Customer Reviews

Incredible Hulk: Planet Hulk

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Need a primer for this summer's big "World War Hulk" crossover event? You can't do better than this huge, 400+ page leviathan of a hardcover. Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK vol. 2 #92-105, plus stories from AMAZING FANTASY vol. 2 #15, GIANT-SIZE HULK vol. 2 #1, and the PLANET HULK GLADIATOR GUIDEBOOK, this book chronicles the life of the Hulk over the last year since his exile from Earth at the hands of the Illuminati, members of the superhero elite who thought they were doing the "right thing" for humanity.

I've been a Hulk fan for more than 20 years (with a collection--including INCREDIBLE HULK vol. 1 #1--to match), so trust me when I say this is one crackling good yarn that filmmaker/writer Greg Pak and his compatriots have spun here. By introducing a savage new world and an intriguing cast of monstrous characters, they've made the Hulk matter again, for the first time since the departure of Peter David. By deemphasizing Bruce Banner, the Hulk's alter ego, the development of the Hulk is assured herein. Don't get me wrong: when Banner does appear, it's at crucial moments that really enhance the story. I don't want to spoil the details, but this storyline gives the Hulk everything he's ever dreamed of, and then some. Of course, you know what they say about being careful what one wishes for.

I read the monthly HULK book during this storyline, but still bought the hardcover edition. It's a superlative product, a great showcase of a great storyline. I recommend it highly, especially to Hulk fans, but also to those who are fans of grandiose storytelling, and superheroics in general. Buy this, then follow it up with a healthy helping of "World War Hulk," wherein the Hulk returns to Earth to wreak vengeance on those who sent him away. Five stars.

The Hulk is one of my favorite superhero characters around and this collection is probably one of the best stories he's seen in many years, probably the finest since the epic Pantheon saga that Peter David did in the early 90's.

First off the package is just very well done-- high paper quality, sharp colors, and overall attention to detail make this worth the somewhat high price. This is the most visually satisfying way to read a comicbook story, and I think all of Marvel's finest work should be published in collections of this type.

Secondly, the Hulk's characterization is spot on, echoing the original vision of the character as a thugish brute who makes his own rules. It's thrilling to see a Hulk who's not a victim, but a proactive force all his own.

Finally, the overall story arc is very satisfying, blending together the epic qualities of Ridley Scott's Gladiator film and the alien qualities of Star Wars' Tatooine. It combines to create a fnatastic science fantasy saga that should please not only fans of superhero comics, but fans of epic science fiction like John Carter of Mars or Star Wars.

I never read the Hulk growing up. I didn't even read the hulk when I started to get into comics in my early 20s. I did start to read the hulk when Planet Hulk came out, and I have to say it's one of the best comic book stories I've ever read.

So many comics these days are stereotypical, with the same old themes of the same old villains and monsters escaping and going on rampages while super-heroes go through the same old soap-opera issues. Haven't you ever wished for a grand epic tale where one of our heroes get caught up in a struggle to save a planet and emerges the hero? True, that's an old plot-line, but somehow people keep finding ways to make it fresh. Like here for instance...

When the Hulk finishes a mission to save the world once again, he is betrayed by his best friends, and launched into space, to a peaceful empty planet where he can never hurt anyone again. But of course, the plan goes horribly awry and instead the hulk is shot through a portal to a nightmare world more like the planet from the old game Out of This World, where giant monsters of every shape and size endanger everyone, an evil king oppresses his people like the worst of the Roman Emperors, and strength is prized above all else.

On first arriving, Hulk is surprised by how weak he is, and is quickly captured. The inhabitants of the planet are impressed by his strength, but of course they don't know what we and the Hulk know, that the more you beat up the Hulk, the stronger he gets. And he is pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to kill. What this amounts to early on is a series of crazy fights like something straight out of Saturday morning cartoon, as lots of gruesome monsters are pitted against the Hulk, and every time it looks like he's done-for, he gets mad and smashes them into goo. Unfortunately he makes some enemies in the process when he ticks off the king by trying to kill him, thus getting Hulk thrown into a place of even more fearsome monsters (Hulk never did know when to back down and play nice).

Naturally Hulk can't be killed by the monsters there either, but he DOES gain some friends (despite his very angry attitude) simply because he's so dang strong everyone knows they stand a better chance of living with him, and he ends up saving everyone's life over and over. And when the survivors of a brutal gladiatorial "training" all team up with Hulk as the leader, things just get better and better as they survive round after round of brutal attacks in various arenas, Hulk fights his old friend the Silver Surfer who has also been captured, and finally everyone escapes and starts a rebellion against the Red King and his armies.

Once again, stories like this have been told before, many times. But not like this. This series is a complete world with its own races, ecology, social and political system, and species' hatred and rivalry. What would be a nightmare for any other hero instead ends up more like a rollicking good time for the Hulk, as he finally gets to bust loose without worrying about hurting anyone. Because no matter how much death and destruction he causes, on this planet he's so much nicer than everyone else he DEFINITELY looks like a hero.

I don't know how great writers manage to produce balance, but Greg Pak definitely does here. What could be ridiculous or overly dark is instead constantly kept at the Saturday cartoon level, but with a strong maturity and depth of feeling you wouldn't expect. The first time I read Planet Hulk I laughed out loud many times, and especially at some of the things that the insect Miek would say. There are so many things in the story that are a great parody of superhero stories and they add greatly to the entertainment (from Hulk getting slugged in the middle of a signature line to the Brood putting on a puppet show for children), but still somehow increase the humanity of the story. The artwork in Planet Hulk is also consistently excellent, with lots of color and vibrancy, strongly drawn characters with a slightly cartoony style, and a marvelous flow and sense of movement in the action sequences (and this book is mostly action).

So many times in comics monsters are killed right and left and no one sheds a tear for their suffering, but the writer here takes the more enlightened view that "there is no such thing as an evil race". This is most obvious in the alliance forged between the different species toward the beginning, but it echoes in everything, as we seen touching moments from pretty much every player in the story (what broke my heart was when Hulk's warrior enemy held a child in her arms and soothed it...right before it disintegrated in her arms). And as everyone comes together to fight against evil and pursue peace it just draws you more and more into the story. In the end, everyone finds it in their hearts to forgive and embrace as brothers...

But remember please, this is a story of the Hulk. And his stories are always tragedies more than anything else. Along the path to victory many many die, and some of their deaths are quite tragic. What really makes the tragedy stronger than you would imagine is how the overall theme of personal and emotional strength is woven through the story. Again and again we see that on this world only the strong survive, and the Hulk is looked up to because he is strongest of all. But when characters see their entire races decimated before them and survive only because they are the strongest we have to wonder if they might wish they had not been so strong and lived to see such tragedy.

In the final closing chapters is the greatest tragedy of all, as the Hulk stops all the fighting with his strength, unites everyone, starts to build a utopia, and then has it all taken away from him in a moment of mindless destruction. No matter how strong you are, you don't have the power to change destiny, and you don't have the power to protect the ones you love. That is the greatest lesson that Planet Hulk has to teach.

So many times we've seen the Hulk portrayed as some kind of mindless monster, just a raging ball of fury without a brain. But what everyone keeps forgetting is that the Hulk is a HERO, he saves the world and helps the good guys. He's gotten a really bad rap, and it's largely because everyone is afraid of him. What's great about this story is that he played as the hero the entire way, despite the fact that he has long since given up on the idea. People keep thanking him, calling him their friend, despite his insistence that he isn't ANYONE'S friend. And yet, when push comes to shove he keeps putting out for everyone else, protecting them, not allowing people to be consumed by their hatred, and even using his self as a shield to prevent others from killing each other. Maybe it's because no matter what, they can't REALLY hurt him, or maybe it's because deep down he really IS a hero. The strongest hero there is.

Shortly before the Civil War began ravaging the superhero community on Earth, the Illuminati exiled the Hulk into space. Claiming to be for his own good (as well as theirs), the Hulk finds himself crash landed on a very savage alien planet where he is sold into slavery, made into a gladiator, and eventually, ruler of the planet. Yes, Planet Hulk may sound corny and like a comic book version of Ridley Scott's Gladiator, but don't let all that fool you. Not since Peter David has a writer gotten the Hulk like Greg Pak does. While I enjoyed Bruce Jones' run on the title for the most part, he never understood the character the way that Pak does here. The Hulk is no hero, and is in touch with his true, brutish nature, while attempting to keep the puny Banner at bay. The world that Pak weaves as well as so imaginitive that Planet Hulk truly feels like a real, epic story. There are plenty of twists, surprises, and even some familiar faces (Silver Surfer makes a surprise appearance), as the saga comes to an incredibly tragic conclusion that sets the stage for Marvel's new mega-event, World War Hulk; in which the Hulk makes his return to Earth with revenge on his mind. The art throughout this incredibly handsome hardcover collection features work from Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Supreme Power's Gary Frank as well; and it's all superbly done to say the least. The hardcover itself may seem a bit expensive, but the massively epic story and other extras make this well worth owning. All in all, Planet Hulk is undoubtedly the best Hulk story in eons, and the best part is, this is only the beginning. Let's just hope that Pak manages to weave the same kind of magic with World War Hulk.

