Thinking back on Planet Hulk

Thanks to the new film Thor: Ragnarok borrowing a few ideas from the comic book storyline "Planet Hulk", that story is hopefully acquiring a few new fans. As a fan of that story, I was a little disappointed that such a rich tale was barely tapped into at all for the film, as it could have anchored a motion picture of its own. Let's take a moment to look back on Planet Hulk together.

When the storyline "Planet Hulk" began running in Incredible Hulk #92 (2006), I was at the time a freelance employee of Marvel Comics working on the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and related projects. At the time, Marvel didn't supply me with comps of all their titles so I had to spend my own money on their new products. Usually I only purchased books which I needed for research and as our staff of writers had each eaked out particular corners of the Marvel Universe, the Hulk was one such character I could safely set aside. My friend Anthony Flamini had the Hulk material under control at the time as he wrote the book Planet Hulk: Gladiator's Guidebook.

I hadn't been reading the Hulk for a very long time - this was just after a brief, unlamented 2nd run by Peter David, but I hadn't followed the book regularly since that author's 1st run had ended the previous decade. Then and now, the Hulk was a character who I could enjoy, but it depended on the creators. The creative team for Planet Hulk of writer Greg Pak & artist Carlo Pagulayan made almost no impact on me. I knew Pak only for a revamp of Adam Warlock which I hadn't liked at all and Pagulayan I wasn't familiar with. The concept which was being promoted - that the Hulk goes into space and becomes a gladiator - didn't thrill me.

Fortunately for me, one of my areas of expertise in the Marvel Universe were the alien race the Kronans and I came into Planet Hulk when Kronans appeared in the 2nd chapter (I wrote an entry on the Kronans for the Marvel Appendix). I had previously thought Planet Hulk was using only new alien races and was pleasantly surprised to discover that although Sakaar was a new environment with its own history it had ties to familiar Marvel aliens like the Kronans and Brood. The trappings of the Marvel Universe can at times feel like they've been so set in stone that no new significant corners of said universe can be revealed without seeming out-of-place. Sakaar not only proved to have a very well-thought-out and interesting history which was slowly expanded on throughout Pak's stories, but also a unique mythos (everything to do with the stone priests and repeated mantras such as "Sakaarson, hear my cry..." or "May he who dies, die well.") and weight within the larger Marvel Universe via the use of the Brood, Kronans and Silver Surfer.

Pak was coming to the Incredible Hulk at a time when Marvel's comics were largely segregated from each other (although Civil War was primed to change all that). There was not a great sense of continuity from one creator to another as popular writers like Brian Michael Bendis didn't particularly care about whether their characterizations of Marvel characters held with prior interpretations. This is one way in which Pak's characterization of the Hulk was a nice surprise as Pak invoked continuity within Planet Hulk's first four-parter, noting how when the Hulk first met the Silver Surfer he had asked the Surfer to bring him to another world. This was some incredible continuity-fu Pak employed, giving added weight to the idea of the Hulk making an alien world his new home.

Pak has said at various times that his take on the Hulk's theme is "the price of anger" -- that however cathartic it might feel to see the Hulk tear down a deserving foe (namely the Red King in Planet Hulk), eventually there is a price for that violence. In the case of Planet Hulk, the Hulk's own decisions and actions set into motion the climax in which his queen Caiera is murdered, thus setting up Pak's World War Hulk and Skaar: Son of Hulk. Planet Hulk is a tragedy.

...And yet, it is a tale of many tones. There are spectacular action scenes of the Hulk and his Warbound surfing across a bed of lava and battling hordes of zombiefied Spike; there's the gentle humour of Miek in the early chapters, or the sardonic robot ARCH-E-5912; the fire-forged bond of friendship between the Warbound which helps the reader care for the Hulk's allies Korg, Miek, Elloe Kaifi, Hiroim and No-Name.

But yes, ultimately it's a tragedy. There are haunting images of Caiera holding a child which is burned until it crumbles in her arms; Miek's own tale is a tragedy run in parallel to the Hulk's as the Hulk doesn't see how Miek is adopting his values for himself and Miek's inability to cope without an enemy to fight leads to the greatest tragedy in the story's conclusion.

Then and now I give Planet Hulk high marks for the emotions it provokes in me. I enjoy the high adventure of seeing the Hulk as a gladiator, rebel and king; I love the Warbound, particularly Korg and Hiroim; the Silver Surfer's farewell to the Hulk is a heart-warming occasion; so is the Hulk choosing to become Banner for Caiera. Planet Hulk is ultimately my favourite Marvel super hero comic of the 21st century so far. If you still haven't checked it out, please do.

