Broken Frontier

The Hulk has liberated Sakaar from tyranny. Now, along with his new bride Caiera, he plans to bring peace to the planet…but his past interferes with disastrous consequences.

We knew the time was coming. The seeds were planted even before Stamford, Connecticut crossed paths with an explosive super-villain named Nitro. Bruce Banner/Hulk was shot into space by a group of men he considered his friends. He was told it was for his own good, that he would be happier where he was going, that nobody would bother him and, in turn, the people of Earth would have nothing to fear from the unstoppable force that is the Hulk.

But somewhere along the way something went wrong, and the Hulk ended up on a planet that was completely the opposite of what he was promised by his "friends." Sakaar was a planet overrun by a king who ruled with ruthlessness. Through many trials and tribulations, the Hulk stepped forward as a beacon of hope for the Sakaar inhabitants, eventually with the help of his warbound friends, taking the king down and finding himself as the newly appointed leader, The Green King.

Though this reign was successful, it was also short-lived, as the ship he crashed on Sakaar in malfunctioned and its core went critical mass, resulting in the destruction of everything he had worked so hard for and even come to love. And though there was nothing left of Sakaar for him to save or smash, all was not lost. The Hulk is coming home, and hell is coming with him.

This, of course, is a long-winded recap of Planet Hulk, but one that is necessary considering the impact this story is to have on this summer’s Marvel stories. Pak has weathered the storm of the Civil War, and brought to the table a truly exciting story worthy of the Hulk’s smashing prowess. It may be several weeks away, but World War Hulk promises to be perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Hulk in over a decade. He is now more than just something to be feared, someone you don’t want on opposing sides. The ending of this story would make us believe that not even the fearsome Galactus would be as much of a threat to Earth right now.

Meanwhile, the art over these last fourteen issues has been nothing but superb. Carlo Pagulayan shouldered most of the penciling responsibilities and gave the Hulk a convincing larger-than-life and utterly formidable appearance. This story was an action-heavy one, and he stepped up and made it as exciting as readers could hope. Also, Aaron Lopresti stepped up for a few fill-in issues, though, and gave the book the appearance that Pagulayan had never left.

As much as I’ve enjoyed Planet Hulk, I’ve been waiting for this issue to come and go for over a year. Even though I’ve never been a huge Hulk fan, Pak and company have done a fantastic job of convincing me that World War Hulk will not only be worth the wait, but that the Hulk is worthy of the front and center treatment he is about to receive.