The Totally Awesome Hulk 2: Civil War II

Comic Info

The Totally Awesome Hulk #9

Reprints The Totally Awesome Hulk #7-12 (August 2016-January 2017).  Bruce Banner used to be one of the most powerful men if not the most powerful man on Earth…and now he’s just a man.  After years of battling the demon inside him, Bruce Banner is free of the Hulk, and now Amadeus has the opportunity to make the Hulk his own.  When tragedy strikes, Amadeus finds himself at odds with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government and on the hunt for an Avenger…and he has blood in his eyes.

Written by Greg Pak, The Totally Awesome Hulk Volume 2:  Civil War II is a Marvel Comics superhero comic book collection and a tie-in to the Marvel event series Civil War II.  Following The Totally Awesome Hulk Volume 1:  Cho Time, the series features art by Alan Davis, Michael Del Mundo, and Mahmud A. Asrar.

I really liked the early issues of Hulk and Amadeus Cho (and Amadeus and Hercules).  The character was interesting and different.  He was cocky, but he also had a right to be cocky…but cockiness isn’t the best thing for a Hulk.  While Amadeus has mostly kept in control of the Hulk, things start to slide for Amadeus in this volume.

The first couple issues feel like a coda in the life of Bruce Banner.  After years, you get to see what he’d be like without the Hulk.  It has happened a number of times, but this version of “Bruce is cured” shows the danger of being cured from something that is like a drug.  Banner has avoided feeling emotions, being in danger, and unable to feel ill.  The Hulk was always his bane but he also never had truly know fear as a result and coming to terms with that was an interesting experiment.

The Totally Awesome Hulk #12

The second half of the story involves the post-Civil War II which has Bruce Banner dead at the hands of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye.  Here, Amadeus is in mourning and lashing out.  In classic comic book fashion, this means a fight with another hero (and an understanding), and of course, Amadeus does the right thing.  The problem with the Civil War II story is that Civil War II was not very interesting, but fortunately, this stands somewhat independent in the actual story (though I did not know how Banner died).

The most interesting aspect of the story is the exploration of what makes Amadeus’s Hulk tick.  Bruce Banner’s Hulk was driven by rage, and Amadeus is revealed to have pride as his fault.  This provides a dangerous tool to manipulate Amadeus and as the saying goes “pride cometh before a fall”.  Amadeus is setting himself up for failure.

The Totally Awesome Hulk has a strange tone which attempts to be lighter than some of the heavy handed Hulk issues.  It doesn’t quite meet its goal, and I don’t like Amadeus as much in it as I did in previous appearances.  The problem with Amadeus and a lot of heroes who “take over”, is that their shelf-life is short and you know that it is temporary…Amadeus feels like it already in this volume, and it almost is a waiting game.  The Totally Awesome Hulk 2:  Civil War II is followed by The Totally Awesome Hulk 3:  Big Apple Showdown.