The Totally Awesome Hulk, Vol. 2: Civil War II

The Totally Awesome Hulk

by Greg Pak (Writer), Alan Davis (Penciler), Mike Farmer (Inker)

Bruce Banner's fate during the 8-month gap post-Secret Wars is revealed! Was he really cured by Amadeus Cho? Did he survive? Has Amadeus made a disastrous miscalculation?

Collecting: The Totally Awesome Hulk 7-12

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 2017

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

There aren’t many comics around with ironic titles but the “Totally Awesome” Hulk is definitely one of them! Greg Pak Paks up yet another title - I do not know how this dude keeps getting work but I guess if Greg Pak can, anyone can. Seriously - can you write your name? No? Well you’re probably still a better writer than Pak.

Korean-American Amadeus Cho is the new Hulk for diversity reasons. For two riveting issues we watch the former Hulk, Bruce Banner, wander about doing fuck-all before Civil War II waddles up to rub its stinky, sweaty taint against everything. I haven’t even read the main event but I pretty much know all the beats now after reading all these tie-in issues! All I can say is, poor Carol Danvers - did Captain Marvel really deserve to be made to look like this, Marvel? You morons.

Black Panther puts on a Black Panther-themed Hulk-buster armour to fight Amadeus – why is Black Panther involving himself with Hulk? Who knows. It’s another crap moment in a whole sequence of them and totally contrived too - never seen T’Challa wear anything like that before, probably won’t ever see it again! Pak runs out of name characters to challenge Amadeus towards the end and comes up with a dull monster for him to punch for the remaining issues.

To be fair, I do like Amadeus Cho, he’s a likeable little bugger, Alan Davis’ art was decent and I like that Cho’s not super angsty like Banner was - there’s a pleasant lightness to his Hulk which is far less tiresome than the usual tortured crap the character’s gone through the last few decades.

Still, The Totally Awesome Hulk, Volume 2: Civil War II is full of boring non-stories that even Hulk fans will probably struggle to keep their eyes open over. It wasn’t ever a great title but Marvel’s latest event still managed to drag down its mediocrity even further - good work, guys! And well done, Greg Pak, for continuing your career-long streak of no-hitters going! I’m done with this rubbish series.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume started out so well... Banner was back, Alan Davis was on art duties and all was good in the world. Then certain events in Civil War II threw this train right off the rails and everybody started acting out of character. They pulled it together again for a nice ending but overall this book was very uneven.

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

One word sums up this title. Meh. It's not that bad. It's not that good. It's just there.

Alan Davis illustrates the first 2 issues. They detail what Bruce has been up to since he was cured of the Hulk (mainly trying to get himself killed in the dumbest ways possible and giggling about it). Then Mike del Mundo and Mahmud Asrar illustrate the aftermath of Civil War II as Amadeus deals with Bruce's death. Del Mundo picks a color palette where all the colors are almost the same. I found myself squinting to make out the panels all through the issue. Asrar's art has taken a bit of a downward tilt since his days on Ms. Marvel. The art was very bland. Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and SHIELD are all hell-bent on stopping Amadeus before he Hulks out all of a sudden. Shouldn't this have been a consideration even before Civil War II. Black Panther slaps some ears and black paint on a Hulkbuster Iron Man suit and heads off after Amadeus. It's really out of character. He's ready to pop him permanently over to the Negative Zone after talking to him for 30 seconds. I think it's time to hand this book over to another writer. I vote for giving Hulk back over to Peter David.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great read!

So this issue focuses on the Hulk now that he has recovered from being the Hulk and we see what he hs been upto and how he feels it and I love that plus his relationship with Amadeus but its just the calm before the storm as CW2 hits and we see the fallout of that and Angry amadeus smashing everything and seems like a war between him and Carol forces but then we see something else happening as he is sort of duping them and then a fight with T'challa which was epic but could have been better and then when Maddy gets attack by some monster, he has to save her but fallen alliances happen...

