Hulk Omnibus Mapping for the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 12th Annual Secret Ballot

Until April 5, I’ll be loosely mapping missing and most-wanted Marvel omnibus volumes every day! Today I’ll be looking at all of the omnibuses that don’t yet exist for Marvel’s Hulk and She-Hulk.

This post explains titles and potential Hulk Omnibus Mapping for entries on the Tigereyes Most Wanted Marvel Omnibus 12th Annual Secret Ballot. You can vote right now (until 5 April 2024 @ midnight US ET) or watch our mega-length announcement stream reviewing every single voting option.

Hulk lagged behind other Silver Age Marvel heroes on omnibuses of his original title long time. Up until a few years ago, he only had a single classic omnibus to his name! Instead, Hulk omnibuses focused on his 2000s material. That means most missing Hulk omnibuses are from 1987 and prior – there are only four possible books after 1987.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner’s cousin Jennifer Walters has an impressive amount of her material covered, but still needs either 2 or 3 omnibuses to complete her bookshelf (depending on how you count).

Finally, there’s also Skaar, Red Hulk (and Red She-Hulk), and Amadeus Cho as the Totally Awesome Hulk! They could each use an omnibus of their own.

All of that is covered in this post!

If you’re not sure of what to vote for, stick around for my explanations. Or, if you’ve already voted, learn why the team behind the poll decided on these books and titles – including some of my mistakes and regrets as one of the editors of the options on the final poll.

Or… just find some great comics to read!

Remember: These mappings are just my suggestion of how Marvel could assemble these books. They are meant to help you decide on your votes and build your personal reading list, but your vote on the poll is NOT an endorsement of my specific map. It’s a vote in favor of Marvel creating a book with that title or covering that period.

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Hulk Omnibus Mapping: Incredible Hulk (1968)

We went from just one omnibus of Hulk’s 1968 comic run in 2020 to seven by the end of 2023! However, five of those books focus on the end of his series, from issues #331-474, with only two classic omnibuses to kick off his Silver Age run. What can we do to improve that? Let’s explore mapping Hulk’s thirty year original run. The Guide to Hulk addresses all of these comics and how they are collected currently.

Incredible Hulk Vol. 3
The first pair of Hulk classic omnibuses follow the “3 Masterworks = 1 Omnibus” rule, so we have every reason to believe this one will as well.

That means it should collect Incredible Hulk (1968) #135-170, Avengers (1963) #88, & Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #16.

Once we get this volume, Volume 4 would collect Incredible Hulk (1968) #171-209 & Annual 5 and material from Marvel Treasury Edition (1974) #5

Rampaging Hulk
This title generally refers to Hulk UK comics. Hulk is the rare American Marvel Comics character who received original, first-run stories in 1970s and 1980s Marvel UK comics. These comics, which were printed in black-and-white, have previously been collected in a pair of black-and-white Essentials editions. For many fans, getting this in high quality is a holy grail of Hulk collecting!

Thanks for commenter Thor Fantastic for catching my error here! Here’s what he had to say:

Rampaging Hulk was a different title to the Hulk UK comic.

Rampaging Hulk was a US magazine mainly written by Doug Moench. The UK Hulk was a weekly comic published from March 1979 to May 1980 and had original stories produced by UK writers and artists, (Hulk, Black Knight (featuring Captain Britain), Nick Fury, Night Raven and Ant-Man) The Hulk stories were reprinted in a 2013 TPB, Hulk From The Marvel UK Vaults.

To complicate things further the US stories from Rampaging Hulk/Hulk! magazine were reprinted in the UK from 1978 in a magazine called Rampage Monthly starring the Hulk which did not contain original material.

This vote could be a vote for intact, full magazine issues (in the style of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu omnibus), or just a vote for the Hulk content – it’s up to you.

Hulk by Roger Stern
Roger Stern wrote Incredible Hulk (1968) #218-244 & Annual 7-8.

A vote for this option is counts as both a vote for a creator-centric volume just for Stern or a vote for Incredible Hulk Vol. 5 – which would contain this run in full.

