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By Jason Bourgeois
And here comes 2009. Another year, another 12 comicbook reviews from me. Let's start things off with one of my absolute favourite books from Marvel Comics these days; Incredible Hercules.
Incredible Hercules spun out of events from the World War Hulk event from a year ago. The book stars, obviously, Marvel's version of Hercules. He's a braggart, a loudmouth, and a lout, but he has a good heart underneath the gruff exterior. That's a pretty classic characterisation there, and it's written well. Not so obviously co-starring in the book is Amadeus Cho, a relative newcomer to the Marvel scene. He was a character introduced a number of years ago, in a book that recycled old names with new characters, to see what ones would stick. Amadeus reused the Golden Age name of Master Mind Excello, although these days he hardly ever uses it. The teenager is one of the smartest people on the planet, and is a typical teen full of bad decisions and desires, but also with a good heart underneath it all.
Both characters compliment each other well. Cho's brains and Hercules' brawn make for a compelling team up to read, especially with the smarter of the two being the younger of the duo. They each have a lot to teach the other; Amadeus can show Hercules about the modern world, and keep his brutish actions in check as well as softening his occasional thuggish exterior, whereas Herc can share his wealth of experience that all the brains in the world can't teach you. They're also pretty clueless about the way the world really works, Herc because he's a god and above it all and Cho because he thinks he's so smart and above it all in that way, so they stumble into more trouble than you can shake a puppy at.
They first teamed up during World War Hulk, in support of the Hulk's actions. Amadeus knew the Hulk would one day return from his exile into space, and would be pissed. Rightly so. He began a convoluted plan to protect the Hulk, and help him for when that day came. Hercules was one of the voices he managed to convince to join their side, and after the War, they stayed together.
They stayed together in the Hulk's own book, and the title was changed from Incredible Hulk to Incredible Hercules, keeping the original series' numbering. Greg Pak, the orchestrator of WWH stayed on board to guide the book, and his creation Amadeus Cho, but Fred Van Lente is the main creative voice, and head writer on the title. Any long time reader of this column knows I've spoken about Fred's work before, and it almost always is a treat. It may not always be the best written stuff on the comic page, but he is a very solid writer, who can do action, comedy, and characterisation, all while using continuity to great effect. Another thing readers of this column will know I enjoy.
The first story set up the new status quo with Herc and Cho's sticking together to take down SHIELD for their role against the Hulk during the war. Things didn't go as planned, and both characters ultimately realised their goals were a bit on the wrong side of things. Since then, they have led a group of gods against the Skrull deities, and are currently locked in battle with the Amazons, who are trying to supplant the current order of things by turning the world on its head from a patriarchal society into a matriarchy, reaching back through time to do so. Will Hercules and Amadeus Cho save the day? Well, probably, but the story is ongoing, so let's say we don't know yet!
There have been a number of guest stars throughout the run, including Herc's 'God Squad' that he brought against the Skrulls, with such members as Alpha Flight's Snowbird, the Eternal Ajak, and others, to the current arc with Namor and Namora, the latter becoming Hercules latest romantic conquest. Well, not so much romantic, but you get the idea. Amidst the regular Marvel faces, they've also introduced a number of new players into the field, especially in the current story with a number of fun Amazonian characters, whose motives are not entirely in line with the Amazon line. It's good to not have a group be entirely homogenous and everyone marching to the same drum.
My absolute favourite part of the book, aside from the humour, is the use of actual mythology in almost every issue. Van Lente has used actual bits from the 'real' Hercules' history and inserted them flawlessly into the Marvel Universe's history, giving Hercules a stronger back story that resonates with his current events, and sheds light on the motives and personality of the character in ways we haven't seen much of in a long time.
Hercules is rapidly becoming one of the stronger, deeper characters of the Marvel heroes, and his comic is one of the funnest books on the stands, while at the same time telling serious stories that work right alongside the rest of the MU. If you're not reading this book, it is definitely worth a look.
Jason M. Bourgeois
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