Considering 2010: Comics

During 2010 the flow of comic books into my home took on a crazed life of its own. Marvel themselves provided me with a hefty supply of titles, but I also bought into plenty of graphic novels and continued to branch out into other publishers' work.

So, I think it makes the most sense to divvy up 2010 into what I most enjoyed from Marvel...and everything else.

MARVEL

Many years ago (before I was a freelancer) I toyed with the idea of telling the story behind Jeff Mace, the man who (via retcons) served as Captain America circa 1946-1950. I was fascinated at the idea that he was a normal man filling in for a believed-dead hero at a time when no one (including readers) cared about super heroes. Fortunately, Karl Kesel has finally told this story in Captain America: Patriot and he hit on every point I wanted to see covered. This book hits the notes of continuity perfectly (which as a handbook writer I'm still impressed by), but I felt it also did a fine job of characterizing Mace and his personal struggles filling a role he didn't really want for people who don't really want him. Also, Kesel's Sub-Mariner is an absolute delight.

I'm constantly impressed at the work editor Stephen Wacker does on Amazing Spider-Man, employing some of my personal favourite writers (Mark Waid, Fred Van Lente, Roger Stern, Dan Slott) and teams of excellent artists, most notably Marcos Martin. In recent issues, I was stunned to find how much I enjoyed Humberto Ramos' art, having been disappointed with his work almost a decade ago. However I felt about the Ramos of 2001, the Ramos of 2010 is worth following!

As part of a research assignment, I went over Peter David's X-Factor, which I don't normally follow. I already knew some of the details of his most recent storylines, but it was eye-opening to read them for myself. In particular the X-Factor Special: Layla Miller which detailed the young mutant Layla surviving in a totalitarian future, X-Factor#39 with the birth of Jaime Madrox's son and X-Factor#40 featuring Madrox's grapple with life were some of the best stories of David's on this title.

Like so many on the internet, I loved Roger Langridge & Chris Samnee's Thor: the Mighty Avenger, sadly cancelled after a mere 8 issues. Written in a stand-alone continuity intended to bring in fans of the upcoming movie (who will, I guess, get to buy the trade paperback anyway), this is the best Thor comic I've read in about 15 years. The gentle humour and fun characterizations are part of what makes it so engaging, but more than anything it's that Langridge takes nothing for granted - nothing. He doesn't waste the reader's time and he doesn't invest in characters or scenes that aren't worth investing in. Every page and every panel matter to the story, so they matter to me.

Avengers Academy is Christos N. Gage's new series to replace Avengers: the Initiative. The concept - superhuman teenagers considered potential super villains being taught to be heroes by the Avengers - has endless potential. Although the series spun out of the Initiative it's actually the spritual successor to Brian K. Vaughn's Runaways as a series about teenagers grappling with their morality.

Even though Greg Pak returned to Incredible Hulk last year, I felt it wasn't up to the standards of Pak's earlier Planet Hulk or World War Hulk. Well, with an exception: Incredible Hulk#611 in which the Hulk battles his son Skaar led to an exceptional pay-off not only for readers of Pak's work, but for anyone who followed Bill Mantlo or Peter David's Hulk.

Fred Van Lente is always good (and needs to get his Comic Book Comics to ship regularly), but I felt his best work in 2010 was on the mini-series Shadowland: Power Man, featuring a teenager who adopts Luke Cage's old "Power Man" handle, along with Cage's old "Hero for Hire" job. Van Lente crafts a believable picture of life in Harlem...or, at least, the Marvel Universe version of Harlem where you're as likely to meet a ninja as anything.

...EVERYTHING ELSE

Sticking with super heroes, I've been giving Grant Morrison a sober second look lately by trying out some of his most esteemed work. So far that's included All-Star Superman, WE3 and the beginning of his Animal Man. I'm definitely learning to appreciate his writing, although I prefer him on stand-alone projects rather than his shared universe work at Marvel and DC. All-Star Superman has at least three panels which struck me with their visual, emotional power; I want to see more of his work. I blogged some more about WE3 here.

2010 was also the year I discovered Joe Sacco via Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde and Footnotes in Gaza. With all the flat-out fiction I read, it's nice to experience something of the real world in my comics. Sacco's work has done a lot to educate me on Israel and Bosnia and inspired me to learn more; it also helped inspire me to commit myself to a mission in Angola for 2011. After all the suffering I witnessed in Sacco's books, I felt the need to get overseas and help people. I blogged some more about Palestine here.

