World War Hulk: The Incredible Hercules

The Incredible Hulk (1999) (Collected Editions) #16

by Greg Pak, Gary Frank (Artist), Leonard Kirk (Artist)

Collects Incredible Hulk #106-111.

When the Hulk returns to Earth for the senses-shattering events of World War Hulk, we can all guess which puny humans will fight against him. But which of Earth's heroes will fight for the Hulk? Don't miss the shocking revelations as Amadeus Cho, the boy genius who took on Reed Richards on behalf of the Hulk confronts She-Hulk and Doc Samson - and precipitates a gamma-powered smash-fest in the wilds of Jersey!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Mythology

146 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2008

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

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Amadeus Cho Show.

Makes more sense who he is now.

Also the old Champions, Hercules and Angel.

Solid story related to WWH...one of the only worth reading of the tie ins.

Art is good.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5.

A decently good tie-in to World War Hulk. Mainly focuses on Amadeus Cho, who I didn’t know much about before this - so it was interesting to see his character on display. I liked the moments where he was manipulating characters into helping him haha. And I really liked She-Hulk’s issue at the start, that was fun. A couple boring spots, but a decently good read for the most part.

[Brad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should be called Incredible Mastermind Excello, but that doesn't really roll off the tongue. Since the World War Hulk story ran in its own limited series, Greg Pak had to find something to do with the Hulk comic, so he put together this story of Amadeus Cho, the non-titular Mastermind, teaming up with Hercules, Angel, and Namora to help the Hulk during his world war. Pak has to work hard to make helping the aggressor in a war seem heroic, but he does okay. He makes Cho, repeatedly called the 7th Smartest Person in the World, unerringly loyal to the Hulk, and Cho says that Hulk doesn't kill anyone, which makes him heroic. I guess Cho thinks billions in property damage must be a proportional response to being rocketed to a far-off world. Pak's writing of all the characters, especially his creations Cho and the latest Scorpion, are great, but the plot doesn't make much sense.

[Alasondro Alegré · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½

[Desmond Killian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wherein the WWH Hulkbuster enjoys a brief second life as a vessel for the demon Zom.

[Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up at Half-Price Books after a friend said I should check out World War Hulk. I found the book wanting. Much of the art is great, but the story does not flow as story lines from other Marvel comic books are flowing in an out with little explanation as to what is happening. I also find the "smartest kid in the world" gets old fast. He's a character who wants to help the Hulk, and he can do anything. Hack computer and steal billions, check. Throw a pebble and knock down a missile, well he's smart so must have perfect aim, check. It's lazy story-telling when being smart is treated as though it is a magical power.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Planet Hulk' was one of the most amazing storylines I had ever read. So why have I been delayed reading the 'World War Hulk' aftermath and its numerous tie-ins? The truth is that I still haven't completed my run on those. But I am planning on doing a large dump for books I no longer want (and hope to trade for new stuff). This collection of issues of the Incredible Hulk (#106-111) set during the Hulk's revenge on the Illuminati for killing his wife and child on Sakaar doesn't even focus on the mean green machine. He's more of a secondary character here. Instead, it's more like the Amadeus Cho show. And I hate Amadeus Cho.

Or at least, I did.

I wasn't a fan of when Cho became the Totally Awesome Hulk. My dislike wasn't the he was Asian. Nor did I care that he was, albeit temporarily, replacing Bruce Banner. I felt that his brashness mixed with awkward interaction as a new superhero was too much like Rick Jones. So much that I really wondered why didn't they just use Rick Jones for this?

Amadeus Cho is supposed to be like the third smartest person on the planet. So why was he so stupid as a Hulk? He was able to keep his personality, unlike Banner who often is unable to maintain mental control during his changes. Yet despite being a MENSA on steroids, the Totally Awesome Cho was a total meathead compared to his supposed genius. That opinion of the character all changed in this book.

Far from being hulkified, this Cho is rather brilliant. Frightengly brilliant. Amadeus learned the truth behind the Hulk's disappearance and feels that the Hulk's desire for revenge is justified. However, to prevent further bloodshed, Cho bought a million acres in the middle of New Mexico and created a sanctuary for the Hulk; guaranteed to keep away those annoying humans! Too bad Cho used his super brain to rob X-Man Warren Worthington's mega sized bank account to find the project.

Cho's theft prompts Hercules and the Angel to confront the teen. And with proof in hand, Amadeus is able to swing them onto his side, meaning the trio is now in violation of the Superhero Registration Act. With SHIELD and the Illuminati on their tail, Cho and his new allies must make it to the war zone that is Manhattan and convince the Hulk to accept the teen's offer of sanctuary without exacting retribution for the death of millions of his people on Sakaar.

