Marvel Entertainment is resurrecting a piece of Hulk history this summer, and going back to the source to do so, with veteran Incredible Hulk writer Peter David returning to the character to bring back a villain he created almost three decades ago for the new comic book series Maestro.
The Maestro — a corrupt future version of the Hulk from an alternate reality — debuted in 1992’s The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect series by David and artist George Perez before returning on a number of occasions, most recently the Contest of Champions comic book series, where he was one of a number of alternate versions of Marvel characters forced to fight for supremacy against each other. (He did quite well, all things considered.)
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The new series, to be illustrated by David’s former Incredible Hulk collaborator Dale Keown and Germán Peralta, will delve into the history of the Maestro character as he became the despot in command of a world ravaged by a nuclear war that had killed the majority of Marvel’s superheroic lineup.
“I had no idea that when I first created the Maestro for Future Imperfect, that he would have the kind of popularity and staying power he has now,” David said Thursday in a statement supporting the announcement. “Until now, I’ve only been able to allude to his origins, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to explore them in this series, and I can’t wait for fans to see all the artwork that’s been coming in!”
The series will launch as Marvel wraps up its exploration of a different alternate future for its superheroes, as originally glimpsed in Mark Millar and Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan — in which, again, superheroes have been mostly wiped out and the world has become a post-apocalyptic wasteland. No matter the cause, it appears that Marvel’s future is likely to be grimy and unfortunate for heroes.
Maestro is set to bow in August.
