Herc #2 – Review

By: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Neil Edwards & Scott Hanna (artists), Jesus Aburtov (colorist)

The Story: Step right up and have your drink shaken, not stirred by a living legend!  Seriously.

The Review: There are plenty of mythological figures running around in comics, two of the biggest being Thor and Wonder Woman (who isn’t really part of mythic canon, but whose roots are so deeply embedded in myth she might as well be).  What sets Hercules apart from these characters, and also what makes him so special, is his enthusiastic embracing of modern life and pop culture, things from which Thor and Diana still tend to keep their distance—and thereby us.

By comparison, Herc’s so much more relatable, even more so now that he’s been rendered mortal, with mortal concerns, such as trying to find a job and a place to live.  In spite of all this, he remains a hero to the core, and to be worth his salt, he needs a mission.  Since he can’t always depend on villains like Hobgoblin to pop up on a regular basis, Hercules makes up his own agenda to protect a New York City borough from the Ares-devoted mobsters, the Warhawks.

This perfectly balanced melding of mortal concerns infected with mythic influences has been a great trademark for Pak-Van Lente’s conception of Hercules and his stories.  Not only do they use Herc’s ancient origins largely to comic effect (“Who’s thy daddy, now?”), they also make some clever parallels between his famous exploits (the lifting of the world on his shoulders) and the current action (his inability to keep a building from collapsing on him).  These are fun details for mythology buffs, but they also highlight the uphill battles he’ll have to fight from now on.

This major drawdown of his powers actually lends the action that much more tension.  Making Herc vulnerable to antics like Hobgoblin’s pumpkin bombs definitely makes it harder for him to emerge victorious without some pains.  It also gives him the opportunity to show how he can bring down his enemies, neoclassical style—what’s more satisfying than seeing Herc backslap Hobgoblin with the curve of his bow?

Besides an always loveable Herc, Pak-Van Lente are just strong character writers in general.  Everyone simmers with personality, even Herc’s brand-new boss and landlord, George Michael (“Pfff!  You think that’s real, Helene?  They used the Photoshop!”).  Hobgoblin’s random use of urban lingo paints him as a guy who’s obviously in it for the kicks, while Kingpin, despite never really ever showing any tangible evidence of why he’s as ominous as he is, comes across as a potential future archenemy for the incredible Herc.

The only weak link in the cast is Helene, whose selfish hysteria seems a contrivance on Pak-Van Lente’s part to introduce some drama into Herc’s personal life.  After all, it doesn’t make much sense that she’d already be sick of the country when she and her dad have seemingly just arrived (George Michael only got his liquor license last issue).

Edwards and Hanna offer terrific art, very much of the high Marvel standard: clean, strong lines, a good helping of detail, and carefully orchestrated action—perfect to show off Herc’s fighting competence (the scene where he leaps from scaffolding beam-to-beam and tackles Hobgoblin in midair looks pretty awesome).  Occasionally it seems like some details get skipped (Hobgoblin going from deluged in one panel to dry the next), but these snafus are rarely noticeable.

Conclusion: Another great outing for Herc’s newest adventures, it’s hard to think of anyone who won’t get a kick out of this.

Grade: A-

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – I like how it’s the guys who exclaim “Dude!” and the girls “Badass!” over Herc’s victory.

– Where Herc learned to mix up all those drinks, I don’t know—but it’s a pretty handy skill for someone newly mortalized and unemployed.