After the events of this book, the title changed from the Incredible Hulk to the Incredible Hercules. Here's where things get confusing. If the cover to this trade tie-in to 'World War Hulk' is to be believed, it was as published as Incredible Hercules. But all 5 issues that are collected here were originally published as issues of Incredible Hulk. Assume either and you would be wrong as the credits attribute this book as being published as merely Hulk.

I had waited all this time thinking this was the beginning of the Hercules run, which assumed the numbering of the Hulk series for 30 issues. In a way, that's all very true. But if you're trying to collect the entire run, you're going be running in circles with Marvel's maddening way of categorizing and numbering titles as they've done this to at least 6 other 'World War Hulk' tie-ins including a collection of X-Men issues.

I really liked the writing of Greg Pak, which is ironic because he also wrote the Totally Awesome Hulk series of which I was not a fan. Maybe it deserves a second look. Above all, I definitely want to read Pak's Incredible Hercules series, which if it's only half as fun as the contents of this book, I am in for a treat. Let's just hope those books aren't collected under the title of The Avengers or something to that effect or I'll never find them...

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume deals with what was going on with Amadeus Cho, Hercules, Angel and Namorita during the WWH event. And since they are trying to assist Hulk, they are very close to the action and most times, a major part of it.

I think one of the reasons why this works so well is because Pak writes the main series, so he can fill in some of the stuff that he cant get to within the 5 issues of WWH in this series. And it rounds out the story so much more. One of the main issues with big events that Marvel or DC do is that they compress everything into 5-7 issues, but to truly get the whole story, usually there are some tie ins that are basically essential reading. I think these would fall into this category as we see Hulk thinking about Amadeus' offer to help, and we see the fallout of the Sentry vs Hulk fight, and all those moments in between the big moments are all shown here.

The only downside is that the volume feels incomplete without the main series, so if a new reader picks this up without reading WWH, it just seems like a jumbled mess. Again, essential reading to WWH not "in addition to" reading really.

I would definitely recommend this to fans of WWH and suggest reading it as part of the WWH event. It will make the series that much more impactful.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed my recent re-reading the issues in the Hercules: Prince of Power hardcover so much that I decided to dip my toe into more recent Herc stories. I borrowed this from my friend and co-conspirator Ferjo Byroy. This was a great read as a 'rental'. I simply do not have enough money, time or space for all of this stuff.

This series is old news for everyone else out there, but as I state over and over, there are not enough hours in the day for me to keep current on my reading. Greg Pak is as solid a writer as any working in comics today. I enjoyed the interplay between Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Namora, and the Angel. I am way lapsed in my Hulk reading, having read only the first Omnibus (equivalent to the first three Masterworks) and a handful of other issues, yet I was able to clearly follow everything that was going on in the title. Pak writes in such a way that I didn't have to read the 10+ trade paperbacks that came out before this in order to get the gist of the story.

The artwork is done by several teams, and it's all decent. Not decent enough for me to pull out my phone and snap pictures to post here like I usually do, but serviceable and clearly laid out. I enjoyed this enough to borrow the rest from Ferjo, but not enough to buy and store these issues.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Incredible Hulk (not Hercules, despite what the volume is named) tie-in issues to the World War Hulk event. Like the even itself, it's written by Greg Pak. It follows Amadeus Cho, a genius teenaged Korean boy who idolizes the Hulk and wants to help him. In order to do so, he teams up with some other friends of the Hulk: Angel, Namora, and Hercules.

These issues were decent, though the story would have been better if it hadn't felt the need to be a big event. One of the main themes seems to be that the Hulk isn't Banner's bad side. The Hulk is a hero in his own right who, despite his rage issues, has a strong moral code and very carefully and intelligently avoids ever taking a human life.

[George Senus · Rating 2 out of 5]

So full transparency, I read this whole thing thinking it was World War Hulk. It covers issues 106-112 of the main line hulk series so I thought since Planet Hulk was in the main run WWH would be too. Kinda confusing since these are just called WWH as well but the real story is in a limited series not the main run (confusing right). This story barely even features Hulk and focuses on Amadeus Cho and his group of renegades. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed this more if I knew what to expect but the whole time I was just confused thinking “this is world war hulk? Where’s hulk”

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice companion story to Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, which also sets up the fun Incredible Hercules series - though this is basically just about Amadeus Cho and not Hercules, and it's not so much about the fun (but still good). The last story also seems kind of thrown in compared to the others, but it's still entertaining. (B+)

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was better than I expected. There was some slight uselessness like most tie-ins, but overall I felt this contributed. I liked learning more about Amadeus Cho and his own personal journey and feelings about the Hulk.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fine, and served it's purpose as a tie-in. It does get a little repetitive. The team gathered here is fun, but there's also a sense that they all need something to do while Hulk fights everyone else.

