REVIEW: ‘Hulk,’ Issue #10

Hulk #10 is written by Donny Cates, penciled by Ryan Ottley, inked by Cliff Rathburn, colored by Sonia Oback & Marte Gracia, and lettered by VC’s Cory Petit. It’s published by Marvel Comics. “Hulk Planet” finds Starship Hulk on a new adventure, as Bruce Banner continues with his travels after his battle with Thor. He’s found a planet powered entirely by gamma and populated with beings who are just as strong as he is. Their leader, Monolith, invites Banner to make a new home in this gamma-powered world. But has the Hulk finally found a place to call home, or is there more to this planet than meets the eye?

A lot of fans will probably point out that this topic has been tackled before in the classic Planet Hulk storyline. And while they’re not wrong, Cates has found yet another spin to put on a classic Hulk trope. It turns out that the planet was born from Banner’s visit to an alternate Earth, and due to time passing differently, its inhabitants built entire civilizations. Normally, the Hulk is associated with death and destruction on an unfathomable scale. But to learn that he’s actually created something is a surprising turn of events and gives him hope that maybe he won’t only be known for his destructive acts. Cates juxtaposes this with flashbacks from Banner’s youth, particularly his interactions with his mother—the one person who didn’t call him weak. It makes for an interesting contrast with Monolith.

With a new planet comes yet another chance for Ottley to deliver some insane action. In a pair of double-page spreads, he depicts the gruesome origins of the gamma planet, as its earliest inhabitants battled for survival. Limbs go flying, jaws are broken, and blood spatters multiple panels. But it isn’t all gritty violence. Ottley also designs a massive sci-fi city that looks ripped from a Star Trek episode, with Rathburn’s inks highlighting the circuitry within as well as the lines on the gamma beings’ faces. The gamma beasts also vary in size and shape, as well as appendages. Some have two arms, some have four, and others look like dragons and wolves. It’s a beautiful mix of Roddenberry and Frazetta, and I hope to see more of it.

Rounding out the artistic team is Gracia and Oback, who step in for series colorist Frank Martin. Both of them deliver a vibrant collection of colors, but as is befitting the Hulk, green is the most prominent. The flashbacks feature shades of green in the police station where a young Banner stands catatonic. The sky on the Gamma Planet is a bright green. And its inhabitants are various shades of green. It takes a lot of talent to make one color stand out throughout a comic, but the duo pulls it off.

Hulk #10 leans all the way into its sci-fi trappings, delivering a new environment as well as subversions of the classic Hulk story. The next issue will see the debut of a new sport titled “God Ball,” which sounds like my kind of sport. And I’m not a sports guy, so that should tell you something!

Hulk #10 is available wherever comics are sold.