On the anniversary of his vanquishing of Galactus, Hercules is attacked by the Silver Surfer - - but this definitely isn't the surfer you all know and love.
The Good
The whole conceit of Herc being this over-the-hill (but still dangerous) hero who's no longer "right in the head" continues to be infinitely amusing. I'm loving how
Layton's having him blunder through all these galactically-important events and yet still succeeding in spite of the numerous ways he's sabotaging himself. It adds a funny undercurrent to all the regular superhero action. I tittered quite a bit over the gag where the city's water turned combustible - - "...my hands smell like butt cheese!" indeed - - and the scene where Herc psyches the Surfer out by mocking him about how Galactus "farts planet gas" was gleefully ridiculous. The combo of
Lim and Layton on the art makes for some well-practiced storytelling - - I particular enjoyed the use of vertical panels in one layout.
The Bad
I still question why this is a follow-up to a story that's been over for almost two decades. I wasn't even aware of the original storyline before some people explained it to me after reading the first issue - - and I'm far from a novice fan. Anybody reading Hercules adventures in the regular title is likely to be confused by this.
The Verdict - 4/5
It's so strange to say that a comic fills me with early 90s nostalgia, but this fits the bill. It brings me right back to what I first enjoyed about the Marvel Universe as a kid. If you aren't familiar with the classic run this is continuing, you might feel like you missed out, but really "A buffoon taking one space gods" is all you need to know. This isn't anything Earth-shattering - - it just continues to be a lot of fun.
