Skarr: Son of Hulk #1

Published by Marvel Comics. Plot and script by Greg Pak. Pencils by Ron Garney.

The Deal: Spinning out of the 14-part "Planet Hulk" storyline -- which went down in the pages of The Incredible Hulk about one year ago -- comes Skaar: Son of Hulk. Skaar is pretty much who the title of the comic says he is: He's the Hulk's bouncing baby boy. During the "Planet Hulk" arc, old greenskin was exiled on a savage alien world (called Sakaar) by some of his former friends. But the Hulk quickly found that he fit right in on the brutal planet, eventually becoming a king and gaining the love of an alien woman. Hulk finally did the nasty, and his wife was pregnant. The whole scenario went to hell, however, when his wife and most of the planet was killed in a huge explosion. Thinking his woman and yet-to-be-birthed child were dead, Hulk headed back to Earth to exact revenge. But back on Sakaar, the kid was actually still alive ... and that's about it.

The Good: I really did not want to like this comic book. Generally, I hate the expansion of iconic characters (Bat Mite, Krypto, and She-Hulk, for example), so I just cringed when I heard there would be a "Son of Hulk." But, I must admit, the creation of Skaar makes sense and is a natural outgrowth of the "Planet Hulk" tale. I love the rough-and-tumble setting of the planet Sakaar, which is teeming with strange monsters and sadistic bad guys. This comic's premise, surprisingly, shows a great deal of potential.

The Bad: I love Ron Garney's art, but who the hell made the decision to not ink his work? This ink-less style of presenting comic art is just ugly, and it never garners a large amount of fan support.

The Verdict: Skaar is shockingly enjoyable. The story is engrossing, but the art needs ink.

Reviewed materials furnished by Heroes Aren't Hard To Find, the folks behind the annual HeroesCon comic convention, which hits Charlotte June 20-22. For more, visit: www.heroesonline.com.