Krisis Regrets: We could have added “AKA Vol. 5” and a year range for clarity

Incredible Hulk by Bill Mantlo Volume 1
Bill Mantlo had a lengthy and much-loved run on Hulk from #245-313 & Annual 10-13. For many readers, this is the first essential run on Hulk. Marvel released this run in a series of trade paperbacks referred to as “proto Epics Collections” by fans, because they had the size, scope, and titling conventions of Epics released less than a year before Epic branding kicked in.

A vote for this option would be for a first Bill Mantlo omnibus, which is likely to be equivalent to Incredible Hulk Vol. 6 since Masterworks 16 begins right at the start of this run!

Krisis Regrets: We could have added “(AKA Hulk Vol. 6)” and a year range for clarity

Hulk Omnibus Mapping: Hulk from 1998 to Present Day

Hulk is incredibly well-covered in oversize hardcover from 1998 to present. In fact, the contents of 3.5 of these 4 books are already available in oversize hardcover… but, those aren’t omnibuses! The Guide to Hulk explains how these comics have already been collected.

Hulk by Paul Jenkins
This is an odd vote, because it’s for a book that already exists! The Hulk: The Dogs of War pseudo-omnibus already collects 800+ issues, including all of the Hulk by Paul Jenkins content there is to collect! It just doesn’t say omnibus on the spine, which means it’s also likely not eligible for a reprint until it becomes an omnibus.

That book collects Incredible Hulk (2000) #1/2, 12-33, & Annual 2000-2001; Sentry/Hulk #1; Hulk Smash #1-2; and Startling Stories: Banner #1-4.

Krisis Regrets: We should have noted “(transform Dogs of War into an omnibus)” and included a year range

Hulk by Bruce Jones
Bruce Jones wrote Incredible Hulk (2000) #34-76, Hulk/Wolverine: 6 Hours (2003) #1-4, and Hulk & Thing: Hard Knocks (2004) #1-4. That means his run ends directly abutting Peter David Omnibus Vol. 5, which then continues directly into Planet Hulk.

Since we already have Incredible Hulk By Byrne & Casey Omnibus and the Hulk: The Dogs of War pseudo-omnibus to cover issues #1-33, that means this would give us an unbroken omnibus run on Hulk from Incredible Hulk (1968) #331 in 1987 through 2009!

Krisis Regrets: We should have noted “(fits between Paul Jenkins & Byrne Vol. 5)” and included a year range

Hulk by Greg Pak
All of Greg Pak’s acclaimed, fan-favorite run on Hulk has already been collected in oversize hardcover, but many of them are now out-of-print and could be upgraded/merged into omnibus.

There’s no exact map for what this vote would represent, but by process of elimination we know it would start after the Planet Hulk Omnibus and World War Hulk Omnibus, which collect Incredible Hulk (2000) #92-111, at which point the title transitions to being a Hercules book with #112 in January 2008. Pak then wrote Skaar: Son of Hulk (2008) #1-12 and returned to ongoing Hulk comics with The Incredible Hulk (1968) #601 in October 2009.

A vote for this book counts both as vote to pick up Pak’s world directly after the World War Hulk Omnibus, which would start with Skaar: Son of Hulk (2008) #1-12 and also as a vote to simply start an omnibus from Incredible Hulk #600 (which would effectively merge two existing non-omnibus hardcovers, Fall of the Hulks and World War Hulks).

Krisis Regrets: We should have noted “(begins after World War Hulk”) and included a year range

Hulk by Aaron, Mark Waid, & Duggan
There are a number of brief Hulk runs starring Bruce Banner between the end of Greg Pak’s Hulk and the start of Immortal Hulk (2018). Of those, Mark Waid’s run comes the closest to being omnibus-sized, but it needs Duggan’s run to complete its story. If we had an omnibus of only that run, it would abandon the brief Aaron run prior to it.

A vote for this book is a vote for any solution to that problem, which could collect some or all of Incredible Hulk (2011) #1-15 & 7.1 by Jason Aaron, Hulk vs. Dracula (2011) #1-3, Indestructible Hulk (2013) #1-20 & Annual 1 by Mark Waid (and Special #1 – part of Arms of the Octopus one-shots), Marvel Knights: Hulk (2013) #1-4 by Joe Keatinge, Original Sin: Hulk vs. Iron Man (2014) #1-4 by Mark Waid, Savage Hulk (2014) #1-6 anthology series, and Hulk (2014) #1-16 by Waid & Gerry Duggan.

