc, but speaking of art for #100, the issue will also contain a back-up story penciled by Gary Frank.

According to Marvel, the backup story will explore whether or not the Illuminati was justified in sending the Hulk into space. "Why the Hulk? Did he deserve that?" Pak asked rhetorically. "Is he really a monster? These questions are going to be put to some of these decision makers in a pretty interesting way. There are some great moments in the Hulk's history that we're going to see depicted in a very interesting way, and Gary is just through the roof with this."

Though the backup story (which will also offer some more information about the Thor clone from Civil War #3-#4) touches on Civil War-related events, Pak said that the seeds to next year's World War Hulk miniseries will also be planted in the issue.

"Planet Hulk ends with issue #105 of Incredible Hulk, and launches immediately into World War Hulk, wherein the next big step with whatever is going to happen with the Hulk is going to happen," Pak explained. "Gary will be drawing the Incredible Hulk issues while John Romita Jr. will draw the World War Hulk miniseries, which starts in May. The Incredible Hulk issues at the same time will tie in with the miniseries."

Moving on to the questions and answer portion of the podcast recording:

Is it difficult to portray the Hulk as more than just an unthinking brute?

Pak: "There've been many different versions of the Hulk, and many different "classic" versions of the Hulk. A lot of us grew up watching the silent, 'monstrous' Hulk on the television show; we're all familiar with the Hulk Smash! Kind of caveman-talk Hulk, and of course, Peter David went nuts with many different incarnations of the Hulk.

"When you look at the original Hulk, in those first six issues, the Hulk that we're dealing with now, this savage, but savvy Hulk - he's mean, he's smart, and he's angry - that Hulk has his roots in the first six issues of The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk in those issues was talking in full sentences, he was mean, and he was smashing things right and left. You never quite knew if he was a hero or if he was a monster. The nice thing is we're able to work within a great tradition - it's not like we decided we were going to throw away everything the Hulk has been and do something different. This is part of the Hulk.

"It makes for a great character - the argument could be that as Bruce Banner and the Hulk go through different periods in their shared life, there are different emotional problems that they're grappling with, and as a result, the Hulk is manifesting in slightly different ways. But the same central question remains the same, which is: the price of anger. The Hulk cuts loose and goes nuts - that's cathartic and great, and sometimes that's exactly what we all want to see happen, but what's the cost of that? There are different ways you can explore that, and one of the things I love about the Hulk is that there is this tradition of exploring this character in many different ways.

"The answer is that the character allows for this kind of exploration, and this was the right time to jump on this version of the character. It was time for the Hulk to cut loose. It was time for the Hulk to be the Hulk and smash things. And it was also time for the Hulk to be confronted with real moral and emotional challenges. He's in an environment where he can cut loose, and he wants to cut loose, but maybe there's a reason for him to do it. This version of the Hulk is a version that's smart enough, and one that knows exactly what he's doing when he does it, and he has to take responsibility for that. He's not just a mindless Hulk who's smashing things with no character development. This is a Hulk who's actually developing, and it was the right time for that. I feel really lucky that I was able to come on board when these were options that we could do this kind of thing with the character."

Are there any alien characters from Planet Hulk that you've grown fond of?

Pak: "Oh yeah - the Hulk has a posse. There are a few characters that I just love - Korg is probably one of my favorites - a stone man. Back in one of the very first appearances of Thor, his opponents were the Stone Men from Saturn, who were these big, rocky guys with these Easter Island shaped heads, and they were villains. On Planet Hulk, I was thinking who should be on this planet with him, and Korg was a perfect character to play with. He's rooted in Marvel mythology, and it was a fun way that we could take his story - his fight with Thor - and look at it in a different way. What if Korg was a good guy?

"I also love Korg because he is a rock - and we all need "rocks" in our lives. He knows what life is about in a way, and for some reason I just love writing him. Another reason I've fallen in love with him is due to how Carlo and Aaron draw him. They both give him this gravity about him - there's this depth and sadness in his eyes that really works.

"Similarly, when they're drawing Miek - in those first four issues, Carlo was drawing all these crazy facial expressions for Miek, and they were all really fun. As a result, Meek got all these one-liners. The scenes would be capped off by these lines from Miek, just because Carlos would draw him in this funny way in the corner.

"Those are the two I've had fun with, although the character that I'm most excited about right now is the lieutenant, the Oldstrong. She began as the Red King's personal bodyguard, and as the story progresses, her allegiances are shifting in pretty surprising ways, and she's going to be a huge player as the story progresses."

When will see a return of Bruce Banner, and will he be affected by the events of Planet Hulk?

Pak: "Yes. I can't say too much more, but Banner has not been forgotten. We haven't seen that much face time with Banner - we've seen him mentioned a number of times, and we got to see him appear in the flesh in Giant-Size Hulk's backup story, but on a day to day basis, Banner's not running around Planet Hulk. If he did, clearly, he would not last long.

"But as for the Banner-Hulk relationship, we're building up all kinds of things with that - we haven't forgotten it by any means, and all of this is building up to a pretty mind-blowing climax with the Banner-Hulk relationship. Some pretty good Banner stuff is coming up in issues #103 and #105 - you may want to keep your eyes open for that."

Are the backup stories in Hulk #100 [ Incredible Hulk #3, #152 and #300] relevant to the Planet Hulk storyline?

Pak: "Yes. I think Tom Breevort was the person who picked the backups, and did a great job with that. Issue #300 is a Bill Mantlo written comic from 1984 and that is absolutely germane to all of this. That's the story that preceded Dr. Strange exiling the Hulk the first time around. Back during that story - the Hulk was driven insane by Nightmare, and tore up Manhattan and all the major characters in the Marvel Universe as well. It's just nuts. It climaxed with Dr. Strange exiling Hulk to the Crossroads, which was this amazing 13 issue arc that Bill Mantlo wrote, which in many ways is a precedent to what we're doing. I think of it like The Twilight Zone for the Hulk, where he was thrust into different universes, and they were almost like fables that explored how the Hulk would live in certain places and under certain conditions.

