Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

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Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Kevin W. »

Skaar: Son of Hulk #1:
Written by Greg Pak
Artwork by Ron Garney


I've read the first issue, and this appears to be the type of series that can be analyzed issue by issue. It'll have little to do with events on Marvel Earth, (and probably little to do with the "cosmic" titles like "Nova" and "Guardians of the Galaxy") so placement on the Calender shouldn't be an issue.

Appearances: Skaar, Axeman Bone, Hulk, (in flashback):

Synopsis:

Pgs. 1-4: FB A recap of events from "Planet Hulk", these are flashback sequences, but there is a few panels that show new events. As such, I'll explain how they interweave with Hulk vol. 3 #105. Paul, the following entry on your calender will have to be picked apart a bit:
Paul's Calender wrote: INCREDIBLE HULK v3 #105 (4-18)
The same day as WWH 5-FB (2p3). On "Day 3 of the reign of the Green King," everyone inside Crown City is killed except for the Hulk. Caiera crumbles to dust inside his arms. The tectonic plates of the continent are cracked by the explosion, reducing much of the countryside to rubble. Hiroim states that the planet is doomed. Miek and Elloe, inside the Shadow Elder's spaceship, race across the countryside rounding up as many people as they can, including Arch-E-5912, Korg, and Hiroim, and No-Name. They pick up the Hulk last. The Hulk sees no point in going on, but his Warbound companions point out that in their spaceship, they can go anywhere, and that gives Hulk the idea of heading back to Earth to pay a little visit to the idiot Earthlings who created the space shuttle.
The new entries should look like this:

H3 #105, pgs. 4-10: Everyone inside Crown City is killed except for the Hulk. The tectonic plates of the continent are cracked by the explosion, reducing much of the countryside to rubble. Hiroim states that the planet is doomed. Miek and Elloe, inside the Shadow Elder's spaceship, race across the countryside rounding up as many people as they can, including Arch-E-5912, Korg, and Hiroim, and No-Name.

H3 #105, pg. 11: Hulk holds the dead Caiera in his arms.

H3 #105, pg. 12, panel 1: More of Hulk holding Caiera. She is starting to turn to ash.

H3 #1-5, pg. 12, panel 2: Caiera turns to ash in Hulk's arms. At the same time as this, we have SKAAR #1 pg. 3, panel 6: We now see the egg, (Caiera's unborn baby) has survived the blast, (Caiera used the last of her "Old Power" to preserve her baby). As Hulk grieves, he fails to notice the egg rolling off the edge of the newly formed cliff that Hulk is standing upon.

SKAAR #1, Pg. 4, panels 1-3: FB The egg falls into the boiling ocean, where it already begins to slowly hatch.

H3 #105, pg. 12, panel 3: The Hulk's eyes flash with anger.

SKAAR #1, pg. 4 panel 4: FB Hulk shouts out "CAIERA!!!" (he doesn't shout out that in the original version, so I choose to insert it as a new "scene" here).

H3 #105, pg. 13-18: Hulk begins hammering the ground and throwing boulders, shouting out, "BRING THEM BACK!!!" (referring to all of Crown City). After his anger is spent, the other Warbound arrive in the stone space ship, to pick him up. Hulk sees no point in going on, but his Warbound companions point out that in their spaceship, they can go anywhere, and that gives Hulk the idea of heading back to Earth to pay a little visit to the idiot Earthlings who created the space shuttle.


SKAAR #1, pg. 4, panel 5:FB:
The egg hatches, and baby Skaar swims to the surface. It implied by the narration that because of the traits of the Hulk and Caiera, (and the danger the egg was in) this sped up the incubation time. The narration also indicates that Hulk and the Warbound are leaving the planet around the same time as the baby is hatching and swimming to the surface.

SKAAR #1, pg. 5-7: From this point on, I'm not sure I'd consider this a "flashback" as it's told from a "present day" point of view. Baby Skaar makes it to the surface, where he starts eating bugs. Giant bugs, (children of Miek and No-Name, which we later learn are called "Hybrids") come along and try to eat him. They fight, until a larger dinosaur like creature comes along. The hybrids and Skaar team-up and kill the dinosaur, and begin to eat it.

SKAAR #1, pg. 8-10: Narrative Caption reads, "One Month Later". Baby Skaar and the hybrids have been feasting upon the remains of the dinosaur, (and whatever else they can kill) for some time now. A group of refugee Imperials, (the dominate race on Sakaar) are running for their lives, claiming to be on the run from someone called the "Axeman" and his army, (a group of Imperials that have become barbarians). The hybrids start to attack the refugees, but Skaar stops them. The refugees make mention that the Axeman is killing all newborn babies, (in reference of a "baby messiah" prophecy, it would seem). But then, the Axeman's soldiers catch up and attack the refugees. Skaar and the hybrids scatter into the bushes to watch as the refugees are killed. As the soldiers leave, Skaar examines the bodies, as he comes to understand death...

SKAAR #1, pg. 11-22: Narrative Caption reads, "One Year Later". Skaar is now the age of a human teenager in appearance. He is traveling with refugees, when they are attacked by Axeman, (his full name given is "Axeman Bone") and his army. The Axeman apparently kills Skaar, (shattering him in a stone form), and they capture the rest of the refugees.

