Rampaging Hulk #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeRampaging Hulk Vol. 2 #2 — titled 'Dark Side' — is a notable artifact of the late-1990s tug-of-war over the Hulk's identity. It represents Marvel's deliberate editorial push to restore the classic Savage Hulk persona at a moment when Peter David's more psychologically complex take on the character was being wound down, making this series a kind of institutional statement about what the Hulk should be. The issue's use of the X-Men as guest antagonists continues the series' pattern of pairing the Savage Hulk against other Marvel mainstays — a storytelling approach that mirrors what the original 1977 Rampaging Hulk magazine had done two decades earlier. Because all six issues of this short run were eventually absorbed into the Incredible Hulk by Byrne & Casey Omnibus (2024), the issue also carries long-term archival significance as part of a collected era that bridged Peter David's departure and John Byrne's arrival.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
By mid-1998, Marvel executives had grown restless with Peter David's unconventional, psychologically layered Hulk and — following the death of Betty Ross — pushed to return the character to his roaring, emotional Savage incarnation. David disagreed with this direction and departed, and Marvel's answer was to launch this new six-issue Rampaging Hulk series alongside Glenn Greenberg and Rick Leonardi, designed to scratch that itch for readers who wanted a simpler, harder-hitting Green Goliath. The series ran from August 1998 to January 1999 under editor Jaye Gardner and editor-in-chief Bob Harras — the same chaotic period during which Marvel was navigating its infamous bankruptcy — and was cut short after six issues rather than continuing as the ongoing companion title it was originally intended to be.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Issue title: 'Dark Side' — the second chapter of the six-issue Rampaging Hulk Vol. 2 miniseries (August 1998–January 1999).
- Written by Glenn Greenberg; pencilled by Rick Leonardi; inked by Dan Green; colored by Tom Smith; lettered by Bill Oakley; edited by Jaye Gardner.
- Cover date: September 1998; release date: July 1998; published by Marvel Comics on Earth-616 continuity.
- The plot continues the Krylorian alien invasion thread from issue #1, this time with the Krylorians deploying their own mutant operative, which draws the X-Men into a three-way clash with the Hulk.
- Supporting cast in this issue includes Betty Ross Talbot, Bruce Banner, General Thunderbolt Ross, and Major Glenn Talbot — the core military ensemble of classic Hulk lore.
- The series was conceived as a companion ongoing title to give fans of the classic Savage Hulk a second monthly book, but it was cancelled after only six issues, a casualty of Marvel's mid-1990s financial troubles.
- Marvel's editorial motivation for the series was directly tied to the departure of Peter David, whose psychologically complex Hulk was being replaced by a return to the rage-driven Savage persona.
- The entire six-issue run, including this issue, was reprinted in the Incredible Hulk by Byrne & Casey Omnibus (2024), which collects the transitional 1998–1999 Hulk era surrounding Peter David's exit and John Byrne's subsequent run.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Rampaging Hulk #1 (1998)
Reprinted in Rampaging Hulk #3 (1998), Wiz #38 (1998), The Mighty World of Marvel #2 (2003), Incredible Hulk by Byrne & Casey Omnibus #[nn] (2024)
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