Book Review: Planet Hulk by G. Pak et al.

Planet Hulk written by Greg Pak and others, pencils by Carlo Pabulaya, Aaron Lopresti, and others

After yet another situation where the intelligent and reasonable Hulk gets blasted with extra radiation and reverts to his unthinking and destructive self, the Illuminati (Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, and Black Bolt of the Inhumans) come to a decision. After the Hulk recovers, he's sent by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. to destroy a rogue Hydra satellite. The Illuminati arrange for the Hulk's shuttle to be cast off into deep space where it will land on an uninhabited planet full of vegetation and wild game. Presumably the Hulk will be happy and safe there. Reed broadcasts a big apology for doing this which is not comforting for the Hulk. 

Another annoyance is when the shuttle gets pulled off course by a wormhole that takes the Hulk to a planet called Sakaar. The wormhole drains off some gamma radiation from the Hulk, leaving him weakened. The ruler of Sakaar turns the Hulk into a slave, sending him to a gladiator training academy from which very few survive. The Hulk slowly regains his power, enough to fight his way through the deadly training. He gets a cohort of fellow slave-gladiators who go to the planet's main arena. If they can survive three combats, they will be granted citizenship and freedom. 

Still another complication is a prophecy that the Sakaarson will come and save the people, or maybe destroy their world. It sure seems like the Hulk could do either. He bleeds in his weakened state. When his blood hits the ground, plants start growing, so that's good. But he is massively destructive and his plan to win in the combat arena is to smash them all, a mantra readily adopted by his cohort. Action and mayhem ensues.

The storyline has an epic feel that suits well the exaggerated nature of the Hulk. It is oversized and raw in its visuals and emotion. The Hulk is like Catwoman in a way--he shifts back and forth from hero to villain, albeit a tragic, misunderstood villain. While this story revels in his destructive capacity it doesn't quite endorse it. At least the creators acknowledge that it can go too far by having it go too far in some situations and with some characters. It reminded me a bit of the John Carter of Mars novels, with its strange world with a variety of species. This book has bug creatures and shadow warriors and humanoids and rock creatures, which brings up a final point.

The book is good enough that they used it for the best part of Thor: Ragnarok. Korg is here though he is not the childlike character of the MCU. He's just a regular warrior fighting alongside the Hulk. He has less character than his MCU version, but frankly I find the movie Korg annoying, so I liked him better here. The world of the novel is much darker and bleaker, with more serious drama. While the Thor movie was fun, I found this story more interesting and substantial.

Recommended for a sci-fi Marvel epic.