The following contains spoilers for Hulk #1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
With Bruce Banner's previous adventure hurtling him across the cosmos to places unknown, returning home to Earth seems like it would be a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, that couldn't be further from the case. While Bruce may have gotten back to the familiar territory of living life on the road, his life change is also driving him down a dark path that even the Hulk might not be prepared to face.
Hulk #1 (by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Cory Petit) visits the sleepy Jack's Diner in the middle of nowhere in Estill County, Kentucky. There, a disheveled man counts his change, only to jump at the prospect of having a real conversation with another customer. Though he manages to steel his nerves momentarily, it isn't long before the waitress speaks in a darkly familiar voice that sends him running for the hills. As the experience makes painfully clear, there is simply no hope of Bruce Banner ever escaping his inner demons or the more literal ones who are now pursuing him.
The Hulk Works Best as a Road Trip Story
In spite of all his numerous adventures with the Avengers and other teams of high-flying heroes, Bruce Banner has long been synonymous with the isolated life of a lone wanderer. Over the years, Bruce has constantly drifted back and forth from life on the open road. Most often, these stints were due to military forces hunting him for some reason or another, believing they were working in the world's best interest by seeking to eliminate the powerful monster. This theme was most prevalent in the 1978 The Incredible Hulk television series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, but it has been just as prevalent in comics across multiple decades.
By removing Bruce from towering cityscapes or the relative calm of suburban America, writers have been able to hone in on the inner turmoil constantly at play between man and monster. This interplay has been essential in developing Bruce and the Hulk as their own unique characters rather than two sides of a single coin. And, by pitting some nefarious force against them, these storylines have provided invaluable insight without completely eliminating the tense, explosive action that traditionally defines the Hulk. Now, Banner's pursuers happen to be a legion of actual monsters who may prove to be even more powerful than his alter ego.
The Hulk's New Series Puts a Horrifying Spin on Familiar Territory
Apart from lonely highways and hitching the odd ride with strangers, there is another setting where the Hulk is right at home, and it just so happens to be the realm of horror. Although the Hulk himself isn't the byproduct of any overtly supernatural circumstances, his roots are still firmly planted alongside all things that go bump in the night. As such, it only makes sense that he would end up embroiled in a tale featuring all manner of monstrous forces, even if there is no telling how well he will fare against at least some of them.
Werewolves, specters, and various versions of undead ghouls might be par for the course, but they aren't the only enemies the Hulk has to worry about encountering in the near future. Considering Bruce is slated to encounter the Man-Thing in the near future, it is only a matter of time before his brutish alter-ego is locked in a fight he has no chance of winning by brute force alone, implying that the Hulk may be on a collision course with some of the most powerful opponents he has ever faced.