Review: The Heroic Age- Prince of Power #1 of 4

If you were a bit upset over the death of Hercules, then you may be in for a real treat! This first may hint at the Greek God's return...
 

The Good

This is a great introductory issue for new readers unfamiliar with these characters. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente team up to bring you a comedic story which is a relatively easy read and fills in the blanks of many Marvel events without confusing the new reader. Pak and Van Lente focus on Amadeus Cho, the newly appointed Prince of Power; a seventeen year old kid who runs 'The Olympus Group.' I absolutely loved the way Van Lente and Pak used Reilly Brown's artwork to depict the way that Cho sees the world- in numbers and equations. Cho's character is captured really well in the very beginning of the issue. 

 "Cuz he's a natural-born 'hypermind'...capable of identifying the variables and quantum possibilities of any situation."

Good comic writing generally means that a lot of the story can be explained or expressed in very few words, and I think that these two writers really have a grasp of what makes Cho's character and relayed that brilliantly within the first few pages of the issue. The story starts out strong, with a battle, and we are introduced to who I assume is Cho's "instructor," Athena. Greek and Norse mythology heavily influence the storyline which in turn, maintains a rather 'unbelievable' quality. In other words, the events in this first issue are so unbelievable (and often comedic) that they are ridiculous- but not necessarily in a bad way. In no way do Pak and Van Lente try to ground this character and his story in reality. 
 

The Bad

The fact that there is little to no realism in this story also serves as a problem with the comic. Cho, who only recently lost his best friend (Hercules) and had his girlfriend try to kill his mentor, seems to be doing okay. I feel as though the emotional repercussions of these two major events would have heavily affected his personal life and that he would in turn show emotion, even only a little bit. Unfortunately, we do not see a deeper side of the character whatsoever. In fact, Cho's dialogue seems to be completely laced in comedy. If the character does not care about the people closest to him, it can make it difficult for the reader to care about the character and his story. For example, there should have been some sort of transition between the scene where Athena confronts Cho and when he heads to the Olympus Group R&D Lab 454 in New Mexico that reinforced the fact that he only recently lost his best friend. The overall pace of the story seems rushed, even for a four part mini. 
 

The Verdict- 3/5

This is a fun comic and caters to new readers. It is an easy read and serves as a good introduction into Marvel's upcoming Heroic Age story arc. While it was an entertaining read, I left not really caring about the characters and not really interested in what's in store for Amadeus Cho.