Later that night, at the army's camp, they are preparing to cook the slaves they have captured, when Skaar reappears, (this time in a more "Hulk-ish" form, which suggests Skaar can transform like Banner/Hulk. At the very least, he's capable of rebuilding himself from the stone ground, like we've seen Hiroim do in the "Warbound" mini-series). Skaar attacks and kills many soldiers, freeing the slaves, when Axeman steps forth from his tent. Axeman and Skaar begin to do battle, (and that's where the first issue ends)...

References:

I'm a bit perplexed at the appearance of these "hybrid" bugs, because going by the story in Warbound Issue #4, (2nd story), No-Name killed her offspring that hatched on Sakaar, (before the explosion). Of course, she later on had more hatchlings on the stone ship, (as seen in the "Heroes for Hire" issues of "World War Hulk"). Obviously, we must assume that some of the hybrids born on Sakaar escaped her wrath, and also crawled away from the city before the explosion...(or possibly, before Hulk and the Warbound had conquered Crown City, Miek and No-Name might have possibly mated once before to produce a batch of hybrids). At any rate, the hybrids are alive and well, and are yet another race of creatures running around the countryside in this story...

MCP entries, (and I believe for the Key, "Skaar: Son of Hulk" should become "SKAAR"):

Skaar:
SKAAR 1-FB, (I know he's "in the womb" so to speak, but his rolling out of his mother's ashes, and into the ocean, is a plot point).
SKAAR 1

AXEMAN BONE
SKAAR 1

HULK/DR. ROBERT BRUCE BANNER
H3 105
SKAAR 1-FB, (the scene of Hulk yelling "CAIERA!!" has not been seen before)
H3 105
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Re: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Somebody »

I'm pretty sure Caiera should be given an appearance for this - it's her consciousness that causes the "egg" to form, and it's her last words that the newborn Skaar takes his name from (as a mispronunciation of "[Son of] Sakaar") - the narration is literally what Caiera is telling Skaar. Even with her body destroyed, her mind/soul/awareness lingered long enough with her power to see Skaar to the point where he could survive without it.

And the opening scene isn't a FB in toto, and I have the changeover earlier than you - from the point the narration clicks into present tense ("Oh son of mine..." in 3:2:2 and 3:3), it's a montage, but not a FB (this includes the tumbling).

You also miss Skaar's appearance on the last page of WWH 5 (he's drawn faar too big, but it's the actual moment of his emergence from the lava, which is skipped over here - you see him breaking out of the egg in the lava, then he's walking out of the lava. 'Sides, THIS would be the repeated material...). As a result, I have it as

SKAAR
SKAAR 1 (1-4)
{WWH 5}
SKAAR 1 (5-22)

CAIERA THE OLDSTRONG
[...]
H3 105
SKAAR 1

Actually, on reflection, you might be able to argue for Caiera in WWH 5 too. I won't push it, but she's there as a ghostly figure in the background, and the choice of her as narrator-in-Skaar's-ear at that point puts a different spin on it...

PS: Pak's hinted that (a) Skaar WILL meet the Hulk at some point (premature cancellation notwithstanding, obviously) and (b) the Warbound will probably show up too. There's also going to be an "Earthman" in the cast. Just points to consider for future analyses.
Kevin W.
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Re: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Kevin W. »

Good points, and I agree with your suggestions.

The hardest part is always interweaving these montage flashbacks, making sure the new material gets added in... :|
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Re: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Kevin W. »

Issue #2 is out, (hopefully I'll have analysis shortly) but I found it worth noting here that the narration by Caiera continues in it. So does she deserve a MCP entry for Issue #2? Is her soul still lingering on, (Obi-wan Kenobi style)? Her narration is speaking in broad terms: "O, my beautiful son...is this savage world your father's gift...or his curse?" It's not like she's actually commenting on the battle, "O, my beatiful son, smack down that evil Axeman and kill those dragons!"

So is she a narration device, or does she actually exist in some form that would make her qualify for an MCP entry this issue?
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Re: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Somebody »

My instinct is to say yes (with a -VO modifier), unless/until we get further information [and while it is indeed "broad", it's not wholly divorced from the action - while Skaar's down with a sword in his side, she wonders if he's cursed to live in the world Sakaar's become, then when he's laughing when he should be getting burned to death, she goes "oh, of course it's a gift for you, how could I have been so stupid"].

On the "further info" front itself, given the mentions of "Prophet Rock" and getting his "true heritage, [his] full power" there, I'm wondering if there'll be a more explicit appearance of Caiera's ghost when that happens.
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Re: Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 Analysis

Post by Somebody »

And we finally have an answer - Skaar starts replying to (and complaining about) his mother's ghost-voice in SKAAR 5, and she drops the "broadness" completely as a result. Definite -VO appearances for her as long as the narration continues.

I would also lock her ghostly-head in that last scene of WWH 5 as an actual, rather than figurative, appearance as a result. So...

CAIERA THE OLDSTRONG
[...]
H3 105
WWH 5
SKAAR 1
SKAAR 2-VO
[etc]
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