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World War Hulk starts in May. Here are some links to very recent articles on the event. One has a checklist of all the titles that will be part of the storyline:

http://www.newsarama.com/NYCC/2007/Marvel/WWH.html

http://www.comicbookresources.com/ne...em.cgi?id=9774

http://www.comicbookresources.com/ne...em.cgi?id=9769

From newsarama.com:

NYCC '07: PAUL JENKINS ON WORLD WAR HULK: FRONTLINE

As readers will learn in the upcoming Civil War: Front Line, reporters Ben Urich and Sally Floyd will have reason to continue to work together in the future, and as Marvel’s World War Hulk panel at New York Comic Con revealed, there’s a pretty big story for them to cover coming down the pike.

That story will be told in World War Hulk: Front Line, a six issue mini-series written by Paul Jenkins, with art on the Ben/Sally story by Ramon Bachs. As with the Civil War version, WWH Front Line will run alongside the main World War Hulk storyline, showing the Marvel Universe as it reacts to the events that occur after an angry Hulk returns to earth for a little payback. That said, it comes as no surprise that Ben and Sally’s story will center around the evacuation of Manhattan.

The series will run from June through September, with one issue shipping in June, two issues in both July and August, and the concluding issue in September. Both the first and last issues will be full stories featuring Ben and Sally; the secondary story – a Costumed Division murder mystery – will see Danny Grandville teaming with a new partner who's very familiar. Additionally, issues #2-#5 will feature two page stories illustrated by Chris (Sidekick) Moreno which will take a less than serious look at the unfolding drama.

We caught up with Jenkins for a quick chat about the upcoming miniseries.

Newsarama: Paul, essentially, this is the Front Line model that was used in Civil War applied to the World War Hulk event. Was this something that was pitched to you, or did you look at the horizon and figured that telling about the Hulk’s return from the man on the street’s perspective would be something worth doing again?

Paul Jenkins: I think it was half and half. When we started Front Line with Civil War, and it looked like it was popular, and Marvel was somewhat surprised by the sales, Joe Quesada said to me that we should think about doing Front Lines for all the events. The great thing about Front Line was that we got a chance to tell those “man on the street” stories and cover stuff that the main book can’t cover. Like Civil War, Greg’s going to be telling a massive story in World War Hulk, and there’s not gong to be room in there to tell stories like, “How does it feel to be evacuated and not know if you’ll ever return to your home, never mind trying to do it from a pretty small island with a couple of million other people.”

So we’re covering all of that, and the coordination for us is a little bit easier this time, because now we’ve done it, and we all understand how to tie thing back to the main book. Greg’s been a great help with that as well, and I’ve been able to give him input from my book, so there may be a little thing that I do that you’ll see in his story, but of course, mostly I use his book to cross into mine.

NRAMA: And breaking things down – again, you’re using the three-section format, correct?

PJ: Right. We’re not going to do the 32-page issues, but we are going to do the standard-sized Marvel books, which will be 22 pages. But they’ll still be in the anthology format, so a portion is given to Ben and Sally, a portion given to Costume Division…

NRAMA: Can you explain Costume Division a little?

PJ: It’s a blend of Alien Nation and Law & Order - a detective story where Danny Grandville, who’s dating Sally, has to go out and figure out these outlandish crimes, but that’s his job, to investigate all these weird crimes that involve costumes and aliens or other weird things. With that, I’m getting to get into an area that I’ve pitched as a bigger idea for a project at Marvel with Costume Division – detective fiction in the Marvel Universe. Tom Brevoort was really enamored by the idea, but rather than do it right now as its own thing, we’re just going to start doing it in here with Danny and Korg investigating a crime.

NRAMA: So it comes complete with the “Odd Couple” vibe as well…

PJ: Yeah. I think Danny’s feeling throughout the entire story is, “Why me?” He figures he drew the short straw, to have to work with the giant stone man.

And then, there are the final two pages of the four issues in the middle which I’m doing with Chris Moreno, which will basically make fun of the whole thing, so we get our chance to tell two pages of jokes each issue. One of them will follow an idea that I put out there that, with the Fifty States Initiative, no heroes are volunteering for duty in Rhode Island, so the Governor of Rhode Island holds open tryouts for superhero teams, and they decide to hire a musical team, which will now protect the state with song.

So we’ve got four funky little two page jokes.

NRAMA: Touching on the main throughline story with Ben and Sally . . . it's them covering the evacuation of Manhattan, then?

PJ: Right. It’ll be the same kind of format, and that will be part of the backdrop. We’re not going to be doing the same type of story exactly from Civil War, where Ben and Sally found that there is a traitor that played a large role in the Civil War. There’s not traitor in World War Hulk, although there is a mystery involved. Sally and Ben get a mystery benefactor, which purchases Front Line and The Alternative, where Sally used to work and gives them a directive, to nail Jonah Jameson to the wall, and show the world how corrupt his views are.

