Phillip Kennedy Johnson, the fan-favorite writer who has done beloved work on the Superman and Batman families of titles at DC, has signed a multi-year contract with Marvel, beginning in January 2026. He will join fellow former Superman scribe Brian Michael Bendis, who also recently announced he will return to Marvel with Avengers #800.
The announcement comes ahead of the latest issue of Johnson’s Infernal Hulk, which arrives on shelves this Wednesday. In a press release, Johnson clarified that his currently-ongoing work at DC, including Adventures of Superman and Batman & Robin, will be allowed to wrap up their originally-planned stories.
“My friends at Marvel have been ideal collaborators, and I’m extremely honored and excited that they’ve asked me to play such a bigger role in the company,” Johnson said. “Now that our Incredible Hulk run is kicking off its second act with Infernal Hulk #1, and with the other mind-blowing projects we’re putting together for 2026 and 2027, it felt like the time to make Marvel my comics home for a while.”
Johnson broke into the industry in 2015, and is best-known for his acclaimed work on Superman and Action Comics, but that’s hardly all he’s done in the last decade. He has also seen success on Marvel’s Alien, Green Lantern: War Journal and Hellhunters, and recently launched runs on Hulk and Batman titles. Johnson is also the writer and co-creator of DC Black Label’s The Fellspyre Chronicles, BOOM! Studios’ Crocodile Black, Last Sons of America and Warlords of Appalachia, and teaches Creative Writing at The Joe Kubert School.
“I’m as close as ever with all the awesome people at DC, and my current runs on Batman & Robin and Adventures of Superman: Book of El will continue through their planned conclusions next year,” Johnson said. “Comics are about making cool stuff with your friends, and I hope my DC fans check out what we’ve got coming at Marvel. I’m still getting better at this gig, and I CANNOT WAIT to show you what we’re building at Marvel right now.”
Infernal Hulk, by Johnson with artist Nic Klein, picks up after Hulk’s epic rematch with the Eldest, the powerful first-born child of the Mother of Horrors, from October’s Incredible Hulk #30. The Eldest’s long-seeded plan comes to fruition as it uses the power of the Strongest There Is to usher in a new Age of Monsters, unleashing a dark destiny for the entire Marvel Universe and declaring war for its very soul.
“The Hulk story we’re building up to is the most ambitious thing I’ve written to date, and the titles we’re planning for 2026 and 2027 are legitimate dream projects for me,” Johnson explained. “My son, who learned to love reading from the same old ripped-up Marvel, DC and Gold Key Comics that I used to read, gave me his unreserved blessing to do this, and that was all the advice I needed. To him, to all my other readers, and to my fellow comic fans: I promise, I won’t let you down.”
Born in Iowa and raised in Kentucky, Johnson studied music at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of North Texas. He works as a musician in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area, having served as trumpet player with The U.S. Army Field Band of Washington, DC from 2005 to 2025, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Moscow Ballet, the Dallas Opera, Washington Symphonic Brass, and more. He also recently retired from the United States Army after more than two decades of service.
