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I never expected to be lovingIncredible Hulk as much as I am right now. Of course, technically the series is now titledIncredible Hercules, but what's in a name? We all know the book will revert to normal sooner or later, but I honestly hope Greg Pak and Fred van Lente are allowed to stretch this revamp out as long as possible. I've had more than enough Hulk over the last 2 years. Now it's Herc's turn.
If it wasn't obvious already, Hercules is really allowed to come into his own with this series. When handled correctly, Herc is an extremely interesting character. Pak and van Lente succeed by exploring the demigod's dark past and juxtaposing it against his present situation. I think a lot of writers make the mistake of emphasizing Herc's vast strength, despite the fact that he's far from the strongest there is in the Marvel universe. Not so with this series.
Almost as much a breakout star as his half-brother, Ares is finally getting the exposure he deserves withIncredible Hercules. I was ready for the God of War to explode onto the scene after Michael Avon Oeming's recent mini-series. Unfortunately, he didn't explode so much as limp his way into the ranks ofMighty Avengers. Pak and van Lente seem to have a better handle on the character, as he comes across as much more intelligent and brutal than the dim-witted jock seen in the Avengers books.
At this point the only things keepingIncredible Hercules from ranking as the best book of the week are the unfortunately-timedImmortal Iron Fist and the slightly underwhelming pencils of Khoi Pham. I don't want to be too hard on Pham. This is some of the best work I've seen from the artist so far. Still, it doesn't quite measure up to what we're seeing in some of the otherAftersmash books. If only Ed McGuinness were drawing this series instead ofHulk. I think I'd be in comic book heaven.
