There’s a brand new Hulk in town, and his name is Amadeus Cho! Billed as the “craziest Hulk story of the millennium,” Cho has taken over the role of Hulk and is out to be the best Hulk that has ever existed?

How did he come to be? What happened to Bruce Banner? None of that is really revealed in The Totally Awesome Hulk #1, though Banner is slightly hinted out in this first issue which attempts to give us a very lighthearted and fun take on Marvel’s Green Goliath.

Instead of torment and anguish about his power, writer Greg Pak gives us an alter-ego who comes off as exactly that, full of ego. Brimming with confidence, Cho is arrogant in the first issue, making him almost unlikeable.

I’ll admit, I don’t have a lot of love for Banner or the Hulk, and have only read his comics in spurts, but I was really looking forward to checking out a new take, and there’s a good chance my checking out will be short-lived after reading this first issue.

I actually don’t mind the change, but Cho as I stated before is arrogant to the point of being borderline unlikeable, a quality I need in entertainment I’m consuming (of course I also do enjoy the occasional character I hate too). We get a smart kid full of ego he puts individuals in danger, and the comic comes off like teenage id in many ways. The comic goes for a fun tone, but Cho’s Hulk is having almost too much fun to the point you want someone to beat sense into him, which I guess is supposed to be Cho’s sister who is also in the series. Again, neither is a character I know all that well, but in my little reading of him, I never found Amadeus to be a character I wanted to beat senseless.

Frank Cho‘s art matches the fun tone, and I’ll say the style and vibe do match perfectly. This is a comic where I found the art more enjoyable than the story, but…. everyone looks too similar in their body types. Though there are cool images such as a double page spread of Cho/Hulk bunching a giant fire breathing turtle, the characters in the background all have similar body types. Even the hot dog vendor is svelte.

The comic goes for a comedic tone, but mixed with its main character, that tone becomes a turn-off at some points. The change in character and direction got me interested, but the first issue didn’t interest me enough to keep me around. One issue and I already want Banner back.

Story: Greg Pak Art: Frank Cho
Story: 6 Art: 7.8 Overall: 6 Recommendation: Pass

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review