The Totally Awesome Hulk, Vol. 2: Civil War II (2017)

This is the second volume of a Marvel comic I’ve read that takes place during the Civil War II arc.  It’s an interesting experience, because the story obviously sprawls across numerous comics and there’s a lot going on within it that I haven’t read.  So I’m only getting these couple sections of the puzzle, with just enough background info added in to make sense of what I’m seeing.  I can’t imagine how many different titles I’d have to read to get the complete picture, and it’s probably good that I don’t try.

This volume deals with two main subjects:  Amadeus’s relationship with Bruce Banner and the Avengers’ feelings about the Hulk.  Now that Amadeus has taken up the Hulk mantle and the accompanying big green guy, Bruce is still trying to figure out what that means for him.  At the same time, he offers Amadeus guidance on dealing with his power and the anger that fuels it.  And as much as Amadeus touts himself as a new kind of Hulk, some of the other Avengers have expectations of the old danger.  First Carol Danvers, and later T’Challa, surveil Amadeus with contingency plans for what to do if he loses control of the Hulk.

As far as Civil War II storylines go, I think I liked the Ms. Marvel one better – it has a tighter storyline all around and nicely balances philosophical-type questions along with internal and interpersonal conflicts.  This story, by contrast, focuses more on the conflicts than the questions, and while it’s very strong emotionally (figures for a Hulk story, hehe,) the plot behind it is more sort of reactive.  So, overall, it’s not quite as interesting to me.

Still, the emotional content is very well-done.  Amadeus deals with some hard stuff in this volume, and though he’s not the uncontained monster some see him as, he doesn’t handle all of it well.  He makes rash decisions, he fights against others’ perception of him (but fighting it doesn’t really help dispel those notions,) and he starts to get at the heart of what drives his Hulk.  What’s more, the story also begins to explore Maddy’s emotions a little more, both how she reacts to Amadeus and how she responds to high-stakes situations herself.

Plus, it’s nice to see more of Carol and T’Challa in action.  I’ve already “met” the comic versions of both in Ms. Marvel, but I like getting more, even if the Civil War II storuline means heroes doing things I don’t necessarily like.  First of all, I’m so ready for the MCU’s Black Panther that I honestly can’t believe it’s finally almost here, and between Ms. Marvel and now The Totally Awesome Hulk, I’m definitely excited for the forthcoming Captain Marvel movie – I can’t wait to see what Carol’s like onscreen!