[Adam Tarrant · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, I guess, but it didn't deliver on what it promised. This has barely anything to do with Hercules, and the fight depicted on the cover is just 2 pages of Hercules asking Hulk to calm down. All I wanted was to see them throw hands. Is that too much to ask? 😮‍💨

[Timo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was intense and so much destruction here and there. With always brilliant Gary Frank art. I like Gary Frank art.

[Sittu Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting caught up on my Hulkster.

[Kirby Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good addition to the World War Hulk saga.

[Brandon Bishop · Rating 2 out of 5]

So dumb. Is Amadeus Cho really smart? I can’t ever remember, so I’m grateful the writers chose to remind me every other page. Excellent writing.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art, and action-filled story.

[Omni Theus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shining Light in the World War Hulk Series
OVERALL RATING: 3.5 stars
Art: 3.25 stars
Prose: 3.5 stars
Plot: 3.25 stars
Pacing: 4 stars
Character Development: 3.75 stars
World Building: 3 stars
Enjoyable. Amadaeus Cho is quite the character.The Renegades were rather great. Namora and Herc's dynamic was also a lot of fun. Decent for a 20 odd year old series.

[Arno Callens · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This is a collective review for World War Hulk, and the corresponding issues of Incredible Hulk. Seeing as both series were written by Greg Pak, and are the only ones worth/necessary reading for the event, it felt more logic to combine them. I've also added World War Hulk Prologue: Worldbreaker, as it's the only tie-in that actually contributes to the story.)

World War Hulk was Marvel's first big event post-Civil War. As such it tried to divide its audience once again into two camps: pro-Hulk or con. World War Hulk: Worldbreaker is a first attempt at this, pitching She-Hulk - who feels the Hulk has been used and abused when convenient - and Doc Samson - who's convinced Bruce Banner is purposely hiding behind the Hulk - against each other. The former very clearly wins the argument, as no matter what kind of threat the Hulk poses, nothing excuses the Illuminati's action of shooting him into space, let alone killing millions including the Hulk's family.

She-Hulk is just one defender of the Hulk, clearly torn between helping her cousin and abiding the law. Her struggle is an intriguing one, as is Amadeus Cho's. He sees the Hulk as a bona fide hero, and goes out of his way to prove that point. The discussion turns into whether you think the Hulk's taking his revenge too far for both himself and the world, or whether he's absolutely justified in the atrocities he's committing. Cho believes he former, the Hulk believes the latter. Whoever wins you'll have to find out for yourself.

An interesting issue in this regard is Incredible Hulk #106. Here we see Rick Jones and Miek, both remembering what the Hulk means to them, clashing over their differences, and both agreeing they're going to be there for their friend, despite being on opposite sides of the conflict. Classic and modern Hulk mythology meet each other in the middle here, proving Greg Pak really got this and increasingly his character down.

All this to say World War Hulk is, like Civil War, far more than a simple smackdown between heroes. Of course a lot of players came to the fight who didn't have a reason to be there beyond corporate synergy, and the Illuminati had very little to say for themselves in defense, but in the case of She-Hulk, Amadeus Cho, Miek, Rick Jones, and - in a late but powerful appearance - the Sentry the punches came with gutpunches. Add to that numerous twists and turns, and spectacle to spare, so that in the end this sequel may not be as smashing as Planet Hulk, but it sure isn't puny.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so begins the friendship of Herc and Amadeus Cho. In the midst of World War Hulk, Amadeus struggles to find allies in order to help his old friend, Hulk. He meets the Champions and asks for their aid. Herc pays special attention to his character even though he's obnoxious, young and naive. Each serve as the basics into what eventually builds Amadeus into a great character. He has it in his head that he will be able to save Hulk even though he does not have the best way to go about it. There are moments where I felt like shouting at the pages because he is so stupid at times. Then other times, I cannot help but laugh at his actions especially how he interacts with Herc.

For the most part, the plot felt rushed. All the events happened one after another without giving readers a chance to appreciate the action. But the dialogue is strong, and the relationships are even better. The way Herc starts to play as a father figure in Amadeus's life is fantastic. Their relationship develops into a great friendship later in the series.

