The Bulge is a fictional location featured in the Blackgas series of comic book titles published by Avatar Press. It first appeared in Blackgas #1 in January, 2006. The Bulge was the name attributed to a volcano that was located on Smoky Island off the coast of the Eastern United States. It was situated in the very center of the island. The Bulge had remained silent for many years, but in 2006, it erupted, pulling forth high volumes of black gas from tectonic plates beneath the island that infected the locals, turning them into crazed, bloodthirsty maniacs.