Incredible Hercules #129 – Review

By Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (Writers), Ryan Stegman (Pencils), Terry Pallot (Inks), and Raul Trevino (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I love how Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente blend the Greek myth with the Marvel universe in Incredible Hercules. It helps to give the series a very unique feel.

The Story: Herc and Amadeus head to Erebus, which just happens to be a glitzy casino where those that have died and believe they shouldn’t have gamble for a chance to live once more. There they search for Athena’s “secret weapon.” What weapon? His name is Zeus…Herc’s father!

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The creative team’s spin on Erebus makes the latest issue of Incredible Hercules one of the most entertaining in quite some time. From the casino atmosphere to the clever cameos and hilarious dialogue, everything just flat out works. However, it’s not perfect.

The flaw is that throughout the course of the book, not a lot actually happens to drive the story forward. Outside of the last couple of pages, Herc #129 seems more concerned with fun, quips, Greek mythology, and commenting on the nature of comic book death than moving the plot along. While it’s not necessarily a bad thing because the book is so enjoyable, it is quite noticeable.

Writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente do an impressive job of keeping the humor flowing and the atmosphere lively. As always, the interactions between Hercules and Amadeus are a highlight, though nearly every character gets a chance to shine. I especially dug: Aegis’s nerdy conversation with Amadeus since it is sure to get a laugh out of those that get it, and Charon the river Styx boatman’s small, yet memorable appearance.

The artwork by Ryan Stegman, Terry Pallot, and Raul Trevino effortlessly brings the vision of the writers to the page. It’s bright, full of personality, and very much up to the challenge of bringing the Erebus casino and it’s inhabitants to life. It’s great fun to try and figure out which deceased Marvel characters are playing the games or enjoying the atmosphere.

Conclusion: Clever and hilarious, Incredible Hercules #129 is a creative success all around. While light on story, it more than makes up for it by being a whole lot of fun.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Bayou – Review

By Jeremy Love (story & art), Patrick Morgan (colors)

I really despise online comics. Not for the content, but just for the sake of having to read a comic on the computer screen. I like to hold the comic or trade paperback in my hand and read it at my leisure.

That said…

First of all, Zuda Comics is an online comic publisher through DC Comics. The goal is to find talent in the ‘online’ comic world and give those creators the opportunity to produce work that people will have the chance to read for free. Every month Zuda Comics holds a competion to name a winner. I was reading Newsarama and they did a story on Bayou and how it was the first ‘instant’ winner. Bayou didn’t have to go through the competition because DC/Zuda decided the quality was so high that it was immediately heralded as the flagship strip for their new online comic company. I thought the premise sounded interesting, and the image attached was gorgeous, so I decided to give it a read. Once I clicked the link and fell in love… hard… like, fanboy hard…
Bayou had me at hello…

Bayou is the story about a girl named Lee, a black girl working hard to help her father survive in the days of the depression as sharecroppers. The story takes place in the south and is racially charged, but handled very well by the creative team. The racial overtones are important to the story and how the characters get into the situations they are in. There’s a strong magical/fantasy element to it all, leaving the reader craving for more on just what is going on in the town of Charon and with Lee. Without giving too much of the story away, Lee must set out a journey to save her father and her town.

The art on Bayou is simply gorgeous. It reminds me of Josh Middleton’s line work and coloring, but has a distinctive look all it’s own. Both Jeremy Love and Patrick Morgan set the bar high for future work and, I for one, will be there when their next project is released… online or not.

The entire story of Bayou is far from over, with 84 pages online currently and more being added often, the story is just begging to be produced as a future trade or a hardcover. Make it happen, DC! Until then, I urge you to log onto Zuda at http://www.zudacomics.com/bayou and give Bayou a read.

Today. For Free.

While you are there, check out other Zuda comics. The appeal is broad with every type of story style present. As of this morning, 68,141 readers have delved into the Bayou, and thankfully I was one of them. Will you be next? (Grade: A)

-Jonathan Jespersen