Reviewer: Andy Campbell
Story Title: The New Labors (part 4of 5)
Writer: Frank Tieri
Pencils: Mark Texeira
Inks: Jimmy Palmiotti
Color: Raul Trevino & Tatto
Letters: VC’s Randy Gentile
Assistant Editor: Cory Sedlmeier
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Dan Buckley (Marvel Comics)
If you’d like my initial thoughts on the Hercules mini, check out my review for issue #1 in the archives. To sum it up, I said that I thought it was a fun idea, made even better by the humor and witty dialogue. The art, however, wasn’t really to my liking.
This issue, my review is pretty much the same, with just a few differences.
I still found it to be a fun book, with some witty banter and dark humor. This time around, though, I didn’t feel that the plot moved too slowly, as I did with issue #1. As Hercules continued on with his New Labors, I continued to be entertained as he faced off against such foes as the Mole Man, and even the Avengers! The opening scene with Zeus and the other gods and goddesses was also quite entertaining, especially Dionysus and his cell phone.
As for the art, I feel the same as I did originally. I love the panel layouts; I think there are some really dynamic designs. Texeira’s character designs have even grown on me since issue #1. However, I’m still not digging the coloring in this book, as I feel it is way, way darker than necessary.
To sum it up, I find this to be a fun little mini-series, but seeing as this is the fourth of five issues, you may just want to wait for the inevitable trade to check this out.
