Customer Reviews

Hercules: New Labors of Hercules (Marvel Comics)

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Hercules: The New Labors of Hercules collects the full five-issue run of Marvel's 2005 Hercules mini-series. Chronologically, this collection thus takes place after the events of Avengers Disassembled, but before Civil War and World War Hulk. It's an amazingly ugly-looking graphic novel, with a cover image so cheap looking (why is the main title off-center?) that the book seems designed for the bargain bin. Inside, there are no page numbers and the original covers have been reproduced--without copy--inside an unflattering red frame.

Things don't get much better with the story either. Frank Tieri presents Herc as a washed-up drunk, who, in an effort to stage a "come back," attempts to reproduce his original 12 labors for a reality-television show. Presumably Tieri intended this Herc story as comedy, but the humor, premised upon the idea that drunkenness is somehow inherently funny, is too juvenile to provide most readers with any real mirth. Mark Texeria's pencils certainly don't help the comic tone any either. Like all of his work, they're dark and shadowy, more befitting of a supernatural or horror book than a reality-TV-themed comedy. His covers for the series are also, in this reviewer's opinion at least, some of the worst he's done for Marvel.

Ultimately, this is a graphic novel to keep clear of--even at bargain book prices. Fans of Marvel's Hercules should instead check out Bob Layton's "alternate universe" Herc stories (collected in Hercules: Prince of Power (Marvel Premiere Classic)) or Greg Pak's more recent work on the Incredible Hercules series (the first collection of which is Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans).