When Hulk crash lands on planet Sakaar after being exiled into outer space by the Avengers, he is sold into slavery and becomes the Green scar, the planet's mightiest gladiator. Yet, his new masters get more than they bargained for when he forges a bond of brotherhood with his fellow fighters and together they start a revolution to overthrow their captors. This comic partly inspired the storyline in Thor: Ragnarok, but unlike that comical action adventure, this is a savage sci-fi fantasy more in line with Dune, Mad Max, and tales about the Roman Empire. Highly recommended. ( )

I've been told I needed to read this for ages, and now I can see why. My knowledge of The Hulk is pretty general, and based on Wikipedia and the cartoon I watched as a child. I've never been particularly interested in him, but wow this story is great. My rating is really a 4.5 stars. I can't help but feel that if I was more familiar with the character I'd have appreciated some more of the nuances. Even coming at it with hardly any background knoweldge I really enjoyed this, I was stuck to it and had some real trouble putting it down.

So Hulk has been tricking by his so-called "friends" and sent off into space, obviously he's not happy about that! He ends up landing on strange planet (not the one the Illuminati intended, being kind of weak at the time he's captured and becomes a gladiator for the Red King, along with a bunch of other "monsters." What follow is kind of like The Gladiator, with a really sad ending and a big cliff hanger. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it.

I've never read a Hulk comic before so I've got nothing to compare it to, but this was an intelligent, engaging and surprisingly emotional story with lots of twists and turns. I was genuinely sad towards the end of this story! I build up a lot of sympathy for The Hulk who is often misunderstood by others but also himself. I definitely want to read what happens next in World War Hulk.

The only bit I wasn't do keen on was the last story, which had a dramatic change in artwork that I really didn't like (I found it too kiddy) and introduced a new character (Amadeus Cho) I'm not sold on yet. It sets up the direction for what is to follow though, and like I said I want more Hulk!
( )

Non sono mai stata una grande fan di Hulk, ma devo ammettere che questa storia mi ha conquistata.
E' intensa e piena di momenti epici, di quelli che mentre li leggi ti gasano: e diciamocelo, in fondo non è questo quello che ci aspettiamo dai supereroi Marvel? Però la grandiosità un po' fracassona non deve ingannarci, la profondità c'è e si nota chiaramente sia nelle tematiche che nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi, tutti tridimensionali e credibili. I disegni poi danno una marcia in più all'opera perchè si accompagnano perfettamente ai toni cupi e maestosi della vicenda.
Certo la trama non è particolarmente originale, ma ogni tanto riesce a spiazzare con qualche piccolo colpo di scena ben piazzato. Il finale poi per quanto prevedibile [SPOILER]-non era pensabile che Hulk d'ora in poi vivesse felice e contento come re di un mondo perfetto, la catastrofe era dietro l'angolo-[FINE SPOILER] è riuscito a commuovermi e a farmi arrabbiare quasi quanto Hulk.
Insomma un must per gli amanti dei supereroi Marvel, oltre che una pietra miliare per la continuity. ( )

I have written before in my blogs and here that I am a casual comic book reader. I don't really get into the minutiae of continuities, issues and editions, so on when it comes to comics. I just look for stories I like, and I go with that. This is definitely a story I liked, and I liked it a lot. If you have not read Hulk comics for a while, or all you know about The Hulk is the 80s or so series with Lou Ferrigno, then you are in for some changes. In essence, the Hulk has pretty much taken over, keeping the personality of David Banner in the background. As a result, The Hulk now moves and lives as he wishes. If you are a comics nerd or you read more than I do in this genre, you know that already, but casual readers may not know this. Anyhow, that is about the only small detail to keep in mind.

The nice thing about this series, again, for a casual reader, is that you don't really need a whole lot of background. Sure, if you wish to explore the storyline that led to the events of Planet Hulk, you can do so, but the story stands on its own. And I will say it is an epic story. Sure, this may not be anything new. If you have read the Conan stories, or even seen the movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, then the basic plot of the slave rising to be king is not new. However, we have the Hulk as the rising hero, and that makes all the difference. The author and artist do a really good job of taking this plot and creating something new with it, something that definitely gives us insight into the Hulk character and shows us how the character can grow. Plus this is a great adventure story with good drama thrown in for measure as well.

For me, this is one of the best books I have read this year so far. The art is very good as well, and odds are good you may want to reread it. In addition to collecting the individual comic book issues that make the storyline, the volume includes supplementary material on the world where the story takes place as well as on some of the other characters. This material does enhance the work. The book does lead to the next series, World War Hulk, but as I said, it does stand on its own. In terms of appeal factors (this goes to librarians), comic book readers who like The Hulk will like this. Casual readers looking for something different will probably enjoy it, and in terms of read-alikes, it works well with works like the tales of Conan the Barbarian. By the way, it is very engaging. Once you start, you probably will not want to put it down. It has a very fast pace, and I read it during a nice Sunday morning. I highly recommend it.
( )

After saving Earth from a cataclysmic attack, Hulk is outraged when he discovers that the superheroes he thought of as his allies have rigged his spaceship to take him to an isolated planet where he'll be unable to attack anyone. Unfortunately, when his ship is pulled off course by a wormhole, Hulk ends up on a planet filled with gladiatorial warring species and a prophecy about an individual who will come to save the planet or destroy it.

This was an interesting read for me as I've never found Hulk to be a particularly compelling character in the films. This story arc, however, is beautifully compiled and it's fun to see Hulk in an alien context and still kicking butt. It was also really interesting to see the original source material for elements of Thor: Ragnorak. While only a few panels really wowed me and most of the art I found meh, the story is worth reading. ( )