Its a good volume and has heart in the beginning and seemed like they were gonna do something big with Bruce like him mentoring Amadeus but its swept outisde because the dumb event had to happen and we see him angry and all that honestly I would have liked the fight with Carol but then it doesn't happen but that moment with Hawkeye was a really good one, and sort of redemptive. I would have liked to know more about the guy who became a dinosaur and attacked Maddie but it didn't happen and kinda lost the impact but then again it might come back in the future. So yeah a cool read and had potential to be better but I liked the moments with Bruce and all. Pak's writing is getting good, he is doing more of character moments and really exploring Amadeus conflicts and struggle and juxtaposing it with Bruce's in fun ways and the art is great again, so yeah it makes for a great read!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty dang enjoyable!

The first two issues deal with Cho talking with Bruce before (spoilers) the death of Bruce Banner in Civil War 2. He's trying to learn from his mentor, understand the monster, and not become vicious like Bruce. In the end it's a nice enjoyable story of a brother/father type of situation to the young new user of the mighty Hulk. Second half is the aftermath of Civil War 2. It's all about Cho coming to terms of what happened to a close friend. It's a darker take than what the rest of the series has offered so far.

Good: The darker elements work great in contrast. The first two issues are well done, light hearted, learning the way for Cho. It's the 2nd half, the dealing with loss, and anger, and hurt that makes this volume better than it should be. A one in particular part with Captain Marvel and Cho is the biggest highlight.

Bad: The art keeps changing which can hurt the eyes at times or not make much sense. Also I didn't really think adding in a monster was needed. There was enough drama and issues to deal with that it just simply didn't need that.

I really enjoyed this. Totally Awesome Hulk remains to give us a interesting main character in Cho and I hope it keeps pushing forward with him. I like him more than Bruce TBH, he's much more FUN and I loved watching him deal with loss. A 3.5 out of 5.

[Jesse A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this book wasn't really my cuppa. I like my Hulk Banner-y. Plus once Civil War 2 got going, this book got some horrifically ugly art.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on record as not loooving the first vol of Totally Awesome Hulk, and also of not even liking Civil War II,so I probably wouldn't have picked this up except when it came into the library I was like "is the cover of this book extremely focused on Bruce Banner eating soup?" and I flipped through it and I was like "wow a lot of this book is actually about Bruce Banner eating soup" and that is sincerely the comics content I'm looking for.

Anyway I actually liked this a lot and I thought Amadeus seemed way less bro-y here than he did in Vol 1 [my main turnoff of that vol], and more like...a #relatable #teen dealing with newfound abilities and just trying to be the best Hulk he can be :') Also making homemade soup for poor de-Hulked Bruce Banner, so important and sweet. What a souper hero.

sorry

bye

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The arc with Alan Davis would have served as a nice finish to Bruce Banner's time as the Hulk but no matter how slowly you turn to the next page the Civil War II tie-in will give you a big fat sucker punch.

I'm so sick of "and nothing will be the same again!" events. Just let writers tell stories.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, maybe not totally awesome this time -- I really enjoyed Volume 1, with its new happy-go-lucky teen genius-turned-superhero -- but I still like this series. The tone is certainly more serious here - a fair amount of disagreements are depicted - and the action is pretty much limited to a monster vs. monster brawl (everything's bigger in Texas, riiight?) near the end. So things are dramatic, but a little uneven. Not a fan of the artwork whiplash that occurs briefly near the middle, either. Also featuring appearances by Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and an uncommonly sincere She-Hulk.

[Julio Bonilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was there when Bruce Banner nearly destroyed a hundred miles of Kenyan coastline.

Amadeus Cho finally cures Bruce Banner of his curse (Hulk), and takes the green giant for himself. Actions have consequences...
Enter: Civil War II

[zara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cried so much.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok I guess, lots of cringe-worthy moments that made you go 'Really now Cho? Really?' and a bunch of other moments that made you go, 'chill out little fella, you're not Banner' so, yeah.. a few good moments here and there but overall just ok.

I think Cho is not likable for me, I think I'm going to eventually grow to hate that guy. We'll see..

