I almost never liked the Hulk, so when I heard that his title was now going to be the Incredible Hercules, I was excited. I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology, so despite the fact that his Greek name is Heracles, I wanted to read the series. And not only did they explain why he calls himself Hercules, Greg Pak and Fred van Lente tied the series into famous myths almost every issue. That’s a great way to start the series.
However, this could be a downfall. A series too tied up in the title character’s past could never move forward. Yet the two writers have come up with excellent plotlines, the first relating to World War Hulk, the second relating to Secret Invasion, and the third a stand-alone arc, that propel the character forward. Supergenius Amadeus Cho also makes a superb contrast to Hercules’ jovial, drunken, hit-first-ask-questions-later attitude. This is a series that basically came out of nowhere.
The current arc features the Amazons kidnapping Poseidon, god of the sea and some mystical object lost under the sea. As such, Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, plays a major role. So does Hercules’ new love interest, Namor’s cousin, Namora. Namora is an interesting choice to fall in love with Hercules, but Pak and van Lente make it work. Plus, Clayton Henry’s art, though it may not be the public’s favorite, fits the book perfectly. The Amazons are interesting, if a bit odd with the combination of guns and mythology, and the mysteriousness of the Olympus Group looms over the horizon. Overall, this is a book with a lot of potential. Sure, this arc doesn’t quite pack some of the punch that the previous arc did, with some tragic twists and turns. But it’s fun. Incredible Hercules is consistenly the most fun book I read. And I recommend it to anyone who likes Greek gods and funny stories. The picture of Hercules giving Cho the thumbs-up while he talks to the Amazonian princess is just priceless.
Plot: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Dialogue: 9.2 Overall: 9.0
