Review: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1

I was a big fan of Planet Hulk. I’ve got that big awesome oversized hardcover on my shelf, and I think it stands quite well as the sort of superhero book that isn’t really a superhero book. Not to mention the Warbound’s notion of honor through battle, which is a literary trope that I’ve loved ever since I became enamored with the work of Homer, Plato and Sophocles. It was a book that had everything going for it. But nothing lasts forever, and Planet Hulk ended on a high note, with issue 105 being one of the best of the entire 14 issue run.

Then World War Hulk showed up. It was pretty good for what it was, but it was also boiled down to the absolute lowest common Hulk Smash denominator. Which is fine, but not exactly something to be considered transcendent. The ending was a bit of a head scratcher, but I think it worked overall. Of course, it’s going to be seen in the future as one of those non events, because nothing really changed. Bruce was still the Hulk, and he was already on the loose by issue three of the series I choose not to name (*ahem* FUCK YOU JEPH LOEB), and Sentry sure hasn’t seemed much worse for wear through Mighty Avengers and Secret Invasion (One of these days they’re going to get the Sentry right again, and it’s going to be fantastic. Maybe we should give him back to Jenkins?). The conspiratorial part of me wants to think that Greg Pak agreed to do World War Hulk only if they would let him continue to play in the sandbox of Sakaar on his own terms. Sure, I’m probably completely off base and crazy, but considering the quality of Planet Hulk at 14 issues and the spurious nature of World War Hulk at 5 issues, you get some hope from part three of his “Hulk trilogy” being originally solicited as a twelve issue mini which may or may not be ongoing now.

But what about the issue itself? It’s pretty good. Similar to those early moments in Planet Hulk with a main character dealing with a harsh and unfamiliar terrain. We get some vague notions of how Skaar is already fully grown, and quite some time has passed. Not a whole lot happens. Skaar kills some indigenous wild life, meets some holdovers from the Red King’s reign (more on that in sec) and generally acts like a badass. We’ve got a big bad set up that’ll take us through this opening arc. All is pretty much as one would expect. This is basically Conan in space. Big powerful brute that isn’t the brightest guy on Sakaar beating stuff up. What’s not to love?

Well, one thing does bother me. Wasn’t the whole reason Hulk and the Warbound left Sakaar in the first place because the explosion of Hulk’s ship make the planet uninhabitable thanks to some irreparable shifts in the plate tectonics? Seem to be quite a lot of people, vegetation and wildlife on this supposedly dead planet. I’m not saying this is an oversight, and I’m intrigued to see if Pak gives a reasoning for the rejuvenation of the planet (perhaps Caiera becoming one with the planet healed it? Just an example). I mean, it’s a necessity to tell just about any kind of possible story, as there’s only so much that can be done with Hulk’s kid when he’s walking a dead planet alone. Also, I miss the Warbound as a presence in this book. Maybe not the Warbound specifically, but some kind of external cast of characters, but that of course will come in time.

What’s good though, is the continuation of one of the highlights of both Planet Hulk and World War Hulk: the narrative. You know the one. The slate gray caption boxes that talk in prophecies and give a lot of flavor to the mythology of Sakaar and the Sakaar’son. We saw them quite a lot in Planet Hulk, and not nearly as much in World War Hulk. Well, they’re back here, as Caiera continues to chronicle the legend of the Green Scar, this time through his son. And I love it. I’m a sucker for mythology, and this is the type of slow burn creation of an entire culture that I can really get behind. It’s why I was so sad to see Planet Hulk end.

There’s potential here. I think it’s going to take a bit of time for this book to really get going. It’s certainly not a bad start, but I think at least for issue one it’s still a bit too much World War Hulk and not enough Planet Hulk. Hopefully things will settle down and we’ll get the chance to see some good solid characterization of this new entry into the Marvel universe. He can’t simply get along being the Hulk’s kid. There are differences, and I want to see them explored. I expect Greg Pak will not let me down.

Three and a half stars out of five for this one

Tags: Greg Pak, Hulk, Marvel Comics, Ron Garney, Skaar