Marvel's Hulk Annual #1 will be told through found footage by a group of filmmakers trying to create a Cloverfield-style documentary.
Hulk Annual #1 comes from writer David Pepose (Savage Avengers) and artist Caio Majado (Edge of Spider-Verse). Releasing in May 2023, the over-sized issue follows a group of filmmakers who travel to the Hulk's hometown in an effort to uncover the story behind the character's origins. Marvel teased of the issue, "A documentary crew is on the hunt for a monster at the heart of a gamma radiation leak, but they get much more than they bargained for when they’re caught in the middle of a brawl between two unstoppable giants, as Hulk battles an unleashed Giganto!"
"When my editor Wil Moss first reached out to me about writing this HULK ANNUAL, it took me a beat to wrap my head around the enormity of it all," Pepose said. “The Hulk is such a massive character, just this larger-than-life figure who is equal parts man, monster, and unstoppable force of nature. And it's that feeling of unfathomable scale that we're looking to explore in 'The Viridian Project,' our found-footage story about a team of filmmakers shooting a documentary on the legacy of Bruce Banner... and the horrors they discover when they actually find him. It's been incredibly exciting to dive into the Hulk's adventures through this truly human lens, and I can't wait for readers to witness first-hand what it's like to ride out an encounter with The Strongest One There Is!"
Hulk Annual's Cloverfield-like Premise
Released in 2008, the Matt Reeves-directed Cloverfield utilizes a similar premise to Hulk Annual #1 as the film revolves around a group of characters documenting a massive creature's attack on New York City. Cloverfield went on to have two sequels, 2016's 10 Cloverfield Lane from Prey director Dan Trachtenberg and 2018's The Cloverfield Paradox from director Julius Onah, while a fourth Cloverfield installment is also in the works. The premise also bears similarities to 1999's The Blair Witch Project and 2013's Willow Creek, both of which also found footage films about documentarians trying to find a dangerous creature they're unprepared to deal with.
Hulk Annual #1 -- which also includes a preview for the Hulk's next era, which will be helmed by a new creative team and will launch this summer -- features cover art by Gary Frank. The issue releases May 17, 2023.
Source: Marvel