Give readers a whole first issue and let the comic make its case. I can get behind that, Crusaders. Marvel is putting Hulk #1 directly into fans’ hands for Comics Giveaway Day on May 1, 2027, with writer Chris Condon and artist Alessandro Cappuccio launching a new ongoing series. This will be Marvel’s only Comics Giveaway Day title for 2027, and the giveaway is the complete debut issue with Cappuccio’s main cover, available at participating comic shops.
Condon and Cappuccio are coming back together after their best-selling Ultimate Wolverine run. Their Hulk arrives after Hulk War: Infernal Rage, the event bringing Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein’s Infernal Hulk saga to its conclusion. Taking over after that team means inheriting a Bruce Banner who has been put through absolute hell, and the next creative crew is already talking about the price of getting him out.
Banner still carries the curse he has spent his life trying to escape, but he is through running. The new series dangles something almost impossible in front of him: a permanent cure. Getting within reach of that freedom could also drag him closer to damnation, while another monster waits in the shadows. Marvel is promising mystery, monstrous action and a choice that changes everything as Banner searches for a way to bury the Hulk for good. How much of himself is he willing to surrender to get there? That is a nasty question to build a Hulk comic around.
The giveaway also comes with a separate paid collector component. Hulk #1 True Believers Blind Bags go on sale May 1, with the issue’s variant covers available exclusively through those bags. Marvel will offer 20-Bag Display Boxes containing 19 True Believers Blind Bags and one display-box-exclusive Patrick Gleason “Gamma Irradiated” glow-in-the-dark variant. Fans looking to read the new series can pick up the free main-cover edition; the blind bags and display boxes are additional purchases.
Editor-in-Chief Stephen Wacker explained the thinking behind handing out the entire launch issue: “Marvel’s Comic Giveaway Day offering should not only give people a reason to run to their comic shops, but also a reason to come back! That’s why we’re choosing it to launch HULK, giving away the entire first issue of his new ongoing series.” He added, “We believe strongly in what Chris and Alessandro are building here and while PKJ and Nic are definitely a hard act to follow, we want as many people as possible to get their huge green mitts on the Hulk’s next adventure!”
For Condon, the assignment reaches back to childhood, with Hulk editor Mark Paniccia joining him and Cappuccio for the new era. “Dreams do come true, it seems, even if it comes at the suffering of poor Bruce Banner,” Condon said. “I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the team chronicling the next era of the Jade Giant at Marvel, and to be reteamed with my pal Alessandro Cappuccio, as well as legendary Hulk editor Mark Paniccia, makes it all the more exciting.”
Condon continued: “I’ve loved the Hulk since I was a kid and that love has continued to this very day, so I hope people know that what we’re crafting is in tribute to everything from Lee & Kirby’s initial debut to Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, & company’s horrifyingly brilliant Infernal Hulk saga. We are taking things in an exciting new direction for our day and age, but don’t worry, HULK STILL SMASH.” The promise of a cure sounds tempting, but I would never bet on Bruce Banner getting a peaceful retirement.
Cappuccio is drawn to the man underneath all that strength. “There are characters you meet professionally, and others who, in some way, stay with you,” he shared. “The Hulk definitely belongs to the second category. Behind his immense strength lies a universe of fragility, conflicts, and contradictions that continues to fascinate me. He’s a character who seems to have an endless supply of stories to tell, and that’s exactly what makes him so special.”
“Having the opportunity to explore this universe means a great deal to me,” Cappuccio continued. He said working alongside Condon, with whom he shared the Ultimate Wolverine experience and now considers a friend as well as a colleague, makes the assignment even more special. “I can’t wait for readers to discover what we’re working on.”
Hulk #1 is written by Chris Condon, with art and the Comics Giveaway Day main cover by Alessandro Cappuccio. Retailers can order the giveaway edition using 75960621683300111, the True Believers Blind Bag using 75960621683300121, and the True Believers 20-Bag Display Box using 75960628479583411. All three offerings arrive May 1, 2027.
Marvel will reveal the exclusive blind-bag covers and more series details in the months ahead. Check the official Marvel announcement for updates and ask your local shop about participation. A complete first issue gives newcomers room to get into the story and longtime Hulk readers a proper taste of the new team. Now let’s see what kind of trouble they have waiting for Banner.
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