We're currently seeing several new titles under the All-New, All-Different Marvel moniker. In some cases, the titles are simply continuations of previous volumes. In others, as with TOTALLY AWESOME HULK, we are getting something different. This isn't the Hulk we've known or one we've seen before (and there have been a few others). This is Amadeus Cho, Hulk's biggest fan, as the new Hulk.
The first question may be why? Every so often, it's nice to see the status quo of a character get shaken up. As much as I've loved the recent HULK runs by some really great creators, there just was something missing. Bruce Banner as the Hulk is what we all expect and are used to. If Banner isn't the Totally Awesome Hulk, what happened to him?
That's part of the story. We all enjoy a good mystery but we also don't necessarily need every book to have a long-running one where tiny clues are dropped on us from time to time. We do get some answers in this first issue and there is the eight months in between this and the end of Secret Wars that explains the rest.
Greg Pak is no stranger to the Hulk or Amadeus Cho (he did create Cho after all). That's what makes this change fascinating. Amadeus is the eighth smartest person on Earth. We have had a smart Hulk before but, with Cho, we have someone who actually loves being the Hulk. He has that youthful enthusiasm that Banner never had. For Banner, the Hulk was a burden. For Cho, Hulk is an adventure and opportunity. Sure, there are times his enthusiasm might be a bit much but that's just who Amadeus is. Now with his sister, he's on a mission that only a Hulk can handle.
Frank Cho's art captures Cho's personality and the action nicely. Sonia Oback's colors really shine and add vibrance to the art. When he's the Hulk, you can see this isn't just our normal-looking Hulk with different hair. This is Amadeus as the Hulk. You can expect some big action scenes along with some guest appearances to really drive home the fun aspect of the adventures of a new Hulk.
We have a new Hulk on our hands and reading his story is a blast. We've seen plenty of instances where a mainstream hero is replaced by someone else. That aspect isn't new but it's all in the execution by Greg Pak that makes this feel fresh. Pak knows the Hulk and definitely knows Amadeus Cho. We may be hoping to find out more about Bruce Banner but you can easily see this is going to be a fun book with big action courtesy of Frank Cho's art. I love the Hulk but we've seen so many different takes on him, I'm ready for something really different for the time being. Cho has a perfect blend of being a brand new hero but also has an incredibly brilliant mind to allow him to get out of sticky situations. I'm really intrigued to see where this book will take us.