"We're taking some of those same themes, and are doing it on a single world, but tackling some of those same questions, albeit in a different genre. So - issue #300, which is a giant smash-fest may be a little bit of a teaser for World War Hulk…but it also fits into the whole theme of exile and is the Hulk a hero or monster?

The other issue is #152, and I believe that's the trial of the Incredible Hulk. And there, again, it's some of the same kinds of themes - Marvel Heroes passing judgment on the Hulk. Did they make the right decision? Does anybody really understand the Hulk? And who is the Hulk, a hero or a monster? Those are some of the same themes that will be explored in the back up story in #100 that Gray Frank illustrated.

"So they all pull together in a nice, thematic way."

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The following was originally posted on Newsarama.com:

They have chased the Hulk all over the world. They refused to let him live in peace. They have tried to destroy him at every turn.

The puny humans.

Now those he once called friends have betrayed him, sending him out to the farthest reaches of space in an attempt to exile him.

Mr. Fantastic. Iron Man. Black Bolt. Dr. Strange. And the rest of the puny humans.

Hulk is stronger than them. Hulk is stronger than everyone.

And he's going to get his revenge. He's never going to stop making them pay.

There will be a war. World War Hulk.

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The following was originally posted on Newsarama.com:

Q: "President Kang" - Why is World War Hulk its own mini? Why isn't the story contained in Incredible Hulk? Why do we have to buy 2 books? (I'm not talking as a gotta-catch-'em-all crossover collector; I'm talking as a Hulk fan who wants to see the continuation of the Planet Hulk storyline.) Why are you mean to us like that? Why don't you love us?

JQ: President Kang, I’ve never liked your haircut, it’s always grated on me and it’s truly influenced how I feel about you. I’m sorry, yes, I am that shallow. But here, come close, let me tell you a little secret, sssshhhhh, you don’t have to buy both books, just by World War Hulk and you’ll be fine.

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The following was originally posted on ComicBookResources.com:

INCREDIBLE HULK #102
Written by GREG PAK
Penciled by AARON LOPRESTI
Cover by LADRÖNN
Planet Hulk: Allegiance, Part 3
Armies clash and titans smash as the Green Scar and the Red King throw down over Crown City! It's the fight we've all been waiting for - after ten epic issues in the "Planet Hulk" saga, the Hulk and the Emperor finally meet again. But will this savage showdown between the Hulk's rage and the Emperor's ruthlessness lead to the liberation - or total destruction -- of the Hulk, his crew, and the people and planet of Sakaar?
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

SHE-HULK #15
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by RICK BURCHETT
Cover by GREG HORN
PLANET WITHOUT A HULK: Part 1 of 4
Now that the ILLUMINATI have shot the HULK into space... Who's going to fight all of his bad guys? Enter SHE-HULK: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Spinning out of events from CIVIL WAR and PLANET HULK, the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is shipping She-Hulk off to Hulk-related hotspots around the globe-- where she'll be taking on villains from A-Z! Or, in this case, from the Abomination to Zzzax! That's right, gamma-fans, it's the Emerald Amazon in her most ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURE EVER! AND IT ALL STARTS HERE!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

ONSLAUGHT REBORN #3 (of 5)
Written by JEPH LOEB
Pencils and Cover by ROB LIEFELD
50/50 Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
It's Thor versus Hulk for the throw-down of the millennium! But how can this be!?! How can Hulk and Thor be face-to-face!?! What sort of inter-dimensional havoc has the return of Onslaught wreaked? And why don't Reed Richards and Sue Storm know their own son? The mysteries deepen as the action never lets up!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM CRISIS (FEATURING WOLVER-HAM) #1
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Penciled by MIKE WIERINGO, MIKE ALLRED, JOHN SEVERIN, NICK DRAGOTTA, ARIEL OLIVETTI and JIM MAHFOOD
Cover by MIKE WIERINGO
You asked for it, you got it! Quite possibly the most important comic ever! A life-changing event that will change the way you look at yourself and the world around you! Spinning out of the page of CIVIL WAR -- and every other top-selling comic crossover event you can think of - it's ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM FRISIS (FEATURING WOLVER-HAM)!!! He's little, he's pink, he knows how to bring home the bacon. He's Spider-Ham - and he's about to embark a kaleidoscopic, time-spanning, universe-shifting journey that will prove just how big a pig he really is. Guest-starring: Iron Ham, Deviled Ham, Fantastic Ham, Green Ham, Ant-Ham, Ultimate Captain Ham, Hambit, Hamneto, and everyone's favorite Sorcerer Supreme -- whathisface? You know, the guy with the blue tights and red cape…Mustache…Man-servant named Wong? -- anyway, you know who I'm talking about. He's in it, too. And Wolver-Ham - did I mention him?
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

DEFENDERS: INDEFENSIBLE TPB
Written by KEITH GIFFEN & J.M. DEMATTEIS
Penciled by KEVIN MAGUIRE
Cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
Wong possessed by Nightmare! Dormammu and Umar in unholy alliance! The Hulk and the Sub-Mariner at each other's throats! The Silver Surfer...uh...surfing. Can Doctor Strange reunite the Defenders and save "Reality As We Know It?" Only the Ancient One knows for sure! Collecting DEFENDERS #1-5.
120 PGS./Rated T+ ...$13.99
ISBN: 0-7851-1762-8

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