The Incredible Hercules #113-115

The Incredible Hercules #113-115

Originally released in 2008

Written by Greg Pak and Fred van Lente

Art by Khoi Pham

Despite the numbering, this is not the 113th issue of a Hercules series.  In the aftermath of World War Hulk, the Incredible Hulk comic shifted its focus to Hercules instead while keeping the numbering of the Hulk series. (not having read the World War Hulk event, I'm not sure what happened to the Hulk afterwards to cause this change)

Hercules is on the run from SHIELD, along with teenage super-genius Amadeus Cho and a currently unnamed coyote puppy.  Hercules was less boisterous than I was expecting him to be, while Amadeus has a darker side compared to what I'm used to.  Athena tasks Hercules to serve as a moral compass for the boy, as he has plenty of intelligence but is still learning how to best use it. (Amadeus is introduced in these issues as wanting to destroy SHIELD, so her concerns seem founded)

Meanwhile, Iron Man's post-Civil War team of Avengers is chasing after Hercules, with Ares enthusiastically leading the charge.  Ares may be the god of war, but subtlety and deception are skills that he's decidedly lacking in, as seen with his interactions with his fellow Avengers.

Black Widow also makes an appearance, using her history with Hercules as members of the rather random team-up "The Champions" to talk him out of a berserk drug-induced state. (the team's line-up also consisted of Angel and Iceman from the X-Men, along with Ghost Rider)  However, it seems like even after Civil War, Iron Man's team still can't do the right thing - Black Widow knocks out Amadeus Cho, badly injuring the puppy in the process.  Amadeus hacks into SHIELD's systems to try and heal the puppy, and in the process, he also decides to free the prisoners in the Negative Zone prison (which is still somehow active after Annihilation) and crash their satellites while he's at it.

Hercules gets some good development, talking with Amadeus about the nature of myth, legend, and how people are remembered.  The book isn't completely serious; Greg Pak and Fred van Lente manage to blend in some moments of comedy throughout. (also, I'm surprised that they seemed to fit in a vague reference to Godzilla's time as being licensed by Marvel, unless it's referring to something else)

Khoi Pham's artwork shines during the parts where the story digs into Hercules' mythological past, such as the encounter with the Hydra or the centaur Nessus.  That's not to say that the art in the present day story is lacking in any way, but the shots in ancient Greece help to elevate the book and separate it from other super-strong heroes like the Hulk.

While not what I was expecting from a Hercules series, it was a good start. (I was expecting something goofier, since by my understanding, Marvel's version of Hercules has a tendency to be very boastful)  I was not expecting Ares to be such a highlight - it makes for a fun contrast with DC's portrayal of the character, and he gets a brief moment of humanity where he expresses frustration at why people love Hercules and hate him even though both of their pasts are checkered at best.  I'm not sure if I'll keep going with this series, or if I'll be able find one that matches the tone that I was expecting, though I did find this to be a good read.