Whilce Portacio returns to Marvel

Image Comics co-founder Whilce Portacio has lifted the lid on his return to Marvel as the artist on Hulk.

Portacio, who has not worked at Marvel for 12 years, is teaming up with writer Jeph Loeb to explore Leonard Samson’s sinister alter ego - a savage persona simply known as Samson - in the pages of Hulk.

The artist told CBR: "He was arguably as powerful as the Hulk, and he retained his intelligence and youthful good looks, but he still wasn't satisfied.

"So Jeph is suggesting that all these years Samson has been targeting Bruce Banner and the Hulk, that maybe there's one thing Samson hasn't been: he's never been as savage or bestial, and in this story he achieves that.

"We find out, though, like most Marvel stories, there are bigger forces weaving all these things together."

Portacio also revealed that he is working with Axel Alonso and Sebastian Girner on a secret Marvel project.

He teased: "The script is wonderful. Part of it is like coming home for me. I can't say much beyond that, because it's a big book and they'd kill me dead if I said any more."

Hulk #18 is out on December 16.