Written by: Sam Humphries
Art by: Marc Laming & Jordan Boyd
Publisher: Marvel
Planet Hulk #1 shows a hell of a lot of promise. Sam Humphries does a great job of drawing you in to Greenland and Marc Laming’s artwork is ridiculously perfect. There are some panels in here that are almost photographic with the amount of detail put into the world, the hulks and the coolest sidekick ever—Devil Dinosaur. Planet Hulk #1 feels familiar; as I enjoyed the story, it reminded me of films like Planet of the Apes and Mad Max—a hellish dystopia inhabited by angry, uncontrollable monsters that act more like animals than humans. As you know, the Marvel universe we all know has been flipped upside down by having all of the different realities being brought together under the newly-formed Battleworld. Secret Wars has changed Marvel forever so it was always going to be interesting to me to see how this infamous planet would be fused with all of the other domains. Honestly, Planet Hulk has a lot going for it and the fact that it has already established some great characters shows that this will most definitely be one to watch.
The way Captain America is portrayed in the story gives me great hope in this Planet Hulk run. A battle-worn gladiator with a pet dinosaur is a version of Steve Rodgers that I have never encountered before; I was a little unsure at first but with Marc’s designs of Cap, I instantly took a shine to him and Jordan’s colouring only betters the look of our hero. In Doomstadt, he is summoned by the almighty God, Victor Von Doom to deal with a territorial dispute in Greenland—a wild, vastly unexplored territory that gives sanctuary to the hulks. The way Sam writes the story makes you feel that you’re reading something special and at certain points, the conversations make the scenes; the dialogue between Strange and Captain America at Castle Doom builds the excitement in the story and when something is revealed to Steve, Humphries writes the scene without going overboard on description—it is full of emotion and anger—much like the monsters he will have to fight.
Planet Hulk #1 features some of the greatest artwork I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. There is a certain calibre when it comes to Marvel Comics and Marc manages to keep that bar high. His shading in Doomstadt reflects the darkness of Castle Doom and the evil that is present there. From Captain America’s face to the perfectly realised Greenland terrain, Marc doesn’t miss a beat and really brings the amount of detail to the table. There are intricate facial expressions and anatomical definition that shows the talents of Marc Laming beautifully. Jordan Boyd gives the world that grandeur with his colouring and allows the pictures to shine without using brightness—it is in their greyish haze that the world of the hulks feels real and all the more dangerous.
I really can’t wait to see more from the actual planet as the hulks were one of the greatest designs of the issue, especially the Red King who seems like someone the Cap isn’t going to want to mess with. There is a lot of ground to cover in this tie-in miniseries but I have full faith in Sam’s ability to tell this epic story that has only just scratched the surface. There is plenty more to come from Sam and Marc and I for one can’t wait to see what happens next—especially with the cool reveal right at the end.
As a nice little feature to the issue, we are treated to an extra story that comes in the form of Amazing Science. It tells a short but important tale about how Planet Hulk comes to be. I shan’t ruin anything for you but there are some really powerful moments and even with it being a relatively short story, there is still plenty to take away from it. For one, the manga tinge in the artwork (courtesy of Takeshi Miyazawa) tells it apart from many other Marvel stories and Greg Pak’s tightly packed origin story is intense but rewarding, especially as it reaches its grim conclusion.
Planet Hulk #1 is a must have for Marvel fans, hulk fans and for comic book fans in general because it is a perfect example of some fantastic artwork and epic storytelling that blends seamlessly throughout.
