COMIC BOOKS: Hulk Vol. 2

Aug. 19—One of the strangest — possibly the strangest — storyline in the Hulk's 60-year history comes to an end with a visit to Hulk Planet and an interior struggle between the warring psyches of Hulk/Bruce Banner ... and other inner personalities.

The inner conflict between Hulk, Banner and multiple other personalities is not the strange part of the Donny Cates (writer) and Ryan Ottley (writer/artist) run on this title.

Revelations that there are more personalities than just Banner and Hulk have been a regular part of the Hulk mythos for several years.

The strange thing with the Cates/Ottley run is how Hulk/Banner arrived at Planet Hulk.

The Hulk's body has been transformed into a space ship. Banner is the pilot in the mind control room of the "space ship." The Hulk psyche is the engine room. Banner creates scenarios to increase the ferocity of the Hulk psyche which fuels the Hulk space ship.

See ... strange.

But interesting and it concludes in the second volume of the run, collecting "Hulk" issues 9-14.

Ottley, the run's artist, replaced Cates as writer in about the last third of the run so it's uncertain if the conclusion offered is what readers would have read had Cates continued to the end.

The basic storyline: Hulk/Banner has landed on Planet Hulk, which is now inhabited by a race of giants who tower over the Hulk but believe he is the founding father of their culture. Hulk/Banner must prove he remains the strongest one there is.

Meanwhile, the Hulk/Banner psyche faces a threat from within that threatens to destroy him and the entire planet. Titan, an ultra-ego within the Hulk/Banner mind, threatens to destroy Banner and the Hulk and ravages the planet.

An intriguing storyline that also asks what's next for Hulk?