Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Ryan Ottley
Color Artists: Sonia Oback & Marte Gracia
Cover Artists: Ryan Ottley & Matt Hollingsworth
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
After hurtling through space and time, and fighting Thor in a deadly clash, Bruce Banner took the Hulk back into outer space. This time though, he discovers not a new enemy to fight, but something he never expected: a planet of Hulks. See what this Gamma world of Hulks has to offer the original Green Goliath in Hulk #10.
Review:
This issue has Bruce Banner take a tour on the Hulk Planet as I’ll be calling it for this review. The comic delivers on exploring what life is like on this new Gamma world, what the citizens are like, and provides a glimpse as to who its mysterious queen Monolith is like. Most of all, we see how Bruce Banner starts to settle into the new surroundings on a planet filled with Hulk-like beings who revere him as a savior, a living legend.
Right off the bat, the comic delivers its first theme of pain and how Bruce deals with the pain of his past that still haunts him; basic Hulk stuff but it’s well-written. It doesn’t take long for the comic to establish its emotional center before transitioning to exploring the history of this new Hulk Planet and just how it came to be. The backstory of the Hulk Planet is where Ryan Ottley shines when it comes to the art as we get a mixture of epic brutality and grand locations. You see the rage, emotions, and savagery on display as well as the jubilance of the citizens as they rise to glory and build their world. This jubilant behavior is shown mostly through the citizens as they meet the original Hulk.
Donny Cates also connects the origins of the Hulk Planet with the other major story arc in this run, so it won’t feel like it came out of nowhere. Readers don’t learn much about Monolith herself in this issue, but they do get glimpses of her past. Now, will she be the villain for this story arc? It’s too soon to tell. For now, it’s evident that there’s more going on this Hulk Planet that she’s not telling Bruce, and the major cliffhanger at the end will certainly leave readers wanting to learn more about what’s going to happen.
Now, I want to be upfront about this comic: it’s not bad but it’s not great either. It’s sadly part of the trend of modern comic writers in Marvel Comics to write issues for the trades. What do I mean by that? On its own, this issue doesn’t really do much other than tell a neat flashback about this Hulk Planet which could’ve been shorter. However, it’s fine when paired with the previous issue and probably the next issue.
The issue’s well-written, the art is great, the main themes are well conveyed, and the flashback for the Hulk Planet is interesting. But except for a few panels including the ending, there’s no real suspense, tension, or conflict in this comic, it’s just one big flashback issue with no real story being told just setup for the next issue.
Final Thoughts:
Hulk #10 shows readers what this Hulk Planet is all about. Donny Cates does a fine job setting up this new world of Hulk-like beings that is brought to life by Ryan Ottley’s excellent art showing its brutal rise to civilization. However, the comic is mainly one big flashback issue with little story being told in the present. But the ending cliffhanger does set up something very interesting for Bruce Banner in the next issue.