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read any of the adventures of the Cho Hulk (Chulk?), let me tell you that they are Totally Awesome. Well, I had to go there, I mean Amadeus goes there right? Right.
But all silliness aside, this new take on the Hulk is leaps and bounds better than the old brooding oh-woe-is-me Banner Hulk. I usually could only handle a couple issues at a time of the old hulk before getting so irritated I just couldn't stand it (this didn't apply to the Peter David era). This new take on the Hulk brought to us by Greg Pak has a endlessly addicting.
This collection deals with our current Hulk, Amadeus Cho, dealing with the new escalation of his powers and the loss of a good friend. And there's a great take on what powers Cho's Hulk (remember it was Banner's anger/rage for Banner's Hulk). Looking for more to come. As far as I'm concerned Chulk forever!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM NOT OKAY EITHER. *internally ugly cries*

This was such a great volume; emotional, heart-warming and utterly heartbreaking. I thoroughly enjoyed this comic and plan on continuing this series. It's a new favorite! You definitely should read Civil War II before heading into this volume as it delves with BIG spoilers. Amadeus is goin' thru some stuff and people should just let him be and deal with his emotions! He also uses THIRTY cloves of garlic in his soup (I love garlic but that is too many cloves!) and gets a cold.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

[João Pedro Vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorei a participação do Bruce e a relação dele com o Amadeus, fico até triste em saber que o Bruce com certeza vai voltar a ser o Hulk um dia

[Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As angry as I am about what happened to Bruce in Civil War II, this volume of Totally Awesome Hulk has made it feel little less shit.

The volume starts with Bruce realising he's finally cured of the Hulk and becoming manic out of his newfound freedom and the guilt he still has to live with. Tony Stark then confronts him, worried that he's trying to endanger himself out of self loathing. Understandably Bruce doesn't react well to being pulled out of ignoring his emotions and lashes out at Tony for some of the things he's been put through.

Rage is rough. I honestly can't imagine how I would deal with being a person who has to desperately attempt to hold it all in even during situations where feeling angry and hurt are justified. I'm glad Bruce was finally able to express how awful he felt without the curse of being too powerful for his own good, and received an apology from Tony. He didn't deserve having to continue feeling both resented and resentful, and somebody admitting they understand they've hurt you and that they're sorry can go a long way.

The next time we see Bruce he is much calmer and seems to be even happy, though he still implies that he sees himself as a monster while telling Amadeus that he doesn't have the anger to be as destructive as the original Hulk.

By issue nine Bruce is dead, which leaves Amadeus to grapple between his motivation to avenge his friend and not letting rage consume him and turn him into the Hulk he never wanted to be. He also struggles with balancing his pride to a healthy level, since Bruce claimed it's what he draws his strength from.

This volume ends with Amadeus finally meeting up with Clint and deciding once and for all not to enact vengeance upon him. The meeting provides slight closure not only to Amadeus and Clint, but also to the readers as well.

Tension was also set up going forward with Maddy feeling frustrated and angry with Amadeus' impulsive behavior and inability to actually change it, so I'm excited to hopefully see more growth from him in the next volume.

I enjoyed reading these issues and coming to terms with the injustice of what happened to Bruce alongside Amadeus. While I'm still upset that he died, the writing in these comics made his demise feel a little less shallow and cheap.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuing my quest to clean off books on my tablet I've never read...this book was extremely mediocre. We start off with a couple of issues going into the relationship between Amadeus Cho and Bruce Banner, as Bruce learns that he's been cured forever of being the Hulk (spoilers: he hasn't), and then Bruce and Amadeus discuss their different motivations that drive them when they are Hulk.