I don't have much to say about WWH in comparison to other Incredible Hercules arcs because I'm not a huge Hulk fan. But I always found this to be a fun story to share with children. It's fun and exciting also Amadeus Cho is accompanied by a coyote pup.

[Labyrinth Rossiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

On Marvel Unlimited, this is filed under The Incredible Hulk 106-111 following the Planet Hulk run. I'd say the "star" of this is actually a kid who's supposed to be the "7th smartest person in the world" named Amadeus Cho, who's a fanboy of the Hulk. He puts together his own team of superheroes starting with two of the former Champions, based on a story told him by She-Hulk about how they "owe him one," Hercules and Angel. With the addition of Scorpion, a SHIELD agent tasked to watch Cho, and maaaaybe you could count Rick Jones although Rick is sorta doing his own thing, the team calls themselves the Renegades and acts like a clean-up crew behind the scenes while the main events of WWHulk are taking place. Hulk really doesn't want anything to do with these "friends."

The story is really just okay. It had a few good moments, but it feels all over the place.

The most interesting contribution to the Hulk mythos is that Cho is convinced that The Hulk and Banner are not separate beings. He thinks that Hulk is aware of everything on a given battlefield and able to make precise calculations so that he "smashes" exactly what he wants to smash. This explains why he does so much property damage and beats up super heroes but somehow never manages to kill innocent civilians. He refuses to believe that Hulk has come to kill anyone during WWHulk but has a point to make.

[Batmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://morethansuperhumans.blogspot.c...

This book could best be described as a supplement to World War Hulk. It focuses on Amadeus Cho (first introduced in the short story at the end of Planet Hulk), the seventh smartest person on earth, who wants to help the Hulk get his revenge on Black Bolt, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Reed Richards. On the run from the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D., Cho uses his superior intellect to recruit Hercules, Angel, the She-Hulk, and Namora to his side. But does the Hulk want their help?

I actually enjoyed this book more than World War Hulk because it focused less on page after page of the Hulk throwing superheroes through buildings and more on Amadeus Cho (an interesting character) and his attempts to make the Hulk see reason. There is a lot more characterization in this book than in World War Hulk, but since it takes place in the background of the larger story told in WWH, I cannot recommend it unless you plan to read WWH too. And as I stated in my 2 cents on that book, it's hardly worth it. Thus, this book is hardly worth it either.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this after hearing many good things about the Incredible Hercules ongoing series and it's here that Herc and Amadeus Cho (7th smartest person on the planet) meet and team up so it seemed a good place to start.

I don't read Hulk but I know the background to the whole Planet Hulk, World War Hulk storyline which made this slightly more accessible. There is a recap near the beginning but it could be quite a confusing jumping on point. Still, the characters are well written and the action is impressive even if there is a lot of behind the scenes action taking place within the story (presumably told in the WWH collection).

Generally I liked it and as a place to start it's got me interested to see where Herc and Cho end up so I think I'll keep reading.

[Hrishi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable tie-in to World War Hulk, which features a character I quite like - Amadeus Cho, or Mastermind Excello. Unfortunately it is hamstrung by having to weave in and out of World War Hulk, and ultimately only being able to mop up along the periphery of the main event.

What's that you say? Need someone to remind the reader of the Hulk's violent but non-lethal roots? Check. Need someone to mop-up that demon Doctor Strange left running around after his confrontation with Hulk? Check. Need exposition and chitchat between the Hulk's friend Rick Jones and Hulk's friends Hercules and Amadeus Cho? Done!

In the end, I'm just pissed that they came up with a wonderful character like Amadeus Cho and treated him like one Hulk-friend too many in the story!

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I thought it was neat. Agreeing with what someone else already said, should have been called: World War Hulk: The Incredible Mastermind Excello, but since that's too long, they went for Hercules. The arc in the title is really led by Cho, which makes me happy, since I adore him. I love Herc as well, and Namora's always a great plus. Angel's writing didn't really do anything for me, but I really enjoyed all the rest -- especially Namor's very in character absurdity.

The ending was especially heartbreaking but endearing, and makes me want to devour more things involving Cho and Herc together.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprints Incredible Hulk (3) #106-111. Amadeus Cho assembles a team to help Hulk as Hulk threatens to desroy New York City. The title of this is Incredible Herc, but the real Incredible Herc stories don't pick up until after this graphic novel. The story is a little disjoined due to its crossover with World War Hulk, but it is kept pretty coherent.