Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Planet Hulk #1
Marvel Comics
Humphries, Laming, Boyd, Pak, Miyazawa & Rosenberg
"Planet Hulk" is an over-priced comic book, at five bucks, but the story within is quite intriguing. Years ago, The Hulk was exiled and found himself on a foreign planet where he lived as a slave, gladiator and eventually as a king. This comic book takes that concept and brings it to a segment of the Battleword as part of the Secret Wars event. Fortunately you don't need to understand anything about Secret Wars to enjoy this comic. Does it read as a "What If?" story? Absolutely. However, the story within is great fun and should be checked out if you are a fan of Planet Hulk, Captain America or the Hulk in general. This isn't a "can't miss" comic, so if the price point scares you off then don't second guess yourself.
The book doesn't waste any time. Within the first few pages, the reader is introduced to the main character (Captain America), presented with the problem and sent on his journey. With Battleworld divided up into small land masses, some seem better off than others. Cap tries his best to get out of his current gladiator situation and gets stuck in a scenario where he must venture into a different "land." Where do the Hulks come into play?
While the Cap plot is unfolding, there are quite a few scenes involving Hulks. A lot of Hulks. The exact nature of how everything fits together is part of the surprise in the book. There is a lot going on here in this comic and for future issues.
The backup is by the original Planet Hulk architect, Greg Pak, and provides a bit of an origin to his incarnation of Planet Hulk. The story feels lighthearted, but definitely provides entertainment and brings together some characters that Pak made his own for a number of years. This is a backup that enhances the read is a welcome addition to the comic book.
The artwork is exceptional. A book that tries to tackle gladiators, fantastic worlds and many, many Hulks needs to be grand and detailed. This comic book does that very well. The book is a fast read in terms of word count, but there are a lot of panels and plenty of details to study. Overall, the visual story does a terrific job of showing the reader quite a trip.
"Planet Hulk" is a very interesting comic book. It helps to have read the original Planet Hulk story, it wouldn't hurt to be following the Secret Wars series, but none of that is required. This is a standalone story that puts Captain America in the path of many Hulks. This first issue sets up the world, the plot and moves the characters into each other's paths. This is a very good read, especially for those that are fans of Captain America, The Hulk or those that just like fun stories. I recommend checking this out.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
