The following was originally posted on Newsarama.com:

This weekend at New York Comic Con, Marvel unveiled the tie-ins and projects that will connect to the upcoming World War Hulk event, and among them…a black…er, green? ops team named Gamma Corps.

Written by Frank Tieri, with art by Carlos Ferreira and covers by Stefane Roux, the four issue World War Hulk: Gamma Corps begins in July with issues #1 and #2 shipping in that month. We caught up with Tieri for a look inside.

Newsarama: Okay, Frank – the broad scope to start with: who and what are the Gamma Corps? Are they similar say, to the Hulk Busters that we’ve seen from time to time, or are they on the other side of the equation?

Frank Tieri: Well, they’re definitely not pro-Hulk if that’s what you mean by the other side of the equation. But to best answer who and what the Gamma Corps are we really have to go back to the beginning, to the man who started it all—and that’s General Ryker.

For those who don’t remember, Ryker was a Hulk adversary created for “Dogs of War” arc during the Paul Jenkins era of the book. He was a character who ruthlessly went after the Hulk for what we eventually learned were fairly sympathetic reasons—he wanted to cure his dying wife and saw the Hulk as the means to do that. I thought that was interesting and that there was a lot to play with there.

NRAMA: How so?

FT: Well, for one, using Ryker like this is funny because I always hear people say, “Where are all the new characters in the last twenty years or so?” Well, we do have new characters created in the last twenty years, especially villains — it’s just people don’t use them. Every time a new creator comes on a book, he wants to show how creative and revolutionary he is and create his own stuff or put some “cool, new” spin on a classic character - again, usually a villain - we’ve never seen before. No one seems to want to nurture those recent creations that desperately need to be nurtured in order to stand the test of time, so I guess that’s a bit of what I’m doing here. Call it “Frank Tieri’s Villain Reclamation Project,” if you will.

Lord knows I’ve killed enough in my time, so I figured it was time to give a little back, ya know?

So long story short, to answer your question the Corps were put together by Ryker to bring down the Hulk. And each of them has a pretty damned good reason for doing so.

NRAMA: Don’t hold back – why would someone join up with a team like this?

FT: Plain and simple—revenge. This series will deal with the collateral damage that would occur if something like the Hulk actually existed—and we deal with it more than anything else we’ve ever seen before. In real life, a drunk driver crashes his car and seven people are killed—so you mean to tell me nothing happens when a truck is thrown in a Hulk/Abomination fight? In this series we’ll show that the Hulk’s actions do have consequences—and grave ones in the case of many of these characters

And by the way, I wouldn’t think “team” as in super-team. These ain’t heroes, these are soldiers, so thinking unit is probably more accurate. People who are cutting the throats of terrorists and assassinating dictators and cutting off Bin Laden’s head and pissing in it—who also just so happen to have gamma induced powers. If you’re thinking Arnold’s group from Predator with gamma powers, you’re on the right track.

Fans will find that there are plenty of surprises to be had in this series—including the fact that two of these characters hold connections to supporting characters that have been very involved in the Hulk’s life. And that another one of them is actually a former Hulk villain.

Chew on that a while, kids.

NRAMA: Wait - so does this story then state that bystanders die in Hulk fights in the Marvel Universe? That’s always been a point of contention among fans and some creators…

FT: Let's put it this way-- the notion is explored.

NRAMA: Coming into this project, had you been following Planet Hulk as it went along?

FT: Though I haven’t been following Planet Hulk issue by issue, I know the general broad strokes about what’s been happening to the Hulk—the Illuminati shooting him off into space, his “Spartacus” turn on an alien planet and now his return for the huge dose of ass kicking that is World War Hulk.

And I like the notion of WWH. I don’t like my Hulk happy and smiley and hanging with the Avengers or Defenders or whatever. I like my Hulk to be very smashy—that very dangerous wild card that the other heroes should be very weary of. I guess I’m of the mind that the Hulk works best in the Marvel Universe as the ultimate outsider—and World War Hulk very much places him there.

NRAMA: As we've talked about before, you're the guy who loves to wallow in the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Universe. Does this fit that model, or is this a slightly shinier setting for you?

FT: Nah, I’m back wallowing in that seedy underbelly again—I guess that’s what I do best. The question is though is this: Exactly who’s underbelly are we looking at here? The big green monster that smashes stuff up, leaving destruction and misery in his wake—or the people who’ve banded together to stop him?

NRAMA: Whose underbelly indeed. So – tease it out - what gets the ball rolling here?

FT: Well, World War Hulk does, obviously. The Hulk’s back, making all kinds of threats and ultimatums and beating the living crap out of every hero on his hit list. Ryker, who’s been on the run from SHEILD the last time we saw him, sees this as an opportunity to make his move. In exchange for a pardon for what he did in Dogs of War, he and the Corps will take down the Hulk.

The way the whole series works is basically as this build up to this inevitable battle between the Hulk and the Corps. Through flashbacks, we learn a lot about them, their motivations, etc—as well as how Ryker first set the wheels in motion to create such a group and how and why he became so obsessed with the Hulk in the first place.

Throughout the series, we’ll be popping in and out of significant events in Hulk history and how they affected the lives of these characters—as well as how these characters affected the lives of the Hulk. While the series is accessible to anyone, I think that aspect of the series is really going to appeal to the longtime Hulk fan. Lots of Easter eggs to be had here, folks

NRAMA: You’re not making this all sound very…favorable for the Corps coming out of this in one piece, so - are the Corps something that will/can be seen again after this?

FT: Well, let’s see if they survive first. Then again, this is comics so if the fans want it, I’m sure we can figure out a way to bring them back regardless. Especially with all the resurrections we’ve seen lately-- I mean, it’s only a matter of time before they dig up Uncle Ben and prop him up, right? Bringing the Corps back is child’s play in comparison.

Wanna talk about this bit of news? Start a discussion over at the boards.