INCREDIBLE HULK EPIC COLLECTION: GROUND ZERO

Peter David is one of the industry’s most prolific and versatile writers whose record-breaking stint on Incredible Hulk remains a fan-favorite to this day. His similarly long-running — and critically acclaimed — association with X-Factor began in the early 1990s and continued in 2005. His other Marvel work includes Captain Marvel, two lengthy stints on Spider-Man 2099, Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider and the smash-hit Symbiote Spider-Man limited series with artist Greg Land. David is also a novelist and screenwriter. Among his credits are some forty Star Trek tie-ins; original novels such as Sir Apropos of Nothing, Howling Mad and Knight Life; movies Trancers 4 and Trancers 5; and episodes of Babylon 5 and Crusade. He also co-created the TV show Space Cases with actor-writer Bill Mumy.

After a stint on Incredible Hulk with writer Peter David, artist Todd McFarlane moved to Amazing Spider-Man, where he and writer David Michelinie introduced Venom. Achieving a devoted following with his then-experimental style of unconventional panel layouts, extreme close-ups and other innovations, McFarlane became both writer and artist on a new series, titled simply Spider-Man. He later joined several fellow industry prodigies to form Image Comics. McFarlane’s major contribution was Spawn, the demonic mercenary whose first-issue sales of 1.7 million copies remain a benchmark for an independent. His other industry credits include DC’s Infinity Inc. and “Batman: Year Two” in Detective Comics. He has earned the Inkpot Award, the National Cartoonists Society’s Award for Best Comic Book and the NFL’s Artist of the Year Award for designing the Baltimore Ravens’ program covers. In addition to the Image subsidiary Todd McFarlane Productions, he heads McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainment, and is producer of a Spawn film and an award-winning animated series.

Artist John Ridgway began his career in the 1970s — providing artwork for Commando War Stories, Doctor Who and Famous Five, as well as taking part Warrior magazine’s Marvelman revival. In 1984, he began working for Marvel UK on Transformers. Ridgway later broke into American comics with his tenure on Vertigo’s Hellblazer; he has gone on to illustrate The Invisibles, Swamp Thing and Marvel’s Incredible Hulk.

Following stints at AC Comics and Eclipse, Erik Larsen replaced fan favorite Todd McFarlane on Amazing Spider-Man and quickly became a legend in his own right, chronicling Spidey’s cosmic-powered and powerless phases. His other Marvel credits include Defenders, Fantastic Four, Nova and Wolverine. At DC, he has penciled Doom Patrol, Outsiders, Teen Titans and others. Larsen’s greatest fame may be as creator of Savage Dragon at Image Comics, which he helped found and where he served as publisher for four years.