From Sacco I took an interest in How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden. This is an autobiographical story where the author goes on a birthright trip to Israel and confronts her prejudices about the Israelis. She never really confronts the issues about Palestine which formed her beliefs so her story's finish is a letdown...but that's real life, eh?

After promising myself for years that I would delve into Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, I finally took the plunge in 2010 and it's been providing me with some of the most consistently enjoyable stories on my bookshelf. With more than 20 volumes of trade paperbacks in print Usagi seems daunting to outsiders, but as fans in the know promised me, you can start almost anywhere in the series and find the story easy to flow into; I'm currently devouring the snake at both ends, working my way through the trades in order while buying the new issues as they ship.

The concept of a cat-man who solves crimes sounds simplistic, right? It is. What isn't is the art of Juanjo Guarnido, whose ability to render a lush, verisimilitudinous "funny animal" version of 50s noir made Blacksad an instant favourite. The fact that John Blacksad has whiskers is a tool to catch your attention, and it certainly worked on me. I'm eager to see more of Blacksad as it's translated. I blogged some more about Blacksad (and Usagi Yojimbo) here.

James Turner's Warlord of Io seems to have run its (troubled) course, drifting from serialized print format to electronic-only to trade paperback. It's much more plot driven than Turner's earlier Rex Libris, but the plot - video game crazy Zing being named emperor but facing an immediate coup - serves to introduce all sorts of fun characters, situations and opportunities for Turner to flex his artistic muscles. I blogged some more about Warlord of Io here.

Two of my favourite humourous writers came out with projects in 2010: Jim Rugg with his blaxploitation satire Afrodisiac and Bryan Lee O'Malley with Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour. Actually, while Afrodisiac is straight-up satire on every page (to the point where you can predict the outcomes - Afrodisiac gets every woman because every woman wants him; lather, wash, repeat), O'Malley's final Scott Pilgrim took itself with a smidge of seriousness when it came to Pilgrim and Ramona Flowers' relationship (as in the previous volume).

I took a gamble on American Born Chinese, but considering it had already won a few awards, it seemed like a safe bet. This book collects seemingly-unconnected tales about people who want to be something other than what they are (notably the titular Chinese-American protagonist). I can't know how growing up Asian in a mostly-white society feels, but I empathized with the feelings of otherness and ultimately, it's why I read fiction - to gain insight into other people's experiences.

For decades now, Batton Lash has been producing Supernatural Law - currently on the web - yet it's seldom brought up in comic book circles and the collections are difficult to locate. Happily, I found the volume Sonovawitch! in which Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre, represent a man accused of bewitching a woman to love him. In reality, he's a victim of his witch mother, who just wants her son to get married. Sonovawitch! is just one of the stories collected in that trade but it's typical of Wolff & Byrd's misadventures; I look forward to finding the rest of the series.

Finally, I delved into two well-described titles by John Ostrander: Grimjack and the Spectre. The Grimjack Omnibus was a nice little tome with interesting mash-ups of detective, horror, science fiction and comedy; my favourite was a story where Grimjack was hired by a vampire to catch his killer. Ostrander's Spectre may be the best of his work I've read; over 60 issues he delves into Jim Corrigan, a murdered police man bound to the spirit of vengeance, cursed to combat evil until he understands it. Corrigan's journey through the series, particularly his grief at losing his closest mortal friend, a fight with Superman that's unlike any I'd seen before, the character's philosophical and theological discussions with the level-headed Father Craemer and that final issue, with Corrigan's funeral...seek out the Spectre; back issues can be difficult to locate, but it's well worth the effort.

Tomorrow: books!

The best sound effects in comics: Incredible Hercules

It seems to have begun back in Greg Pak & John Romita Jr.'s World War Hulk#5 when letterer Chris Eliopoulos included a sound effect called "Grgpakk!" and another entitled "JRJRKJCSSSSS." Since then, Pak & Fred Van Lente's series Incredible Hercules has featured an amusing series of sound effects in the same vein. My favorites of the effects are:

Abomina: sound of the Abomination punching Hercules - Incredible Hercules#130

Aqwooooommm: sound of an underwater explosion - Incredible Hercules#120

Arhisdoree: sound of Hercules being kicked over a surrealist landscape - Incredible Hercules#131

Backatcha: sound of Thor punching Hercules - Incredible Hercules#136

Bichslapp: sound of Hercules backhanding his dead self - Incredible Hercules#131

Blablagwaaaaam sound of the Hulk punching the ground - Hulk vs. Hercules

Brakkaleesh: sound of Hercules breaking Cerebrus' leash - Incredible Hercules#129

