Good grief, there's an election going on! Do I have to write a review now? (The deadline is here - get typing already! - Ed.)(Sigh) OK, OK... let's make it quick!
So, The Incredible Hercules has been handed the keys to Hulk's original comic while the green-skinned guy drives around in a shiny new Hulk comic.
A terrible idea, I thought, because Hercules has never really been interesting enough to warrant having his own comic. Oh, he's been in a couple of fun mini-series by Bob Layton, and he's done some good guest star work in Thor and The Avengers, but could the character really manage a solo comic?
Amazingly, the answer is "Yes."
That's largely because of some high-spirited, funny and smart writing by Greg Pak and Fred Von Lente, who are clever enough to build an interesting cast of supporting characters around the not-always-bright Hercules. The cast includes Amadeus Cho, an amazingly smart young man, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Namora, on vacation from the Agents of Atlas.
Throw in some murderous Amazons and you get a surprisingly fun, fast-moving story, with a little sexual tension on the side. (Will Amadeus get lucky? Don't count on it.)
The art by Clayton Henry and Salva Espin is very good, with strong action sequences and some really expressive faces - I love Hercules' approving grin on page 12, for example.
If someone had told me that I'd look forward to a comic starring Hercules each month, I'd never have believed it - until now.
Grade: B
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