INCREDIBLE HULK #94 - More "Planet Hulk" Goodness - Review & Spoilers

[Expletive Deleted]

INCREDIBLE HULK #94 . . . Pak and Pagulayan . . . out today . . .

By the way, this is probably the only "Review & Spoilers" thread I'll be doing on this board today, so if anyone else wants to start one go right on ahead.

Anyway . . .

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Remember how last month the rebels burst into Hulk's victory feast and asked for his help? Yeah, not the best of moves on their part. Hulk compares them to puny humans and goes back to his meal while the rebels get arrested and/or slaughtered.

Minus one team member (the native girl sided with the rebels), Hulk's gladiator squad is brought back to the capitol city for some R&R. Hulk is approached by the Red King's Lieutenant, who comments that he's getting stronger and faster while offering him a way out of the gladiator gig, but Hulk rebuffs her. Then it's on to a new match. Unfortunately the match is with a spaceship nuking the gladiators from orbit. The Red King must still be pretty pissed at Hulk. As the bomb is dropping, however, Hulk leaps up and smashes it, causing it to prematurely detonate and saving everyone in the arena.

With the plan gone awry and Hulk presumed 'sploded, killer robots are dispatched into the arena to take care of the remaining gladiators. The acquit themselves well, but . . . let me put it this way: I'll give you three guesses on the question of who climbs out of the debris and smashes the killer robots, and the first two don't count. In a nicely drawn sequence from Pagulayan, Hulk smashes killer robots.

In spite of all that, the gladiators are subdued and placed in a holding cell. One of them, the native man whose daughter left earlier, is dead. The remaining gladiators (Hulk, the Brood, the Bug, the Stone Man, and the Nomad - they all have names, but I forget them) share their origin stories in a series of fun one and two page spreads by different artists and decide that for better or for worse, they're a team.

Then we cut to the arena's staff, getting ready for the next day's match. The team's opponent the next day will be . . . the Silver Surfer!

I am really digging this storyline. Plenty of action, a nice batch of new supporting characters with interesting back stories, good art, and a great sense of momentum building and building. The origin pages were great, especially Oeming's Thor and the Stone Men from Saturn and Allred's Hulk. The latter especially. Summing up almost everything you need to know about the character in one page, from his point of view? Nice.

Anyone else digging "Planet Hulk"?

[dingo]

I'm not going to see this one for a few days, how is the Silver Surfer involved?

Is he being coerced into this somehow?

[Expletive Deleted]

We don't know yet.

The last page shows him in a cage wearing some gladiator armor and being referred to as the "Silver Savage." He doesn't say anything, and there's not a lot of exposition.

[dingo]

We don't know yet.

The last page shows him in a cage wearing some gladiator armor and being referred to as the "Silver Savage." He doesn't say anything, and there's not a lot of exposition.

Cool, thanks E.D.

Should be interesting to see why he is there.

[Androo]

The surfer's also wearing one of the blue badges (obedience slugs) that all the gladiators have. And the board has been fashioned into a shield.

I'm wondering if he's still at low power from coming through the portal or if he's laying low on purpose. I'd figure it would be tough to cage the Silver Surfer. It would be cool if we find out he's there because Doc Strange asked him to check up on Hulk and make sure their teammate made it to the peaceful planet. I find it a little foolish for the Illuminati to send him off and just assume everything would work out. Don't they ever read comics? :p

I really enjoyed this issue and can't wait for the next.

[Tony Starkz]

It's amazing how much substance there is here.When I heard about Planet Hulk a year ago,I was skeptical to say the least.There is so much going on here and that makes it more than just Hulk off planet as a gladiator.

[kal_el2100]

A couple months ago I was 99.9% sure I was going to drop this title. Then I read the "Planet Hulk" issues. Wow! The writitng and the artwork have been great and this book has climbed into my top 5 regular/non-mini titles. I can't wait for then next issue to what happens between the Green Scar and the Silver Savage. Have the Hulk and the Silver Surfer ever faced off before?

[Soundrave]

I can't wait for then next issue to what happens between the Green Scar and the Silver Savage.

Check out this preview pic from www.hulknews.com!

[xzilledangel]

I'll just say WTF on that...if it is indeed sivler surfer does it have any tie in to the anihilation series.

The first few Planet hulks have been so action packed and fun reads im scared that the next Planet hulk series is going to slow down and get all psychological. Sigh, just hurry up and get the man back to Earth.

Hulk Hit list.
Thor (just cause i want to see the fight)
FF4 (well Reed for sure)

And the knockdown dragout fight
Dr. strange vs Hulk....two ultimate powers on different sides of the coin with. Oh and dont bring up the whole banishment thing...hulk has been a nexus between univereses since heros reborn and some of that is still in him (i hope)

[Tony Starkz]

I don't see Hulk going after Thor.Thor had nothing to do with his banishing,if anything,I could see him as an ally to Hulk.

[xzilledangel]

oh i dont see hulk going after Thor but I do see thor trying to stop him. Hulks rage never hits one target he is a weapon of mass destruction in the strickest of deffinitions. If hulks goes after those that banished him the destruction that will insew would be enough for Thor to stepup and possibly try to wranggle him in. But for the most part I would like to see them really duke it out.

[Soundrave]

I'll just say WTF on that...if it is indeed sivler surfer does it have any tie in to the anihilation series.

I think one of the editors (either Schmidt or Paniccia, I forget) said that Surfer's appearance in Planet Hulk takes place just prior to events in Annihilation.

Did anyone notice on the letters page how they gave the little blurb about the Planet Hulk Gladiator Handbook in July? It looks like there's going to be a lot of new material in it focusing on histories of all the major characters and maps of the planet. Sounds great!

It'd be cool if the gladiator team comes back to Earth with Hulk and wreaks havoc on the puny humans! I hope they survive that long!

Miek vs. Spider-Man!!
Korg the Stone Man vs. Iron Man!!
Brood vs. Mr. Fantastic!!
Shadow Guy vs. Black Bolt!!

[cable guy]

I don't see Hulk going after Thor.Thor had nothing to do with his banishing,if anything,I could see him as an ally to Hulk.

I see Sentry vs Thor on the horizon.

Thus Hulk vs Thor would make sense.

[Sabrinaset]

A couple months ago I was 99.9% sure I was going to drop this title. Then I read the "Planet Hulk" issues. Wow! The writitng and the artwork have been great and this book has climbed into my top 5 regular/non-mini titles. I can't wait for then next issue to what happens between the Green Scar and the Silver Savage. Have the Hulk and the Silver Surfer ever faced off before?

Agree completely on this. I look forward to reading the Hulk now...been a long time. Hasn't been on my pull list since Jenkins.

Hulk/Surfer faced off in Tales of Astonish, just before the Surfer got his first mag, I think...and Hulk #250. Probably done it many other times as well..

[JuggernautRM]

Robots: Enemy Down. Enemy Down.
Hulk: ENEMY MAD!
Robots: Enemy Mad. Enemy Mad.


Man im loving this book.