That’s 68 issues, so it can’t all be in one book! But, don’t worry about it – your vote covers getting started with this in whatever way is the most logical.

Hulk Omnibus Mapping: She-Hulk

Thanks to the lead-up to her MCU Disney+ show, She-Hulk went from being incredibly under-collected to being one of the Marvel characters with the best coverage! Let’s talk a look at the four books of her material left to collect. See the Guide to She-Hulk – Jennifer Walters for how these issues are already collected.

She-Hulk: Sensational She-Hulk by NOT John Byrne (#9-30, 47, & 51-60)
This might be the most contentious entry on the entire poll and the only option on the poll that included an explicit mapping in its title!

There is a “Sensational She Hulk by John Byrne” omnibus that collects only the John Byrne issues of Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1-8, 31-46, & 48-50 (as well as some other material from that period).

Some people already own that book, so they just want a corresponding book that fits into it like a puzzle piece!

Krisis Regrets: We could’ve just called this “by John Byrne Companion” and I think people would’ve still gotten the point.

She-Hulk: Sensational She-Hulk, Vol. 1 (1989 – 1992)
She-Hulk: Sensational She-Hulk Vol. 2 [note: the “She-Hulk:” is omitted on the poll entry]
While some people just want to complete their John Byrne omnibus with a corresponding puzzle piece, others simply refuse to buy a book with missing issues. As far as they’re concerned, Sensational She-Hulk has never been collected, since the first book skips issues #9-30 and 47.

This two-volume line would fix that, hewing closely to the Epic Collection mapping of this period. It would start with any She-Hulk material from after her original Savage She-Hulk (1980) series (including the pre-series work from Byrne), collect all of Sensational She-Hulk (1989), and then continue to some significant 90s material.

In total, that would include Marvel Graphic Novel (1982) #18 – The Sensational She-Hulk OGN, Sensational She-Hulk (1989) #1-60, The Sensational She-Hulk in Ceremony (1989) #1-2; Doc Samson (1996) #1-4; Incredible Hulk (1968) #441-442; Thing & She-Hulk: The Long Night (2002) #1; and material from Solo Avengers (1987) #14, Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #18 & 123-126, Marvel Fanfare (1982) #48, Marvel Super-Heroes (1990) #5, and Incredible Hulk (1968) #412. It could also add Marvel Team-Up (1972) #107, Dazzler (1981) #14, or some of Jen’s early Avengers stories.

She Hulk by Soule & Tamaki (2014 – 2018)
Just as with her cousin Bruce Banner, She-Hulk had a pair of mid-10s series that were both a bit short to be an omnibus on their own. They were split by Secret Wars (2015), but more-significantly by Jen being gravely injured at the start of Civil War II (2016).

These series on their own are 12 issues and 16 issues – both on the short side for an omnibus. A vote for this book is a vote for a solution that does some kind of collection of this entire period.

This would collect She-Hulk (2014) #1-12 by Charles Soule & Javier Pulido, some interstitial She-Hulk material (certainly including Free Comic Book Day 2016 (Civil War II), Hulk (2017) #1-12 by Mariko Tamaki, and She-Hulk (2018) #159-163 by Mariko Tamaki.

While note noted explicitly in the title, this map could also include A-Force (2010) #1-10, which makes as much sense in a She-Hulk book as it does in a Captain Marvel book.

Hulk Omnibus Mapping: Skaar, Red Hulk, Red She-Hulk, & Amadeus Cho

Hulk’s cast grew extensively in the late 00s, adding a number of additional Gamma characters to Hulk’s extended cast.

Skaar: Son of Hulk
Above, we talked about how Greg Pak’s post-World War Hulk Omnibus run would begin with Skaar: Son of Hulk (2008) #1-12. However, Skaar has more comics not by Pak!

A vote for this volume is a vote to collect all of Skaar’s journey through him joining Dark Avengers in 2012.

