I understand that the members of the Illuminati are very powerful, can cause a large amount of damage, and hurt you - a lot.

But (at least in the Ultimates line), if Hulk is your enemy, HE WILL EAT YOU!!

You can't go to rehab if you have been eaten - it just doesn't happen - it's game over time!!

Peter David's run is generally the best, IMO. Check out the Hulk: Ground Zero TPB for examples. Ghosts of the Past is another great arc, and it is in TPB form as well. Future Imperfect is likewise awesome. But for pure, unrelenting Savage Hulk goodness, check out the Byrne run wherein Hulk and Banner are separated. It takes nearly 30 Avengers to take him down!

I will side with whoever is against Joe Q. This story sounds more interesting than Civil War, but I am sure he will allow some writers' too much lattitude and thus ruin the whole thing.


This was when Byrne was close to the top of his game. Find it if you can.

I'm without a doubt for the hulk. The illuminati have to be taken off their high horses and who better to set them straight then the astronaut they sent into space. Hulk is bringing a team of gladiators back with him so it will be a team effort. Hulk is going to have his revenge. Beware of the hulk. He carries a very large foot and a bigger temper!!!

This is one I can explain. Most people who dislike Hulk just haven't read enough to understand the concept around the character. They might've picked up a few stray numbers and decided there was no point to it, it's just another strong guy with ripped pants. The appreciation for Hulk comes from watching the interaction of such a simple, innocent mind with the evils of the universe that he can never comprehend. In the past few years, Bruce Jones came aboard and made him mean for no reason, so I haven't been following the current numbering.

Saturnflight, in a nutshell, Hulk wanders the world looking for a place where he might find peace, but it never lasts. Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum was a place where Hulk could rest, be fed, and feel that he had friends. They didn't send him to fix things, they brought him along because he had good instincts, and he was a problem-solver if you pointed him in the right direction. Pity played a role in taking in the misunderstood Hulk, and Strange knew that Hulk wasn't just the raging behemoth the rest of the world thought he was. Dr. Strange feels more responsibility towards the Hulk than anyone, although I doubt the writing team will have any inkling of that.

Well, the story of the crossroads told us that Hulk is unhappy unless he's home, but yeah, Strange has ample power to just open a door and dump him someplace. Rocket ship? In all the time I've read Hulk, few spacecraft actually survive a trip with Hulk aboard. I can't think of one that actually took him where he was supposed to go!

Totally on the Hulk side. teach those pinkies whats what.........
HULK SMASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to Iron Man, he beat Captain France in the Pathetic War. Now watch as Hulk Smash puny Initiative.

Though if I have to pick a side for the year, I'm on Black Bolt and the Inhuman's side.

Is Hulk coming back by himself or is his posse coming with him?

I thought it was great that the Brood were brought into Planet Hulk.

I'm a huge Inhumans fan along with Hulk but Blackbolt shouldn't have sided with the Illuminati IMO.

I guess these would be spoilers but no, he's not coming back by himself. At least one of his current "posse" has been confirmed and he may even have some aliens following him that aren't currently part of his posse.

Blackbolt seems to disagree with the Illuminati on several things yet he goes along with them.

Boy oh boy do I ever hope this happens! MIEK CLIX! YAYYY!!!

I don't think there's much question on which side a lot of readers are going to be on.....

For me especially, it's going to be the Hulk. I hope he tears the Marvel Universe in half. And I hope all these pro-reg guys get trounced within an inch of their lives, and then Captain America shows up and goes, "Well, I'd love to help, but I'm not registered, see ya!"

Well, if you're looking for a good Hulk storyline and one that helps prep you for the upcoming "World War Hulk" why not just check out the Planet: Hulk storyarc that started last year? Most of the issues should be available (the ones that sold out went back to the printers a few times) so even though I don't know how much of it is TPB'd yet you should be able to track it down fairly easily. The story, frankly, renewed my interest in the Hulk (especially since at the beginning of the arc he's not very powerful and he is facing actual threats) and while I admit other genres have told the story of "a gladiator who fought his way to freedom and rallied an army around him", well, this has a slightly different spin to it (and I'm not just talking the sci-fi setting and the Hulk)...for one thing, normally the guys in those movies were a bit more altruistic than the Hulk. Besides if you don't like the Hulk, his "supporting cast" is great (including a member of the Brood) and we even get to learn what happened to the "Stone Men from Saturn" after the "Journey Into Mystery" tale that brought Thor in as a Marvel hero.

I personally will be going for the Hulk as well. I'm tired of the Civil War storyline & look forward to some good old-fashion ### whipping.

I jumped back into Hulk during the Bruce Jones storyline. I like seeing Hulk w/ some brains and a purpose as he was trying to track down the shadowy presence messing w/ him.

I'm pretty torn about this issue. I agree that the Illuminati went too far with what they did to the Hulk even if it had turned out how they wanted it to. So that would put me on the side of the Hulk but the problem is I'm a Thing fan and I just can't feel right rooting for big green. Especially given that cover they've shown with him walking right over a beaten Thing and the rest of the heroes. Yeah yeah he's beaten him in every fight in the past ( minus FF # 320, my favorite fight ) but its never just been a walk in the park.

I think Greenie is in for a heck of a fight given who he'll be going up against. Iron Man has stood up to him in the past and made a decent showing. Black Bolt ( if he helps defend everyone else ) has actually stopped him cold. The Thing won't just watch Reed get beaten down and those two have had monumental fights every time they've fought. I don't recall Wonder Man ever actually fighting the Hulk but he's in the same power class and he's in Tony's hip pocket these days. Namor has also had some impressive fights against the Hulk but he's more likely to be with him than against him. Throw the Sentry in, if he actually does something except whine and be sullen, and its pretty much a no contest. Unless the Hulk has been seriously powered up or brings his whole army home with him I have trouble seeing him just rampage around the globe. He may never have been beaten soundly one on one ( minus Black Bolt and the up powered Thing ) a team up of those guys should be able to put him down. He gets stronger as he gets madder but if you hit him hard enough fast enough, he can be beaten. Just don't give him the time to get that mad. He doesn't go from 0 to unstoppable rage immediately.

As an aside I prefer the dumb Hulk to the smart one. I liked the Joe Fixit version a bit more because he had an interesting streak of meanness in him but the smart Hulk is just a bit too much in one package, and it does stop him from being as powerful as he could be. The child like Hulk could lose himself in a rage and become insanely powerful but the smart one has more limits, somewhat offset by his strategic ability. Pure power only goes so far unless its unlimited and that's what's played into him being challenged by those physically weaker than him but with sheer determination or better fighting skills.

I'm wondering how Hulk's buddies from Planet Hulk will stack up against the Marvel Heroes if they show up with him. The Brood have fought the X-men regularly but are more of a threat in numbers than individually and the rock guy admits to being soundly beaten by Thor in his past.

He has been. He's grown stronger on Sakaar, a planet where, initially, he WASN'T the strongest.

They've fought, and he can't really stand up to the Hulk too well.