The Incredible… Herc!
Hercules. By most comics fans’ standards, he’s not the biggest draw in the longbox OR on the shelves. So what is he doing with his own series?
More accurately, what’s he doing on the cover of one of Marvel’s most popular characters’ series?
Over at IGN, the Incredible Herc creative team of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente do their best to address that very question.
Greg Pak: And it’s worth noting that [the success of the series thus far] ain’t all just due to our puny mortal efforts — our lead happens to be one of the most loved characters in human history. That’s one of the real joys of working on Marvel’s Hercules — he’s not just some strong dude who calls himself Hercules — he’s the mangod himself, the son of Zeus, the Lion of Olympus, the slayer of the Hydra, the scourer of the stables! Which means that the Hercules we’re writing is the same hero who was driven mad by Hera and slew his own wife and children, who atoned through the Twelve Labors, who was burned by the blood of Nessus and ascended to Olympus as a god. He’s an incredible combination of scoundrel and hero, of folktale and myth, of comedy and tragedy, of the profane and the divine. And he’s right here in the Marvel Universe — and we got him, baby!
Okay, so I’ll give Pak some credit for building the character up pretty well. (Mental Note: Remind me to ask Greg Pak to write up my professional bio.) But can Herc carry a book on his own?
Van Lente: It’s a buddy book with Herc in the lead and Amadeus [Cho, his teenage partner] in the main supporting role. Amadeus is pretty headstrong and arrogant, and he could learn a lot from Herc — and Herc is very much seeking his purpose in the modern world, and maybe this is it. Of course, he’s also everyone’s leading candidate for World’s Worst Mentor Hero, but hey, therein lies drama…
Check out the interview for a veritable cornucopia of art, as well as more questions and answers about Herc, his friends and enemies, how long the team expects him to hold up the "Incredible" banner and, of course, Skrulls!
"Van Lente: It's a buddy book with Herc in the lead and Amadeus [Cho, his teenage partner] in the main supporting role. Amadeus is pretty headstrong and arrogant, and he could learn a lot from Herc — and Herc is very much seeking his purpose in the modern world, and maybe this is it. Of course, he's also everyone's leading candidate for World's Worst Mentor Hero, but hey, therein lies drama…"That pretty much explains why I still read this title. It's fun.