That could include World War Hulk (2007) #5, Skaar: Son of Hulk (2008) #1-12, Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents: Savage World of Sakaar (2008) #1, Hulk Family: Green Genes (2009) #1, Planet Skaar: Prologue (2009) #1, War of Kings: Savage World of Skaar (2009) #1, Wolverine: Origins (2006) #41-45, Fall of the Hulks: Gamma (2010) #1, Skaar: King of the Savage Land (2011) #1-5.

It also might include some other contemporaneous material from The Incredible Hulk (1968) #601-610, Dark Reign: The List – Hulk (2009) #1, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger (2010) #1-2, She-Hulk Sensational (2010) #1, Origins of Marvel Comics (2010) #1.

And, finally, as pointed out by friend-of-the-blog James, it would likely also want to include Son of Hulk #13-17 and Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk #1-4 (even though they feature a different character than Skaar).

Hulk by Jeff Parker (AKA Red Hulk Vol. 1, eventually includes Red She-Hulk)
Jeff Parker took over writing Hulk (2008) with issue #25 and shifted it to focus exclusively on Red Hulk. That run continued through Red Hulk (2008) #25-57 & 31.1 plus the Venom: Circle of Four mini-event in Venom (2011) #13.1 – 13.4.

That’s 37 issues – a fine omnibus! However, in Marvel Now Parker converted the same title with the same numbering to Red-She Hulk (2013) #58-67. That’s only 10 more issues, so they could clearly fit into this book.

Krisis Regrets: This poll title was a last-minute change just before we ended the stream, so it’s a bit sloppy! For a minute we almost added a separate Red-Hulk entry until we realized that’s what this is!

Amadeus Cho: Totally Awesome Hulk (2016 – 2017)
Greg Pak returned to write an all-new, all-different Hulk after Secret Wars (2015) by making his creation Amadeus Cho into a Hulk!

A vote for this volume is a vote just for that Cho-Hulk material (later renamed to “Brawn”), and not any earlier Cho material which would be collected entirely along with Pak’s work on Hercules. That would include Totally Awesome Hulk (2016) #1-22 & 1.MU, Weapon X (2017) #5-6, Weapons Of Mutant Destruction One-Shot, and Incredible Hulk (1968 / 2017) #709-717.

That’s 35 issues and could be a perfect omnibus on its own. Of course, Pak also continued writing Cho into the New Agents of Atlas. Could this push on to include that material? A vote for this book is a vote for that possibility! But, primarily, it’s a vote for the material listed above.

Comments

Thor Fantastic says

April 1, 2024 at 7:12 pm

Big fan of your site and your contributions on NMC and I am really enjoying these Omnibus mappings.

Rampaging Hulk was a different title to the Hulk UK comic. Rampaging Hulk was a US magazine mainly written by Doug Moench. The UK Hulk was a weekly comic published from March 1979 to May 1980 and had original stories produced by UK writers and artists, (Hulk, Black Knight (featuring Captain Britain), Nick Fury, Night Raven and Ant-Man) The Hulk stories were reprinted in a 2013 TPB, Hulk From The Marvel UK Vaults. To complicate things further the US stories from Rampaging Hulk/Hulk! magazine were reprinted in the UK from 1978 in a magazine called Rampage Monthly starring the Hulk which did not contain original material.

- krisis says
  
  April 1, 2024 at 9:06 pm
  
  Thanks for the correction, Thor! I was definitely puzzling over the bibliographic entries on this one. I’ll try to capture this correction in the post.
  
James V says

April 9, 2024 at 3:11 am

Hi Peter,
Regarding the Pak and Skaar Omnibuses, is it worth mentioning the Hiro Kala material too? (Son of Hulk #13-17 and Realm of Kings: Son of Hulk #1-4)
It’s not by Pak, but rejoins Pak’s material in the Dark Son storyline towards the end of Pak’s run. It closes off that story for both Hulk and Skaar.
Also, I don’t think the tail end of Pak’s run ever got OHC’d – they stopped at World War Hulks, leaving a nice Omni sized gap for collection.

- krisis says
  
  April 9, 2024 at 3:53 am
  
  Indeed, that should be included too! At only 9 more issues, it would be odd to exclude it.