Reader's Diary #1446- Greg Pak (writer), Frank Cho and Mike Choi (artists): The Totally Awesome Hulk Volume 1 Cho Time

The Hulk is one of Marvel's best known characters. He's more complex than people give credit and amongst superheroes, one of the more unique. That all said and while I don't particularly mind Bruce Banner or the whole Dr. Jekyll and Hyde relationship he has with the Hulk, if Marvel's doing an overhaul to give us a Korean American Hulk, the alter ego of one Amadeus Cho, I'm on board-- as long as it's good, of course.

And it is good. Not great, but good. It still, at this point, feels like it's in the early days of the character (Amadeus Cho, for the record, has been around for a while, Amadeus Cho as the Hulk has not). His sister is given a pretty lame role, kind of acting as the Jiminy to Cho's Pinocchio. Worst still is the B-98 Beta Robo Drone that flies, following the new Hulk around, transmitting messages back and forth to his sister. It feels like one of George Lucas's less than successful ideas for comic relief. The drone should be scrapped altogether and the sister should be given something more substantial.

I appreciate Pak's attempts to make this a unique Hulk, beyond just being a Korean American version of the old one. The main way he does this is by making him younger. As a teenager grappling with hormones, this changes the dynamic quite a bit. For an interesting new take, it has potential. With a giant monster of strength, wrestling to control said urges however, it also has potential for a sexist disaster on Marvel's front. Already I'm not wild about Amadeus Cho. He may be a genius, but he's way too much of a bro for my liking.

Still, the stories themselves weren't bad. His origin as the new Hulk is explained here, but in flashbacks that don't take over the main plot, which was a nice touch.

The art, first by Frank Cho and then by Mike Choi, is serviceable.