I just finished reading my spectacular HC edition of this story and I just loved it! Not only was this one of the best Hulk stories I've ever read, the story is a great read for any sci-fi fan, such as myself. The story is well-written, it introduces a wealth of new characters, is beautifully illustrated, and it has action that just won't quit. What's more, it sets up for the sure-to-be-a-smash summer event of 2007 - World War Hulk. I'll impatiently wait for the collected edition of that story, as well, as I can't wait to see Hulk get some revenge on the people who shot him off into space.
I think Future Imperfect remains my all-time favorite Hulk story, but this story comes pretty close to it, and I'll bet some of my friends will like this one better. If you have any comic-reading friends who are not Hulk fans, lend them this book! There's no way they couldn't be a Hulk fan after reading this great collection. You don't need to have any prior knowledge of this title or main character to really enjoy reading this book. If I could give it six stars, I would! This story was way, way better than any of the DC Comics storylines that were running around the same time, and well worth the money! Between this and Annihilation, Marvel has really been pleasing its sci-fi-loving fans, lately!

Every so often, there comes a tale -- with equal parts passion and pathos, with equal parts pride and prejudice -- that not only redefines what a character has meant throughout the already visited pages upon pages of illustrated storylines but also re-establishes the hero as a dominant force for storytellers, readers, the company's universe, and (arguably) the entire comic book industry. PLANET HULK is such a masterpiece.

It's difficult to talk about the adventure without giving too many elements best left revealed and explored by the reader. This trade paperback -- collecting issues of the HULK's monthly run as well as a few additional installments from other sources -- has more welcome twists and turns than any good piece of literature could hope for. Briefly, earth's (Marvel) superheroes have reached the breaking point in their inactions with the Hulk; fearing that the 'monster' could eventually turn the immeasureable dark fury against mankind, they construct a spaceship to send him to an unpopulated world in deep space where the Hulk can live out his days in isolation. The problem: not only does it make the Hulk angry ("you won't like me when I'm angry"), but also he's delivered to the wrong planet ... this one ruled by a 'Ming-the-Merciless' type who forced his citizens to fight-to-the-death ritualistically in huge arena. Think of the movie GLADIATOR ... only in space ... with dozens of alien creatures ... and with an even unhappier ending with the smoothest cliffhanger this side of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Really, that's all I should say. To reveal more would truly spoil the surprise, the PLANET HULK is full of them. This is one story for the ages, and it's best experienced by the audience.

For long-time comics readers, this is a great example of how the genre has evolved. Character and plot development are rich, dialogue and art are incomparably improved, and the creative teams manage to stay true to the original premise of the series. I don't read the Hulk regularly, but picked this and couldn't put it down. This is why people want TPBs to get more respect - they deserve it. Congratulations to Marvel and DC for continuing to raise the bar.

I've never been a huge fan of the Hulk. I don't read it very often and I outright disliked World War Hulk, one of the few Hulk series I have read. So I didn't have great expectations for Planet Hulk when I ordered it on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised. This isn't just the best Hulk series I've read...it's among some of the best comics I've ever read. I immediately passed it on to my friends--other middle-aged comics readers like myself--and the opinion was unanimous...this is great stuff.

I've been a manga fan for several years now, though the only 'american' comics I read were the funnies. Recently I picked up Spider Girl at random with a gift certificate, and was re-introduced to the varvel world. As for Hulk, the only thing I remembered about it were vauge fuzzy, but warm, memories from early morning cartoons. My friends were talking about World War Hulk, mentioned this, and I bought it to find out what they were talking about.
From personal experince I can honestly say that even if you haven't read Hulk, or comics in general, the story line is easy to follow and very well written. There are twists, I didn't expect Hulk to 'dis' the people that came to rescue him, and the art is superb. This story fits as a stand alone and as part of a larger one. As cheesy as it sounds, this comic is 'incredible' and belongs in any comic/manga collection.

Well, HULK Smash has been done so many times, it's not "fun" anymore. But HULK Smash on another Planet with an array of different opponents? Now that's something interesting! Planet HULK is significant from the start because he's been exiled by Earth's Superheroes. It's kinda like being thrown out and found guilty for needing space and being able to control his mental disability.

In any case, he's on a foreign planet and MUST once again Fight to survive. The story isn't that innovating or new, kinda like Gladiator, but with HULK and his sidekicks, it's fun and it rejuvenated the HULK comic book franchise. Too bad Dr. Banner isn't focused, but if you want that, go check out Peter David's HULK.

The Smashing and the Quest to HULK's freedom is well plotted. The art is fantastic and the story flows very well. I would highly recommend this HULK trade paperback for any comic book or casual comic book fan.