Of course, even though he’s been abused by Jonah for years, Ben feels that Jonah’s still a friend, so he has questions about doing it in the first place. So there’s a mystery as to who this is who wants to take Jonah down, and meanwhile, Ben and Sally and the other reporters start scooping The Daily Bugle and getting stories that the Bugle can’t get, because the Bugle isn’t quick to move or write the kind of stories that Ben and Sally are going after.

And then at the end, of course, all will be revealed.
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Also from newsarama:

NYCC '07: CHRIS GAGE ON WORLD WAR HULK: X-MEN

As Marvel discussed today at its World War Hulk panel, the upcoming storyline that features the Jade Giant’s return to earth won’t be as far-reaching and expansive as Civil War, but at the same time, there will be some specific story elements that will spill out into their own projects. Case in point, the three issue World War Hulk: X-Men mini-series debuting in June, written by Christos Gage, with art by Andrea DiVito and covers by Ed McGuiness.

The premise? Simple – Professor Xavier is on the Hulk’s payback list since being exiled into space for over a year. The Hulk’s just being systematic with his revenge here – nothing personal. Thing is, as usual when mutants are involved, it’s a slightly more complicated story. We spoke briefly with Gage about the upcoming mini.

Newsarama: What got you on to this tie-in in the first place?

Christos Gage: Andy Schmidt, the editor. We had worked together on the Union Jack mini-series, and based on my work there he was kind enough to give me a shot at a big event book with the Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War one-shot. Everyone seemed happy with that, it was well received and it sold well, so after Andy moved over to the X-office I guess he figured I'd proved myself enough to send me my draft notice for World War Hulk. When he called, all he had to say was World War Hulk: X-Men and I was in!

NRAMA: That said, had you been keeping up with what was going on in Planet Hulk? What was your overall take on that storyline, as well as the news of him coming back for WWH?

CG: I got in on Planet Hulk late, but when I heard the great buzz on the story I got caught up and I am loving it. Greg Pak has crafted an epic story with a fully realized, complex world, casting the Hulk as a reluctant, underdog gladiator turned rebel freedom fighter all while staying true to the character and using bits and pieces of Marvel history combined with his own original creations to excellent effect. It's a fantastic read. As for the Hulk coming back, that was inevitable from the start. Just as it was inevitable that much smashing would ensue.

NRAMA: More specifically to the story here - an X-Men tie-in. It seems rather a disparate group coming in to the storyline. Why does this make sense, and why would the X-Men be involved in the Hulk's activities in the first place? After all, the X-Men were Switzerland in Civil War - why would they be getting involved here?

CG: Well, the Hulk isn't the type to give you a choice over high tea the way Tony Stark did. If he says you're involved, guess what, you're involved! Basically, without spoiling too much, the Hulk finds out that the guys who sent him into space -- Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt and Dr. Strange -- had planned for Professor Xavier to be a part of the meeting where it was decided. Sure, Professor X didn't show up, but the Hulk has some pointed questions for him anyway. See, the Hulk is kind of like Santa Claus. Santa has his "naughty" and "nice" lists. Hulk has his "smash" and "really smash" lists, and he's trying to figure out which one to put the Professor on. So he shows up at the door of the Xavier Institute, and...well, let me put it this way. If you were writing a book called World War Hulk: X-Men, would you make it about the Hulk and X-Men having a tea party? Me neither.

NRAMA: That said, what was the overall goal of the story here – or is it just to show an old-fashioned X-Men vs. Hulk fight?

CG: There actually is more to it than the fun of seeing the Hulk fight the X-Men as drawn by Andrea DiVito, though that's pretty sweet by itself, in my opinion. One goal was to bring the various X-teams together. It's not going to be everyone -- Excalibur is in England, for instance, so they're probably out of the picture -- but you'll see the extended X-family operating as one to defend the dream that unites them. Another goal was to look at the fact that Professor X has had some of his past actions turn out pretty badly as of late. He used to have a tendency to play god a bit, making decisions that affected peoples' lives without asking them, and others have paid the price - as has the Professor. The situation with the Hulk brings this issue to the forefront, and we're going to see how both the Professor and the team members feel about all of it.

NRAMA: What X-Men are you bringing into the story, then?

CG: As many as I can get away with! And yes, I was able to bring in nearly all my favorites. Colossus, Nightcrawler, Wolverine...Lockheed...it's really a dream come true for me, because I got hooked on the X-Men as a kid and now, my first time writing them, I'm getting to put all my old faves into one story! Of course, some new favorites will be around too, like New X-Men such as Rockslide and X-23, who is really quite a scary young lady.

NRAMA: Lastly, just a minor tease - what gets the ball rolling in the story?

CG: THOOOOM. Knock Knock. And then it all goes to hell...
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The links have some artwork from World War Hulk. I can't wait for World War Hulk to start. I always figured that Hulk would come back to Earth and start kicking a lot of ass.

xman25