Beside Incredible Hercules, the ongoing series that debuted in the wake of World War Hulk have been kind of lame. The less said about Jeph Loeb’s Hulk, the better. Which leaves us with Skaar: Son of Hulk, which promised the same type of action and plot elements as Greg Pak’s previous Planet Hulk run. This was promised, despite the fact that nearly the entire internet community was unanimous in saying while Planet Hulk had its merits, it was very drawn out and was praised when it finally ended. So the decision made by Marvel to make even MORE of those issues is a bit of a mystery to me, it seems almost sadistic. But anyways, I picked up the first issue and had such a negative response, as if I had escaped Planet Hulk after years of imprisonment and was immediatly plunged back onto it. So I vowed to completly ignore this series until the inevitable Skaar vs. Hulk showdown happened. So here we are, at the dawn of that showdown. Does it look enticing?

Well after reading the recap page, I realized I hadn’t missed much in the 12 or so issues that came before. Skaar was born, he was battle hardened, his already dead planet has been even further destroyed, and now he’s on Earth. That’s it. The rest of the issue is pretty much just the Fantastic Four (w/ She-Hulk) and H.A.M.M.E.R. trying to subdue him. This huge fight scene was pretty hollow and bland, which I guess can be attributed to the fact that the arrival of Skaar really doesn’t suprise anybody. A big plot point that I was hoping would be further explored would be the shock and awe of the Marvel U. players that the fact that not only does the Hulk have a son, but he’s just a strong and pissed off as he is. But no, they just see him, acknowledge that he’s the Hulk’s son, and fight him. How anti-climatic.

The art was kind of grimy and minimalistic, and further put a damper on the excitement level of the book. Skaar doesn’t look intimidating at all, he just looks…there. You really can’t say anything about Skaar besides the fact that he’s standing right there and holding a sword. I hope this guy isn’t doing future issues, his art is like an excitement vacuum.

I know this is just a prologue, and it’s sole purpose is to set up the main story, but things aren’t looking good for Hulk Jr’s spotlight. The issue does, however, bring up a plot point in my mind that I hope get’s explored: Behind all the pale green muscle, Skaar is just a young boy, who is just discovering life through the eyes of this anger-filled mountain of adrenaline and muscle. Interactions that further that plot point can make Skaar into an interesting character…but I may just be dreaming.