Incredible Hercules Vol. 1: Against The World [Paperback]

Greg Pak (Author), Fred Van Lente (Author), Khoi Pham (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 4 and up

In the wake of World War Hulk, the Mighty Avengers are hot on the heels of unrepentant renegades Hercules and Amadeus Cho. Driven into a mindless berserker rage by Ares, Herc has become the critical piece of Cho's plan to utterly destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. What is Cho's master plan to wipe out the spy agency...and is he willing to get Herc killed to do it? Guest-starring the Champions of Los Angeles! Yes, seriously! Collecting Incredible Hercules #112-115 and Hulk Vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785125337
• ISBN-13: 978-0785125334
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far the most delightful surprise from Marvel in recent years., September 20, 2008

By 

Sean Curley (Charlottetown, PE, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Incredible Hercules Vol. 1: Against The World (Paperback)

Hercules is the original Western hero, and I've always referred to him as the original superhero; his mythic exploits have entertained generations of young people (usually in heavily-bowdlerized form, removing such issues as his pederasty, adultery, and overt bloodymindedness). Since he's been in the public domain for millenia, Both DC and Marvel Comics have versions of him; DC's is a minor villainous figure in the "Wonder Woman" mythos, while Marvel's Herc has been a dependable supporting cast member for "Thor" and "The Avengers"; he debuted in the mid-1960s as a foyle/ally for Marvel's chief mythic hero, Thor, and has since turned up frequently as a team-member or guest star, occasionally getting his own spotlight (most notably a pair of well-regarded miniseries by Bob Layton in the 1980s which followed his adventures in an alternate future). The last few years have been pretty good for Herc; he got a major supporting role in Marvel 2006 mega-event "Civil War" (including the final issue's Big Damn Hero moment), and then was drafted into "The Incredible Hulk" as a supporting castmember, before taking over the title, beginning with #112, which is where this collection picks up.

To set the stage, "World War Hulk" (the Hulk's misguided revenge spree that ended in his defeat) is over, and Hercules, together with boy genius Amadeus Cho, find themselves on the losing end, and must decide what to do next (their companions, Angel and Namora, depart quickly, but one suspects we'll be seeing more of the latter). Herc wants to make peace with SHIELD, trying not to make the same mistakes he tends to make (picking the wrong side, as his brother Ares puts it), while Cho, who blames SHIELD for the Hulk's fate, and generally as a part of the military-industrial complex, is more interested in destroying the world's premiere anti-terrorism agency. Herc changes his tune when he finds out that his brother Ares, God of War, now a member of Iron Man's Mighty Avengers, has authority over him, and he and Cho end up on the run together, making for Herc's sister Athena's house in Vermont, with Ares, Wonder Man, and Black Widow (one of Herc's ex-girlfriends) on his tail. Herc just wants to reach his sister, while Cho is out to cause havoc, and Ares is out to abuse his newfound authority to settle some very old grudges. Also included is the "Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide" special, which relates an old encounter between the two, and develops some interesting contrasts between the two.

Writers Greg Pak (formerly the solo writer of "The Incredible Hulk" and "World War Hulk") and Fred Van Lente ("Action Philosophers", "Marvel Adventures Iron Man") produce a wonderful story; in just four issues, this series rocketed to the #2 spot on my monthly comics list (#1 being "Captain America"). Their writing is a masterful blend of classical mythology of the Greeks and the modern mythology of superhero comics; Herc's ancient history and his Marvel history have never been so well-integrated as they are here. Each issue is anchored around some comparisons between old exploits and his modern character, and there's a sort of humourous, intelligent didacticism at work that is incredibly appealing. The writers expertly capture the character of Hercules, who is usually written as a goofy counterpart to Thor, but, as they acknowledge, also has more than a little tragedy in his life (look for a major, surprising revelation near the end about his past history). Ares is a magnificent villain; frequently hilarious, but also written with the dignity of a god, and when he starts explaining his reasons for hating Hercules, one can sort of see his point. Amadeus Cho, a character I found to be incredibly annoying in past stories, gets much, much better here, as Pak and Van Lente finally give him something of a humbling. The art is principally by Khoi Pham, with Reilly Brown, Bob Layton, and a few others contributing to the "Hulk vs. Hercules" special; it is all very well-done.

This comic has it all: great action, utterly hilarious humour, and a lot of intelligence. I can't recommend it highly enough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, February 15, 2009

By 

Kermit the Frank (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Incredible Hercules Vol. 1: Against The World (Paperback)

Incredible Herc: Against the World is one of the best trades I've read in the past year. It is action packed, includes some wonderful nods to the Bronze Age--including The Champions AND the Behemoth Helicarrier from the Godzilla comics of the late 70s!--and it's also freakin' hilARious!

Pak writes Ares, brother and nemesis of Hercules, in a way that is both full of the aforementioned hilarity and yet also full of the douchbaggery that we have come to expect out of the god of war. His speech-as-narrative-field-report is particularly funny; he has a way of yelling his alibi out loud as he breaks the law, oversteps his Initiative mandates, and even attacks his own teammates, in pursuit of his brother Hercules. It's great! The recap pages are also an unexpected source of humor. Pak's use of Olde Tyme English to catch readers up on the modern happenings of this comic book always results in more than a few laughs.

I highly recommend Incredible Herc: Against the World to anyone who likes comics and may not have yet checked it out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hercules past and present makes for a funny, smart read., November 18, 2009

By 

Andrew T. Goldman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Incredible Hercules Vol. 1: Against The World (Paperback)

This volume collects The Incredible Hulk 112, The Incredible Hercules 113-115, and a Hulk vs. Hercules one-shot. Now, I will limit my rant about the crazy numbering system Marvel Comics is regularly using to this sentence; despite my pet peeve about changing the name and focus of a comic but keeping the numbering system, the Incredible Hercules rocks.

With smart writing by Greg Pak--who got me back into comics after a long drought with his Planet Hulk story arc--and Fred Van Lente, the Incredible Hercules focuses on Herc and Amadeus Cho, and switches between Hercules' mythical past and the world-upside-down present. This story arc finds Ares, the God of War, using the chaotic aftermath of World War Hulk to pursue his own vendetta against Hercules. It also involves Amadeus Cho trying to bring down S.H.I.E.L.D. and balancing on a knife point between becoming an evil genius and a, well, good genius.

I can't say enough good things about how this comic is written, and the pencils by Khoi Pham are solid as well. Pick up this graphic novel. `Nuff said.