Kiel Phegley of Comic Book Resources has interviewed writers Greg Pak, Jeph Loeb, and Jeff Parker about their upcoming “Fall of the Hulks” storyline. Here’s an excerpt:
We’ve all been hearing about how the Intelligencia will kick off what will become the battle of “Fall of the Hulks,” but what does this first phase of the event hold for the titular behemoth – whoever he may be – as the story rolls on?
Jeph Loeb: What’s equally important about all of this is, as you guys know, at the heart of our story, both Red Hulk and Skaar are of questionable moral character and can in some ways also be seen as the villains of the piece. The challenge that was put before us was to have us care about them as well, and really the key of the summit was that ultimately, this was a story about Bruce Banner and what he has to face. Part of the reason why it was important in #600 for the Green Hulk to go away was so that we could really put Banner in a world where the alliances that he would have to form and the choices he’d have to make – particularly with Skaar – were going to be completely unpredictable. We got to see a Banner, in what Greg’s been doing in “Incredible Hulk,” that we’ve never really seen before. He’s extremely cunning and very dangerous and, in some ways, more dangerous than when he is the Hulk. It’s dangerous in a different kind of way.
Greg Pak: I’ve really had a ton of fun playing with this storyline and this direction with the character. It was a total blast being able to go to “Planet Hulk” with just the Hulk and have Banner be there on the periphery. Now we’re kind of doing the flip of that, and it’s just as fun for me to write. Hopefully it’ll be just as revelatory for the character in the end. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: “Fall of the Hulks” and “World War Hulks” together, I think, will be the biggest emotional story that has ever been told about Bruce Banner. It really will rock his world to its foundations in multiple ways. It’s big, big, big. It’s Hulk-sized!