WRITER.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 stars

152 pages

Graphic Novel, Action

Spoiler-Free section

It was interesting to see adventures from a Hulk that is not Bruce Banner. As much as I like Banner, having a younger Hulk with more spunk was fun.

Amadeus Cho is a genius who is convinced that he is a better version of the Hulk and can control the savage part of its nature. He is a bit crazy about women, though he is not a big perv or anything, he is constantly flirty which I found amusing at some times and funny at others. He has to eat vast amounts of food to regain his energy, such as piles of cheeseburgers and kale smoothies.

A tragedy happened and he lost his parents before the events of the story, and he believes himself at fault, and the whole experience is unsurprisingly traumatizing. So it is just him and his sister Maddy, whose full name is Madame Curie Cho. Seriously, not kidding. I guess Curie is an inspiring namesake though.

The main problem the characters are facing is random monsters appearing all over the place, which they defeat and shrink.

The main villains are two women who both are obsessed with the Hulk for some reason. Like there is actual attraction there. I get that the Hulk has muscle, but…he’s a giant green monster who sometimes loses control. What exactly about that is attractive?

I feel like this book is not bad, kind of just a fun mindless read that is mostly lighthearted.

Spoiler time!

Lady Hellbender and Amora. Two powerful women who could have easily been interesting but instead are reduced to crushes on the Hulk and desires for his power. Amadeus reminded me of a modern day Odysseus, dallying with his own versions of Calypso and Circe. Lady Hellbender kisses Amadeus twice! And they have barely met.

The part of the storyline where it was off the Kenyan Coast four months ago did attract my attention. When Bruce Banner as the Hulk absorbs a bunch of radiation to protect 50 million people, he is about to explode. Amadeus swoops in when even the genius Tony Stark is intelligent enough to find a solution that won’t kill the Hulk. They tranquilize Amadeus, but he just pretends to be knocked out and goes out in a protective suit to see the Hulk. This next part is not explained well, but Amadeus takes the Hulk from Bruce Banner and absorbs that part of him. Thus, Amadeus becomes the new Hulk and Banner cries for him.

Now, booooom, right? Shouldn’t he still explode with all the radiation? That part I didn’t get. But whatever. I sincerely doubt his self-confidence will keep the Hulk under wraps either. The comic uses the metaphor of Amadeus in the driver’s seat of a car and the Hulk encased in the trunk, but as the story goes on, the Hulk gets increasingly closer to wresting control. It’s pretty suspenseful.

The side characters of She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and Thor were decent, but they didn’t add much to the story. They did help out in a pinch though. I found myself enjoying Maddy as a character more. The sibling bond between her and Amadeus was sweet. He loses control when she is endangered and she tries to support him even when things get hard. The scene at the end with the cemetery was touching.

How do you feel about this new Hulk? How does he compare to Banner? Does this series interest you? Feel free to leave a comment!