The Incredible Hulk is one of those characters that seems very hard to write for over a long period of time. The standard man-transformed-into-monster storylines get run through very quickly but in the case of the Incredible Hulk they were very fortunate to have a successful live-action TV show in the 1970s. Now, the technology for transforming a regular sized human into a hulking monster wasn't as sophisticated as it is today, CGI, if it existed at all was in its infancy and very expensive. It would have been used for seconds here and there in commercials and not in a weekly television show or even a full-feature movie.
What the writers of the Incredible Hulk TV show did was to draw inspiration from an older successful TV show called The Fugitive starring David Janssen which, itself, drew inspiration from the French novel by Victor Hugo called Les Misérables about a paroled prisoner Jean Valjean who was sentenced to 20 years hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread but he fails to show up for his parole appointments and is hounded by the former guard turned police inspector, Javert, who is a very by-the-book type of policeman and hounds Valjean throughout the novel. The Fugitive was also inspired by the real life crime case of Doctor Samuel Sheppard who had been falsely convicted of murdering his wife.
At any rate, the TV show breathed new inspiration into the comics and for a short while there was even a full-sized magazine version of The Hulk with glossy pages and more adult themed stories that followed more the lead of the TV show.
Eventually, in the pages of the comics the Hulk and Bruce Banner are separated and Banner becomes somewhat unhinged while the Hulk is off in other dimensions, both suffering the from the lack of the other.
I am glad to finally have this omnibus of Planet Hulk in my hands as it seems to be one of the most celebrated Hulk stories of the modern era, which is to say post-2000. And next month will see the release of its equal or maybe it is even considered its superior, World War Hulk, both stories actually being one mega story.
Based on what I have heard from other YouTube comic book channels, this volume sees the Hulk shot off into space when the Avengers and Fantastic Four decide the Hulk is too great a threat to the earth. The Hulk crash lands on an alien planet where he becomes a gladiator, finds love and happiness, and loses it all.
And if you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you'll be interested to know that Thor: Rangnarok is going to be based, at least partially, on Planet Hulk, and while it will only be the concept of Hulk as a gladiator so he can fight Thor, the movie will be fun and you can enjoy the alternative story in this awesome omnibus!
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