I’m going to be honest, I kind of got suckered into buying this book.  During the WWH saga, I added the Incredible Hulk to my pull list and when the event ended, I just kind of forgot to take it off.  After picking up the first issue of the Incredible Herc, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  So, I decided to give it a try, and the series has continued to be good throughout it’s run.  But this issue,  my friends, this issue takes the cake.

With this issue we are introduced to the “God Squad,” a collection of gods from the different ancient religions of the world.  And the “God Squad” has been given a very clear directive:  go kill the Skrull gods.  And while Herc is a reluctant leader, this storyline promises to do some truly amazing things.

The first thing that it will hopefully bring to the table is that we’ll see some good Skrull action–something that’s been missing from the Secret Invasion storyline.  This storyline promises lots of action as this issue displays.  Amidst all of the Skrull problems, we still see these gods battling amongst themselves, which should prove to create not only great tension but should lead to dynamic action both inside and outside of the group.

The second thing this brings to the Hercules table is that with the creation of “God Squad”, the creative team has an opportunity to create a dynamic team filled with interesting characters and character moments.  Already, I’m excited by the possibilities that will be present between the team members.  With possible in-fighting, back-stabbing, and other godly deeds, Pak and co. will have a chance to create a memorable team that’s really fun to read.

I’ve also really enjoyed the new artist that they have on the series.  His art is filled with energy, and his panels are dynamic.  These gods truly look like epic people, and when the Skrull invasion begins at the end of the book, the scale of the ships is amazing.  The coloring in the book gives it a very whimsical, epic feel.  It has this luster that really gives it a unique look and makes you feel like you’re truly viewing the lives of gods.

In all, I had an absolute blast reading this book.  This issue gave me flashes of reading Smax by Alan Moore, where the story is filled with a lot of RPG/Questing jokes.  This book has potential to have some fun with mythical legends and story elements, which should mean it’s going to have a nice sense of humor to it while also telling an important story.  Also, I’m really looking foward to how this will tie into Secret Invasion.