Marvel’s Immortal Hulk has enjoyed breakout success critically and on the stands, thanks to its unique vision of the Hulk that transcends the character’s usual trappings, and enters the realm of cosmic horror. While the main title has been relatively self-contained, Marvel has announced several Immortal Hulk one-shots that will give writers other than Immortal’s Al Ewing the chance to explore the diabolical “Devil Hulk” persona in stand-alone stories. That includes a story where the Devil Hulk persona passes on to Spider-Man.

The newest special to be announced, titled Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place, comes from a writer that attentive fans would never have expected to write a Hulk story anytime soon. The Threshing Place comes from artist Mike Del Mundo (Thor, Doctor Strange) and writer Jeff Lemire (All-New Hawkeye, Black Hammer). Lemire’s inclusion is a surprise in the wake of an essay he wrote as the introduction to the trade paperback Immortal Hulk Vol. 1: Or Is He Both? In the intro, Lemire opens with a blunt summation: “I really used to want to write for the Hulk one day. I don’t anymore.”

The author explains that he once had an interest in the tragically misunderstood world-breaker, and even directly angled for an opportunity to write the Hulk. But that interest died out when he discovered Ewing’s work and found that the Jane Foster: Valkyrie writer had done exactly what he wanted to do with the character. Or, in Lemire’s words:

In the context of the introduction, this lament serves as praise for Immortal Hulk’s entire creative team (writer Al Ewing, illustrator Joe Bennett, inker Ruy Jose, colorist Paul Mount, and letterer Cory Petit) in making something too flawless for Lemire to ever want to improve upon. The introduction is dated May 2019, less than one year before the planned release date of Threshing Place this April. While the Black Hammer creator’s gamma-irradiated dreams were smashed, the green door that brought them back to life was quick to act.

Al Ewing has gone and ruined it for me and all other writers by writing the perfect Hulk comic book. … [I]f I were suddenly handed the Hulk today, I would be at a total loss. When trying to think of anything to do with Green Jeans I’d just point to Immortal Hulk and say “that”.

According to the announcement, Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place opens with the disappearance of a young girl from a Kansas farm. The title character investigates, but the insular rural community surrounding the farm offers no hospitality, putting pressure on him as the hope of rescuing the missing child grows thin. This premise represents a return to the series’ roots. Immortal Hulk began as a highly episodic series centered around the Hulk bringing justice to those who mistreated innocent people in small-town America, sometimes discovering supernatural horrors and often delivering horror to wrongdoers. As the overarching plot developed, the book rose to the larger-scale conflict that is Hulk’s war against human civilization. This one-shot aims to create a much more personal conflict for the Hulk… and threatens a much more personal tragedy. Here’s the full solicitation:

  • IMMORTAL HULK: THE THRESHING PLACE #1 JEFF LEMIRE (W) MIKE DEL MUNDO (A/C) TWO OF COMICS’ MOST IMAGINATIVE TALENTS UNITE FOR A HULK TALE LIKE NONE OTHER! There’s a monster raging in America’s heartland – and it’s not the Hulk. When a young girl goes missing on a Kansas farm, Bruce Banner gets the itch – the one that tells him gamma is on the loose. But this town doesn’t take kindly to strangers – especially the big, green, violent kind. Can the Hulk save a child before it’s too late, or is he about to take the blame for another massacre?

You can preorder Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place from your local comics shop before it goes on sale on April 8th, 2020.

More: Captain America Was Marvel’s FIRST Hulk (Yes, Really)