This month's issue of PLANET HULK offers up quite the buildup to a pretty awesome fight. Steve Rogers had been captured by a group of Hulks and Devil Dinosaur has disappeared. Luckily, Doc Green is still kicking around and helps out in the fight. Steve also remembers moments from his past with Bucky, whom is searching for in this book. Plus, a pretty crazy reveal at the end of the issue.
It's been pretty obvious, since the start of this book, that PLANET HULK is inspired by a lot of classic adventure films and tales but with this very cool Marvel twist on it. Writer Sam Humphries delivers a fun and engaging story that brings characters together in this weird, weird world. Seeing Devil Dinosaur return to battle was an awesome moment and reestablishes the fact their Warbound. Plus, it's a dinosaur beating people up. What's not to love? The book also continues to build on the relationship between Bucky and Steve, which can be a tough task when one of those characters hasn't been seen at all in this series. The final pages lead the reader to believe that hope is lost.
That's what's really working with this book is that it's taking the reader along for the ride, yet there's moments where it feels like all hope is lost, yet Rogers continues to rise to the occasion. It says a lot about the soul essence of Steve Rogers that no matter who he is, he's always willing to not only do what's right, but also has the ability to overcome great odds. On the downside, the book does have a tendency to drag a bit, on occasion. There isn't too much of that in this issue though. The pacing is solid and moves really well. The only real problem with the issue is that it may leave the reader to want to see a bit more action, which isn't the worst thing in the world.
On top of everything that's great about the book, the artwork by Marc Laming and Jordan Boyd really steals the show. Boyd is a name that keeps popping up when it comes to colorwork that really stands out. He does some solid, beautiful work throughout the issue, but he truly does some outstanding work during the flashback scenes, where everything has this bluish tone to it, giving the feeling of a faded memory. As for Marc Laming, well, he's top notch and needs to be drawing some form of Devil Dinosaur on-going series in the future. He's fantastic at showing emotion in these characters faces as well. This creative team is simply awesome.
PLANET HULK continues to be incredibly fun, which is exactly what readers want to see in a big summer event which can get a bit too serious for some people. Humphries delivers a cool adventure story accompanied by some awesome art from Laming and Boyd. It's a great re-imagining of these characters and the ending will leaving you wanting more.