Planet She-Hulk #1 Is a Fun Game of Thrones-Style Romp (Review)

Imperial changed the course of the cosmic Marvel Universe. In some ways, it rebooted the various alien empires of the universe to a “default” setting. The Kree/Skrull alliance is gone, Hulkling and Wiccan are back on Earth, the Shi’Ar are fighting themselves again, and Sakaar en Nevo is without a king. She-Hulk has been left on the planet as a representative of the Hulk dynasty that has run things since the classic “Planet Hulk”. Planet She-Hulk #1 picks up there, and it’s pretty much everything you could ask for from this kind of story, a cool yet cliché little number with eye-popping action and Game of Thrones-style intrigue.

Imperial was a major shake-up, but you don’t really have to read it to understand where this book is going. It does a great job of describing the important plot points you need to know in the first few pages, which is a nice change from some other books that have come out of major events. Writer Stephanie Phillips doesn’t always hit for every character she writes, but she’s in rare form here. She gets She-Hulk’s individual voice, and while the book isn’t laugh-out-loud funny, it is definitely clever and humorous. This book could have gone dark and ponderous, but that’s not a She-Hulk story, and Phillips is able to make sure that this story fits the character.

As far as the story goes, she also nails the various elements of it. The plot drops readers into a world without a leader, one full of scheming parties trying to take power. Planet She-Hulk #1 is a snapshot of world in chaos, with She-Hulk as the only person who doesn’t want anything from the planet but to go home. The issue begins in media res with a wedding, gives us a flashback to the set-up, then back to the wedding. It’s sort of a cliche to take readers to a wedding gone wrong, but it’s an entertaining one that leads to another action scene, sets up a few mysteries about who the villain is going to be, and ends on a last page reveal that propels things forward well. It’s functional without shaking the boat.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Planet She-Hulk #1’s Art Is the Real Deal

Cosmic Marvel’s most beloved epics are known for their gorgeous art, and Planet She-Hulk #1 has some of the best art I’ve seen in a Marvel comic lately. Penciler Aaron Kuder has always been a skilled artist, and his style has grown beyond the Frank Quitely-inspired pencils that got him noticed. Planet She-Hulk #1 kicks off with some amazing full and double-page spreads, eye-catching pieces that readers will marvel at. Kuder’s art throughout the book is just as good. The detail never flags and never gets sketchy, each page showing off why Kuder is an underrated artist in today’s Marvel Comics.

Sonia Oback’s colors deserve a special shout out as well. The colors in this book are beautiful, and really bring the best out of the pencils. I keep going back to the first three pages of the book, because they are basically perfect. The action scenes, especially the wedding scene, have a nice kinetic feel to them. At one point in the book, there are panels that tell the story of the kinds of days that She-Hulk has had on Sakaar en Nevo, and Kuder and Oback are able to take each panel and tell a mini-story. The art is strongest part of this book, by far.

Planet She-Hulk #1 is an entertaining first issue, but it isn’t perfect. It hits every single cliche you can imagine in this type of story; you’ve seen all of this before. However, Phillips is able to use She-Hulk to make the whole thing entertaining. She gets the character, and I’d love to read her on a more regular type of book starring the hero. Kuder and Oback are the main reason to buy this book. Their art is gorgeous and does all of the heavy-lifting. Planet She-Hulk #1 isn’t the next big thing, but it’s definitely fun.

Planet She-Hulk #1 is on sale now.

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