Following that is a tie-in to the absolutely rubbish Civil War 2 event, in which Amadeus is seething with anger over Hawkeye killing his best friend Bruce Banner. Before he even has a chance to process his grief, Civil War 2's indisputable villain Captain Marvel shows up to point two dozen SHIELD agent guns in his face just to make sure he isn't going to do anything rash. Of course, Amadeus gets pissed off about this and then goes to find Hawkeye to take out some of his anger on him. T'Challa intervenes, puts on a giant robot cat suit and they have a big punch fight in the woods, and I wish I was kidding but I'm not. Meanwhile, Amadeus's sister Maddy has gone off to investigate a monster sighting in Austin, Texas, finds out she's bitten off more than she can chew and calls Amadeus for help. What follows is an UTTERLY forgettable story in which Hulk and Black Panther set aside their differences so they can save some woman's baby from an evil bug man who feeds off of people's extreme emotions.

The art in this book is as mediocre as the writing, with bland pencils and uninteresting action sequences. The most interesting part in the book comes at the very end, when Cho finally confronts Hawkeye about his role in Banner's death. There's an emotional moment between the two that could have been interesting to explore, but the story opts to give us more pages of Hulk punching a giant bug man instead of offering anything with emotional depth.

There was nothing particularly bad about this book, but there is absolutely nothing whatsoever to recommend it.

[Annye Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Totally Awesome Hulk, Volume 2: Civil War II is the new, “totally awesome” Hulk’s entry into the Civil War II. The volume explores Hulk Cho’s relationship with Banner and his reaction to the Civil War and to Banner’s death. More importantly, the volume provides a more detailed and nuanced look at Bruce Banner’s supposed cure and final days than what was offered in the main Civil War book. This volume feels like a true goodbye to Bruce Banner.

There was a lot of good in this book. It is definitely less booby than the first volume; it is more focused on character and story than…hormones. The one issue of stylistic artwork (issue 9, by Mike del Mundo) is a standout. This issue is really gorgeous (especially for a YA comic) and substantially elevated my opinion of this book.

In spite of the good, the book fell flat for me. Cho pales in comparison to the spectacular Banner. My lingering disgust with the first volume has me not really wanting to read about the new Hulk.

Also – I’m shocked that the fact that Bruce Banner was cured didn’t come up in any of the bigger books, particularly in regard to Clint’s trial. How is this not a bigger deal?! Banner literally was incapable of hulking out when he was killed! It seems to me like this is a major plot hole or inconsistency, and it bothers me in a big way. It makes Clint a whole lot more guilty than the main books let on.

So overall, this was an okay book with some nice characterization, one issue of beautiful artwork, and one glaring plot inconsistency. I had high hopes for Cho, but I don’t think I’ll be continuing with his books.

Read more of my reviews (plus cat pics!) on Her Little Book Review.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool emotional look at the emotions of both old and new Hulks.

I just wish that Civil War 2's events were something I had read already (not traded yet) so the big teary moment impacted me more!

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 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.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amadeus Cho's time as the Totally Awesome Hulk continues to be a fun ride. I think he proves to be a nice contrast to the traditional Banner, actually reveling in his abilities as the Hulk, even when he isn't sure he can entirely control his powers.

This story is also a great sendoff for Banner, the former Hulk. I assume that he'll be returning to the Marvel Universe since "All New, All Different" is over because "diversity doesn't sell"...as someone said. But if this had been the end of his era, I thought it was very well handled, with Banner serving as a mentor to the new Hulk.

I also enjoyed that Cho's Hulk is different than Banner's, and that the characteristics of the monster differ between the people who have the powers. Banner was a rage monster before he became the Hulk, and so his abilities only amplified that aspect of him. Cho isn't an angry person. His "sin," as Banner puts it, is different, and so his problems when he's the Hulk are different as well.

Finally, I feel like the Totally Awesome Hulk is one of the few Marvel titles I've read in awhile where I don't feel really lost due to everything the character does being enmeshed in some crossover. I mean, this is the Civil War II book, so there are storylines from that crossover event that intersect with what's going on here, but I felt like everything was either explained or eluded to well enough that the volume stood on its own. I haven't read very many other Civil War II books, and I felt like this was still easy to follow.

I'm definitely excited to see what comes next.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume fills in the gap after Secret Wars, where we finally learn what Bruce Banner was up to. Also, we get the aftermath of the Civil War II events.

