Marvel Noise

I’m going to be honest. After the Incredible Hulk became the Incredible Hercules, I dropped the title before I really even gave the book a chance. I have never been a huge Hercules fan. I always enjoyed him when he was with the Avengers, but as a solo character he was just never one who particularly interested me. Thus, the reason for dropping the book when the title changed. Over the last few months I have been hearing many people talking about how good the new book is. Well, curiosity finally got the best of me and I can totally see what everybody was talking about! This book was just pure comic book fun! The writing team of Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak deliver an off-the-wall fun ride that was a blast from beginning to end. I love the bits with Amadeus Cho here! World War Hulk kinda left me with a sour taste in my mouth for the character with the whole seventh smartest person in the world line thrown in our face every other panel. But here, he was was a great supporting character with some really funny dialog. The story as a whole, I just really had a good time with. There were great moments of action, a funny historic flashback, a few lessons in speaking ancient Greek and some hot, hormonally charged Amazons with guns! What more could you ask for?

How about some absolutely gorgeous art from Clayton Henry (Wolverine: First Class)! I absolutely loved the art in this book! Henry has a very clean line style that I thought was an excellent fit for this book. There was one scene in particular involving the Titan Atlas that I thought was just amazing! I think Guru-Efx should also get mentioned for their coloring work that helped make that scene so impressive.

In my opinion, this was a really great issue all around! I may have to go do a little back issue bin diving (oh, darn) and try and pull out some of the issues I’ve missed. I give this book two big thumbs up!

COVER BY:ARTHUR SUDYAM
WRITER: FRED VAN LENTE & GREG PAK
PENCILS: CLAYTON HENRY
INKS: CLAYTON HENRY
COLORED BY: GURU-EFX
LETTERED BY: VC – JOE CARAMAGNA
EDITOR: MARK PANICCIA
Rated A …$2.99

The Incredible Hercules Battles The Eternals!

One of Marvel’s most critically-acclaimed series continues in Incredible Hercules #116 as Hercules and Amadeus Cho must deal with the revelation that Earth is headed towards a war it may not survive! Written by Greg Pak (World War Hulk) & Fred Van Lente (Wolverine: First Class), with art by hot new talent Rafa Sandoval and a cover by the legendary John Romita Jr, this issue sets the stage for next month’s Secret Invasion tie-in. Sent to San Francisco on a mission of grave importance, Marvel’s newest heroic duo come face to face with Eternals… well, make that fist to face! But is Hercules really an Eternal? Or might he be something more alien?

IGN.Com declared Incredible Hercules one of Marvel’s best books, gushing, “Everything about Incredible Hercules has been pitch perfect.”

“Once again, Pak and Van Lente have delivered the goods, with yet another excellent script which proves that this team is one of the best writing teams that Marvel currently employs,” exclaimed Adam Chapman of Comixtreme.Com.

With Secret Invasion looming on the horizon, how does this titanic battle between Herc and the Eternals affect the former Avenger’s role in this epic event? Find out in Incredible Hercules #116!

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #116 (FEB082226)
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL
Colored by MARTE GARCIA
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JANSON & DEAN WHITE
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—3/27/08, On-Sale—4/16/08

Wolverine & Kitty Pryde Embark On Their First Solo Mission!

The next generation of X-Men have arrived at Xavier’s school, but will new student Kitty Pryde survive the tutelage of the mysterious Wolverine? Exploring the early days of the X-Men with the solo adventures of Wolverine & Kitty Pryde, Wolverine: First Class #1 kicks off a new ongoing series revealing secrets from the X-Men’s past! From rising star writer Fred Van Lente (Incredible Hercules) and fan-favorite artist Andrea Di Vito (Marvel Comics Presents), learn about Kitty Pryde’s first mission with Wolverine as the two enter a situation too deadly for any one mutant to handle! But can these two find a way to work together?

“The Wolverine and Kitty team up is one of the all-time great sidekick dynamics in recent comics history,” says editor Mark Paniccia. “WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS introduces that magic to a new generation of readers. Long-time fans will get sensational untold stories set in the one of the greatest eras of the X-Men.”

Exploring in-continuity tales from the X-Men’s past, Wolverine: First Class is a must read for all X-Men fans!

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #1 (JAN082189)
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by ANDREA DI VITO
Cover by SALVADOR ESPIN
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—3/6/08, On-Sale—3/26/08

Will Amadeus Cho Choose Good or Evil In Incredible Hercules #115?

After the injuries to Amadeus Cho’s coyote pup at the hands of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the world’s seventh smartest person has implemented his most deadly idea yet — destroying S.H.I.E.L.D.! In Incredible Hercules #115, from the critically acclaimed team of co-writers Greg Pak (World War Hulk) & Fred Van Lente (Wolverine: First Class), and artist Khoi Pham, comes the greatest challenges Hercules may have ever faced! Not only must he try to sway Cho from crossing a line from which he can never return, but Herc’s brother — Ares, God of War — kicks their feud into high gear. Just what more could Ares do to enrage and injure his brother? Just wait till you see what happens in this jaw-dropping conflict! This issue is also available with a stunning regular cover by Art Adams and a variant by Marko Djurdjevic!

An IGN.Com Editor’s Choice, reviewer Bryan Joel exclaimed, “Incredible Hercules is something of a miracle book. It’s been by and large hailed as a surprising joy and critical success, landing inside in the top 20 on the sales charts… Some really first-class stuff here,” further declaring the book “a remarkable achievement.”

“This is well worth the time and money,” said Paul Brian McCoy of ComicsBulletin.Com. “I recommend this highly. It is, without a doubt, one of the best books Marvel is putting out at the moment.”

Now that Cho has been able to get into the S.H.I.E.L.D mainframe, what’s his next move? We’ve seen what Hercules is capable of in battle, but is Ares enough to take him down? All these questions and more are answered in the action packed Incredible Hercules #115!

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #115 (JAN082150)
INCREDIBLE HERCULES #115 DJURDJEVIC VARIANT (JAN082151)
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by KHOI PHAM
Colored by STEPHANE PERU
Cover by ART ADAMS
Variant Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Rated A …$2.99
FOC—2/28/08,On-Sale—3/19/08