New writer Greg Pak comes on board to begin the much-hyped Planet Hulk storyline, bringing with him new artist Carlo Pagulayan. It's fair to say they've got their work cut out for them. Peter David's 13-year run on the book casts a long shadow over it, and while his recent return to the title lacked direction, it still raised the bar of expectation for the incoming team. What chance do the new guys have of out-Hulking the definitive Hulk writer?

The answer, of course, is very little. Luckily for us, they're not even going to try. Planet Hulk begins a story that takes the Hulk far away from his conventional settings and places him as a gladiator on an alien world, without any of his familiar friends or enemies. While Peter David dabbled with a space-faring Hulk, he never took on anything so epic. The culture shock the Hulk faces is both overwhleming and instant, when first he finds himself injured by alien weapons, and then physically restrained by the technology of the civilisation, and successfully so. Recognised as a strong warrior, he's made to fight for the amusement of Roman-style people. He attempts escape, but we learn fast that it's not going to be so easy.

While it's only just started, it looks like the storyline's going to be as much Conan as the Hulk. In stark contrast to the last time the title was given a big push during the Bruce Jones run, Bruce Banner doesn't appear at all in this issue. It's about the Hulk discovering that on this planet, he's not the strongest one there is by a long shot - and realising he's going to have to prove it all over again. Assuming he can escape the certain death that awaits him at the conclusion of this issue (call me an optimist, but I'm betting he will.)

Some people may find themselves turned off by the apparant fantasy-based elements that look like they're going to be a big part of this run. I'm not a fan of fantasy at all, but the character-based approach is keeping me interested. I'm looking forward to the Hulk doing some proper smashing of those who have subjugated him, and it seems clear that his profile on this world will be raised considerably in the future - I'm pretty sure they don't call it Planet Hulk because he's going to stay crushed under the heel of the Emporer who's taking great glee in making things personal with Hulk in this issue.

Those looking for a little more integration with the Marvel universe may be out of luck. As part of the upcoming Civil War event, the key players in that event (the Bendis-conceived "illuminati" of the MU) have purposefully isolated the Hulk for the duration of this storyline. There is the promise of appearances by some of Marvel's space-faring characters, however.

Paguluyan's artwork is clear and detailed, and he draws an excellent Hulk that appears to share common ground with Adam Kubert's take on the character. He's got the unenviable task of making a large selection of previously unseen alien races seem both interesting and distinctive, but he's doing well with the large number of background characters necessary for this issue. He's an upcoming artist for whom this big storyline could draw some well-deserved attention.

Planet Hulk is certainly likely to divide opinion. It's a large leap away from what has previously been done with the character, and from that comes both its biggest potential for failure and its best chance to stand out. Despite a lot of praise from Joe Quesada and the rest of Marvel higher-ups, Greg Pak has yet to convincingly win over the fans. This is an original take on the Hulk and if it hits the right audience, it could give Pak the profile Marvel's been pushing for. This issue looks to be a promising start. B+.