The Good
I really enjoyed the opening scene with the hipsters at the park; not only did it take some jabs at the stuck-up type, it set the stage for the story we were about to experience. Instead of having Herc thrown into the story head-first, we got a little big of an intro through third parties that end up being throwaways. It was a smart use of them without it being horrible.
I'm also really glad that Zeus has made his way out of the series, as I'm not sure how many more issues I could have stood him being around. It seems like Pak wanted him to be a bumbling sidekick to Herc, but after so many situations it just seemed implausible that the King of Gods would be that dumb.
The Bad
I really didn't like the art in this issue, as it lacked detail and personality that I've come to associate with Herc. Characters' faces just looked goofy at times, and I really couldn't get the jovial feeling off the main character any more. Part of what makes this book great is the not-so-serious take that Pak crafted of Hercules; while I'm not saying that every issue should have the exact same team, I find that David Hahn didn't really do as good a job as he could.
Wilson Fisk may be smart, but he's not "crossover" smart; he has a certain niche of expertise, and rarely strays from it. Seeing him talk about the summoning on ancient demons and siphoning of mystical energies made me laugh a little bit, because he's not the type of character who I would think would be interested in these kind of things. He's not Doctor Doom: I don't think he has the time to delve into the occult.
The Verdict
I really wish I could have read this book with a blindfold on, because it probably would've made me enjoy it a lot more. Certain scenes made me cringe a little, but there is a solid story here. You just have to wade through a little bit of grease to get to it.
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