Planet Hulk is, without a doubt, one of the best and most epic Marvel events ever. Created by Greg Pak, he has taken a stab at writing a sequel via Planet Hulk: Woldbreaker. Set 1,000 years into the future, Pak and artist Manuel Garcia check in on key characters like She-Hulk, Amadeus Cho, and Bruce Banner. A five-issue miniseries, Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker is a big jump in time, but when it comes to Hulks, time doesn’t apply – at least not physically. Enter a narrative involving both unfamiliar and familiar characters, as Sakaar doesn’t see the Hulk as a savior but as a doom-bringer.
Right off the bat, Greg Pak makes it clear the curse of being Hulk continues in Sakaar one thousand years into the future. They see him as a monster, and priestess Venkiera is bringing folks together by demonizing Hulk. Some know the truth, including a young green-skinned boy named Balo and a 20-something green-skinned woman named Tala. The world is barren and dangerous, yet they’re on their own. They’re outsiders, and soon we learn they’re also being tracked.
Enter Amadeus Cho, who is now older and possibly profoundly connected to these strangers. The story moves along quickly, detailing Cho’s stance on the world and himself while informing us of how bad things have gotten on the planet. Hulk may have been the ruler of Sakaar at one time, but Pak seems to be revealing with time even the greatest heroes can be used as weapons to manipulate the people.
Hulk is going through some stuff when he enters the story.
Credit: Marvel
After the first issue, each issue feels like spiritual check-in with key Planet Hulk characters. We get to see what Korg is up to, for instance, and we also learn how She-Hulk is keeping a city safe all by herself. With these issue-to-issue check-ins, one can see Pak is having a blast filling the reader in on their epic journey to get to where they are. That includes Bruce Banner, who is still reeling from losing his queen. It takes a few issues, but you realize this is not only a nice sequel to see how the battle continues so far into the future, but also how the culture of Hulks came to be. Given the nature of a Hulk’s ability to live for so long and the wartorn world they now live in, one can see a fantasy opera unfolding.
On the flip side, how Hulk and Cho aren’t mentally broken just by being alive for 1,000 years is never explained. It’s also a bit hard to believe Bruce is still grieving after so many years. Heck, Cho even mentions he’s sired a lot of kids in that time. While this story isn’t about the mental tax of being alive for so long, it’s surprising it doesn’t come up once.
The art is by Manuel Garcia, with inks by Cam Smith and colors by Chris Sotomayor. The environments look good, with details showing how barren the world has become. It’s not unlike Mustafar in the opening, though we soon see green spaces and trash heaps. The bottom line is it’s an alien world that has seen better days. The enemies the characters face off against are also intriguing, like a riff on Sentinels, which indeed harbors some hint at who is behind things. You can also see Cho in the face, but he’s a bit weary and tired from being alive so long and living in such a desolate place.
Fans who loved Greg Pak’s Planet Hulk and the stories that spilled from that must read Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker. It continues the story of Sakaar while exploring the dangers of vilifying a person for political gain. It’s also an entertaining journey in checking in with key characters of that epic, revealing how some things change, but many remain the same until a Hulk gains the strength to do the right thing.
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