So in this one, we see Bruce has been... a bit down on himself after Secret Wars. But the good thing is that, Amadeus Cho actually cures Banner. It certainly seems permanent, as Bruce tests the waters by doing all kinds of outlandish things that would normally make him Hulk out. From there, the book shifts to after Hulk is killed by Hawkeye in Civil War II, and how Amadeus is dealing with it. All eyes are on him because he is the new Hulk, and if he goes nuts on grief, it will be a bad time all around. Ultimately the lesson is learned by Pak cleverly pitting Amadeus Hulk against a villain that feeds on emotional energy, of which Amadeus Hulk has plenty of right now. This forces Amadeus Hulk to calm down and talk things through, both with himself and Hawkeye.

This was much more enjoyable than I originally suspected. I'm not a huge fan of Amadeus Hulk to be honest, but this being tied in with the CWII event allowed an easy entry point for me to step in and enjoy this little arc.

I would recommend this for fans of regular Hulk or Amadeus Hulk.

[Shayna Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume mostly focused on Amadeus trying to find himself within the form of Hulk with the help of Bruce Banner, who is going through his own trauma. The biggest difference is Banner's Hulk was fueled by rage and anger, stemmed from his childhood, while Amadeus' Hulk stems from pride - frankly, this gets pretty old and Maddy sees that too by the end of the volume. The inclusion of Iron Man, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther is interesting, especially as it clearly connects with other Marvel series. I will continue reading this series, but I seriously hope Amadeus makes a good change with his character soon.

[Ernest · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume was not great but not bad, merely alright. The idea of Amadeus Cho and not Bruce Banner as the Hulk is interesting, and while the story may not have had the gravitas or grandeur of other volumes, it was an intriguing enough idea that was sufficiently well done. I think I am even more warming to Amadeus Cho as a character - I already generically liked him, but he is growing on me as a (secondary?) character to enjoy. There were a few other characters that dropped in a little too conveniently or out of place to really make the volume entirely believable, but I just went along with the flow and took it overall as a lighter diversion that I think it was trying to go for.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of this feel like it should be momentous, but it doesn't land. I'm not sure why. It might be because of the loose art style. Or that it's too rushed. Or too many big emotional beats, one right after the other.

Also, no one's willing to talk even thought they can all talk. The usual "superhero mixup" happens when one (a) chances upon another in action and makes a judgment, (b) meets someone he or she has never met before, or (c) meets someone unable to speak in his or her right mind. Here, some more talking could be done.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume two doesn't come in as hot as the first. The smashing takes a step back with some decent emotional notes (Banner's new life, Maddy/Ammy relationship/Clint's talk with Cho) but the book seemed to drag. The Black Panther arc seemed out of character and made him seem dimwitted at times. Also, Maddy going to track down monsters alone made little sense as she's never cared before. There were a handful of artists, both good and bad, but Frank Cho was missed. Overall, a definite step down has me less excited by the new Hulk.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

See, that's how you do it.

First we get a couple of issues with Amadeus and Bruce Banner bonding. Bruce is getting used to not being the Hulk, and is a bit self-destructive, but Amadeus and other Hulk friends are there to support him. You really get to like Bruce Banner.

Then Civil War II happens. And Amadeus has to deal with his feelings. And Captain Marvel is still being confrontational rather than talking. And then there's Hawkeye.

The art is great. Greg Pak is always at his best when writing the Hulk.

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I love art by Alan Davis, Mike Del Mundo, and Mahmud Asrar, I got a bit of stylistic whiplash getting their art one right after the other in this book. Greg Pak does a decent enough of job on this, but I was really hoping for more. I did really like the two emotional scenes that sort of bookended this collection, though (Bruce and Tony, then Amadeus and Clint), so props to Pak for that.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine but definitely not awesome. It was good to see a little more of the Cho Hulk origin. But it was better to see Banner cured. So why the heck was he shot? I guess I must not have read that part of Civil War II yet. The story in this book is okay, as is the writing and the art. But there is no real depth. And the relationship between Amadeus and his sister just gets to the surface. Not a bad book.