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The Incredible Hercules No. 113
Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente. Pencils by Khoi Pham. Inks by Paul Neary.
The Deal: The conclusion of Marvel's World War Hulk limited series launched this comic, focusing on the exploits of the superhero and demigod Hercules. In this new ongoing book (which replaced The Incredible Hulk with issue 112), Herc is joined by one of the major characters from WWH -- the young genius Amadeus Cho. And it may be too early to tell, but it seems like this comic is all about Herc and Amadeus running from the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Good: The best feature is, without a doubt, the art. First off, this issue's cover is drawn by the legendary artist Arthur Adams. Adams has been a fan favorite since the 1980s, and his current work seems to be even more detailed and dynamic than ever. The interior art is being handled by the neophyte penciller Khoi Pham, but he's off to a great start. Pham employs a light-but-confident line. His work reminds me of a young Olivier Coipel.
The Bad: You'd think WWH would be the launching pad for an interesting comic, but Hercules ain't it. Pak and Van Lente have crafted a story that focuses on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pursuit of the fugitive Hercules and old events from Herc's time in ancient Greece; both plots are pretty uninteresting. On top of that, since Herc originally appeared in Marvel Comics in the 1960s, he's been portrayed as this good-natured blowhard. But in this series, he comes across as more of a brooding, thoughtful guy. I'm not sure why the writers chose to portray him in that way, but as far as I'm concerned, the blowhard is the better character.
The Verdict: The art's good, but the story is incredibly uninteresting. Get it? Incredibly? Yeah, yeah ... bad joke.
Youngblood No. 1
Published by Image Comics. Plot and script by Joe Casey. Pencils and inks by Derec Donovan.
The Deal: Just in case you weren't reading comics in the 1990s, Youngblood is the brainchild of infamous artist/writer Rob Liefeld. The book launched the creator-controlled company Image Comics and -- with its emphasis on "superhero as celebrity" -- was somewhat groundbreaking at the time. Thematically, many say it paved the way for books like The Ultimates and X-Statics. The problem with Youngblood, however, was that the book was always late and sometimes issues just would not come out at all. The book has been relaunched many times, only to disappear after a few issues. Why? Well, Liefeld seemed to suffer from a case of "artistic ADD" and jumped from project to project without finishing one. Now, the book is back. But this time, Liefeld is just doing covers while writer Joe Casey and artist Derec Donovan handle the day-to-day chores on the monthly comic.
The Good: I've always been a fan of the concept behind Youngblood. I subscribe to the belief that, if heroes existed, they'd be media darlings with endorsement deals and action figures. Old versions of this series seemed to skirt over this idea, but Casey dives headfirst into the concept and goes crazy. Casey really drives home the fact that the heroes in Youngblood are more interested in gaining money and fame than saving lives. On the flip side, he also makes the comic's lead character, Shaft, a guy with real convictions -- that way readers won't think all the characters are assholes. Donovan's art is clean, modern and -- thankfully -- nothing like Liefeld's stuff.
The Bad: Although Youngblood was one of the first comics to focus so heavily on the celebrity angle, many comics have played with the same idea over the last decade. So there ain't much in this comic you haven't seen before.
The Verdict: This is an entertaining read with great art. And, honestly, I just want to see how far they get with this series.
Reviewed materials furnished by Heroes Aren't Hard To Find: www.heroesonline.com.
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NEW WINDOW GALLERY-Pat Rhea-ACRYLIC PAINTINGS-April 05-30 2024 VALDESE, NC 28690 @ New Window Gallery/Play It Again Records
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