Brakkitofff: sound of Thor hitting a troll in the head - Incredible Hercules#134

Capsmak: sound of Athena hitting a Harpy with her shield - Incredible Hercules#132

Clubwakk: sound of Hercules being hit by a troll's club - Incredible Hercules#134

Crackajammatu: sound of Hercules kicking his dead self in the chest - Incredible Hercules#131

Dethtrppp: sound of a suspended axe hitting a torture rack - Incredible Hercules#135

Dubbapow: sound of Hercules punching Venom and Sentry at same time - Incredible Hercules#128

Extngssssshhhhhh: sound of Hercules throwing a water-based opponent at a flame-based opponent - Incredible Hercules#119

Goddathundaaa: sound of Hercules knocking Thor into a wall - Incredible Hercules#136

Gotchagaaain: sound of Hercules punching Thor - Incredible Hercules#136

Granmorr: sound of Hercules punching Marvel Boy - Incredible Hercules#128

Hedcraack: sound of Hercules knocking Venom's head against Sentry's - Incredible Hercules#128

Hwwwwedgie: sound of Thor giving Hercules a wedgie - Incredible Hercules#136

Ixion: sound of Hercules being hit by a fiery table - Incredible Hercules#131

Jawcrack: sound of Hercules being punched in the jaw - Incredible Hercules#131

Joombbackcrackajrummmm: sound of Hercules kicking over a logging truck - Incredible Hercules#117

Jywoym-Jaroom: sound of Ajak's eyebeams hitting Hercules' chest - Incredible Hercules#117

Kallikantzapow: sound of Hercules hitting a Kallikantzaroi - Incredible Hercules#132

Khoiphoom: sound of Ares being hit by three missiles - Incredible Hercules#115

Krackahummmmaa: sound of Hercules hitting a troll with a hummer - Incredible Hercules#132

Krakabaka: sound of Hercules bringing Hulk down with a wrestling move - Hulk vs. Hercules

Malekrunch: sound of Malekith being crushed by Grendell - Incredible Hercules#136

N-Tu-Dasunnn: sound of Sentry being thrown through ceiling by Hercules - Incredible Hercules#128

Na-Cosboom: sound of Hercules punching a Skrull god - Incredible Hercules#120

Nklkrak: sound of Hercules cracking his knuckles - Incredible Hercules#126

Noggn: sound of two Amazons having their heads struck together - Incredible Hercules#124

Nu-krak: sound of Hercules hitting Sentry in the crotch - Incredible Hercules#128

Nuhhkkrack: sound of Thor hitting Hercules in the crotch - Incredible Hercules#136

Nuhkrakk: sound of Namora hitting Atlas in the crotch - Incredible Hercules#124

Nurp: sound of Hercules violently twisting Thor's nipples - Incredible Hercules#136

Panikakakakakakak: sound of Hercules tearing out of Nightmare's realm - Incredible Hercules#118

Papakrak: sound of Zeus punching Hercules - Incredible Hercules#131

Ploorgggg: sound of Hulk being hit into the ground by Hercules - Hulk vs. Hercules

Powdah: sound of Hercules crushing Sisyphus' boulder - Incredible Hercules#131

Quaktashtakrakshtafrakwoym: sound of a dreamtime vessel crashing - Incredible Hercules#119

Shtaaanne: sound of Pluto being struck by Obadiah Stane - Incredible Hercules#131

Sisy-Poof: sound of Sisyphus' boulder being recreated - Incredible Hercules#131

Skrrraatchthatt: sound of Zeus cutting off Hercules' retreat - Incredible Hercules#134

Sphycrankark: sound of Hercules punching Mikaboshi - Incredible Hercules#117

Splintuh: sound of Hercules shattering a wooden table - Incredible Hercules#131

Sukkkapunch: sound of Hercules punching Thor while his head is turned - Incredible Hercules#136

Taw-Prawnnnch sound of Hulk punching Ares into the ground - Hulk vs. Hercules

Thorrrrulz: sound of Thor striking Hercules - Incredible Hercules#136

Whambo: sound of Hercules punching Nightmare in the jaw - Incredible Hercules#118

Whatamannnn: sound of Thor striking the ground - Incredible Hercules#136

Zomboow: sound of Hercules being punched by his dead self - Incredible Hercules#131

Zoozzzaap: sound of Zeus striking Kallikantzaroi with lightning - Incredible Hercules#132