For the uninitiated, Maestro in Marvel Comics is the Hulk.

He is a future Hulk with the green-skinned strength but the cranium power of the brilliant nuclear physicist Dr. Bruce Banner. Oh, and a brutal cruel streak from underlying issues with his abusive father and the ruthless strategic/political savvy of his one-time father-in-law, Gen. Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. 

Essentially, the aging Hulk becomes a dictator, ruling a future, dystopian world with a gamma-powered fist. 

Writer Peter David created the Maestro version of Hulk during his long tenure scripting “The Incredible Hulk” comics but he never answered questions such as how did the world powers topple and the Maestro rise to power? Thirty years after creating the Maestro version in the “Future Imperfect” storyline in the “The Incredible Hulk,” David returns to the character with a trilogy of “Maestro” mini-series.

“Maestro: Symphony in a Gamma Key” kicks off the storyline. Artist Dale Keown returns to boldly illustrate this miniseries, too.

Bruce/Hulk has been held in stasis for decades. He’s aged. The world has changed. But he doesn’t know it until he escapes due to a glitch in the system. He awakes to discover the United States, or at least a big chunk of it, is ruled by the Maestro … which in this case is not him but Hercules.

Mayhem and plotting ensue.

David brings back characters who were prominently featured during his “Hulk” run (in some cases just to show how they died during flashback scenes). One prominent return is the aged Rick Jones, who collects artifacts from the fallen superheroes while leading the resistance to Maestro I and Maestro II.

David seems to have fun with this return to future Hulk world. And if readers enjoy “Symphony in a Gamma Key” (all five issues now collected in one volume), there are two other storylines to pick up.

“Maestro: War and Pax,” the second miniseries, has already been released and collected in full in one edition. The first issue of the third and final miniseries of the trilogy, “Maestro: World War M,” has been released with the other issues scheduled for release in the months to come.