First, let's get the one negative out of the way: the Brandon Peterson cover.  Thor's face is ugly, and Hercules has a very distorted body shape - huge torso, little head.  Also, if it wasn't computer generated it sure looks like it was.  All the characters come off emotionless, which is the last thing a group like this should be.  Now that that's finished...

Back in the day, playing "Dungeons and Dragons" in high school and college, my favorite setting was "Planescape."  This setting allowed players to experience the homes of the gods and created opportunities for divine mash-ups, where gods and characters from other settings could interact with each other and with real-world pantheons like the Greeks, Irish, and Norse.  Each realm was inhabited not just by the gods but by their living and dead believers and other various creatures, and characters could work with these beings or fight them.  As a mythology geek, this was the most awesome thing ever.  After reading Chaos War #2, I wonder if Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak had a similar experience, because this issue hit all those geeky pleasure centers I just mentioned in an amazing way.

Hercules is still dealing with what it means to be Skygod, and there's a very sad consequence of this new state at the beginning of the issue that was a really nice touch.  On the other hand, Hercules demonstrates a smart and practical application of his abilities that leads to a weird situation for the inhabitants of Earth.  Herc forms his new God Squad, including one member whose presence might have unintended consequences.  Elsewhere, the Chaos King is charging through the Netherworld, going after the gods of the dead and the souls they've collected over the millenia.  This leads to one of those mash-ups I mentioned with Hela and Pluto, and Pluto makes a declaration that could end up affecting the Marvel U just as much as Wanda's "No more mutants" wish in House of M.

Van Lente and Pak do a great job handling characters who are off the charts, both in power and in stature.  It's fun watching Hercules trying to learn what he can do with his power because he's still Hercules - classically, he acts before he thinks.  He can command an audience with Master Eternity, but even a Skygod looks like a gnat to the embodiment of all that is (and the dialogue is spot-on cosmic talk).  He can summon Galactus, but should he have summoned the Devourer of Worlds?  He can stop time, but what if he doesn't maintain it?  Also, while it may be only temporary, the pair have removed the other summoned heroes from last issue, allowing the story to return its focus to Hercules and Cho where it should be.

Comparisons will be made to Blackest Night - the dead have returned and they are attacking their friends.  But that's where the similarities end.  The Chaos King is no Nekron, and the dead returning wasn't part of a master plan.  Also, these aren't zombies powered by a magic ring; these are the real deal people, and they are back, at least for now.  The storytelling possibilities here are endless.

Khoi Pham's art takes a back slide here.  It's still very good, but the faces of some of the characters in the background get mushy and indistinct.  There's one panel, for example, where Pluto is speaking, but if it hadn't been for his armor and context clues, I wouldn't have known it.  But the splashes of Eternity and Galactus make up for these detail issues.

If you like Hercules and jumped off with the Prince of Power mini, get back on.  Van Lente and Pak are on their A+ game with this event and it is fun on a grand scale.