COMICS: First Artwork And Details For Mark Waid And Lenil Yu's INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK

It feels amazing. Honestly, it's a lot like my experience with "Fantastic Four" -- I never thought I'd want to write this book until it was offered and I began thinking about it. So many great writers, so many landmark moments -- it was intimidating, still is. But the more I began to think about the relationship between Bruce and Hulk, the more I began fantasizing about what it would be like to take the core concept a little more "back to center" like we did with Daredevil, the more intrigued I became. In 1962, Hulk was one of the most unique characters ever in comics because he viewed his powers as a curse, not a blessing. But that point of view is no longer unique -- heck, that's practically the emotional keynote of half the superhero books currently running. So Marvel gave their blessing to morph that attitude into something a little more heroic. Jason wraps things up, elegantly and brilliantly. (I'm forever jealous of the ideas he based his whole run around.) "Indestructible Hulk" #1 picks up a few weeks after the events of "Avengers vs. X-Men." No one's seen Banner or the Hulk for a while, and that makes the whole world very nervous.

In all honestly, I drew both the Ultimate Hulk and Ultimate Wolverine the exact same way I would've drawn my regular universe versions. The only change would be the pot belly as specified by Damon Lindelof in the script, a result of his change of lifestyle gorging himself with food in the company of pretty women. Remember Banner's line from the "Avengers" movie? His secret is that he's "always angry." Well, I was always drawing the regular Wolverine and Hulk in the Ultimate Universe. I was very relieved that I didn't have to draw the young Wolverine with a goatee. The only thing I have to watch for is his height and size. I realize he's only supposed to be at most 8 feet tall.

There's a very good reason we chose the word "Indestructible," it's actually a subtle story point. Without giving too much away, let's just say that it ties in with Banner's whole new attitude. Again, take the concept back to center. Hulk is about what happens to us when we lose control -- or when we try to exercise too much control. The stories we'll be telling treat the Hulk less like a time bomb and more like a targeted WMD -- and he'll be moving throughout the Marvel Universe, exploring (on Banner's behalf, for reasons you'll see in issue #1) certain corners of the universe -- Jotunheim, The Negative Zone, Lemuria. Hulk and Banner have a mission -- and it will take them far and wide.

Maria Hill and Bruce Banner are the main players in the series, and their Byzantine relationship is both funny and dark and they're a blast to write as a quasi-partnership. And Banner will be in a lab again and will have a band of assistants who all have two things in common: they're all brilliant in their fields, and they have nothing to lose should they suddenly find they're sharing close quarters with an angry jade behemoth. As with "Daredevil," I want to stay away from the usual suspects for a while and shop around outside the established franchise -- Frost Giants, Psycho-Man, Kang the Conqueror, Attuma. All those and more are on tap.

They asked me to hand in designs for the armor, which I thought was refreshing and could open up new story lines and possibilities. An armor to me implies an inherent vulnerability and that in itself is interesting, especially with the title "Indestructible" Hulk. I'm also a huge fan of Sci-Fi and video games so this is definitely right up my alley. I just love drawing technology.