Hulk has a (well-earned) reputation as a sort of one note character. He shows up, he smashes, people call him a monster, he saves the day, lather, rinse, repeat. He's a fun character, but I've always believed he works better as part of an ensemble cast than as the star of a story... until I read Planet Hulk. Without spoiling anything about the setting, this book gives Hulk the opportunity to shine as an individual character, a warrior, a leader, and even a love interest. I plowed through all 300+ pages of this trade in record time-- there was so much action and so many things going on at once that I didn't want to put it down, not even for a moment. This trade is an incredible ride from start to finish, and although the story continues in World War Hulk, the general consensus is that it fails to live up to the greatness of this book. Fortunately, Planet Hulk works perfectly well as a stand alone story. I encourage you to check it out, even if you don't usually enjoy Hulk stories. You won't regret it!