Sci-Fi & Scary

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.

I didn’t like Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens nearly as much as I hoped to, but I did like it. The legend of Hercules is a fascinating one, and when I was little, I absolutely loved watching the TV show with my mom. So, when I was Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens mentioned in the newsletter that Titan comics sent out, I figured I had to give it a try. The Hercules of old in a futuristic setting? Okay, let’s do this! And by the end of it, I was totally caught up in what was happening. However, it took a good 100 of the 146 pages in the volume before it hooked me.

Jean-David Morvan and Looky did a great job in translating the first few of Hercules’ 12 Challenges in Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens. The Lion was kind of expected. The Hydra surprised me. The Hind had me laughing. If the Hydra and the Hind are any indication of what we’re to expect of the re-imaginings of the Challenges, I really can’t wait to see the next volume. So, that was one aspect that I really liked.

And, lets be honest here, some of the artwork cracked me up. There’s a representation of a certain goddess wearing what one can only describe as aureole shields. I spent a solid three or four minutes looking at the Goddess and wondering if she had suspenders attached to the, er, pointy bits themselves. “Are they boob-spenders, or are we facing a Clooney’s Batman Nip-Gate?” Turns out, it was Batman-esque Nip-Gate that lead to a whole discussion with one of my bookish friends about Goddess bumps and gyroscopes.

The last quarter of Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens has a whole lot of adult images that seemingly come out of nowhere. I mean, there were things early on that told you it was a little bit risqué, but… Let’s just say that sometimes a graphic novel lulls you into a sense of complacency, and then you’re suddenly staring at someone with ladybits in rather irregular places. And more in that vein.

Oh, on that note, ladies and gets, please make sure you know this graphic novel isn’t for the younger comic book readers out there. Trust me – trust me­ – on this one. So, yeah, not for kiddos.

Also, there’s a set of panels involving matter and anti-matter that had me groaning in absolute delight. It was just so bad that it was awesome.

Unfortunately, while I liked the panels where action wasn’t happening, and the general art style, Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens was one of those graphic novels that I struggled with. The pages were too busy during action sequences, and my eyes didn’t know where to settle. There was just too much to take in, and I frequently felt lost as to what was happening during them. Not to mention that I’m really not a fan of panels that are taken over by weird noises like “Glonk”.

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading Hercules: Wrath of the Heavens, and will pick up Volume 2. It took me a while to get into it, and it’s not an easy read for me, but the ending was crude and fun that I need to see where Jean-David Morvan and Looky take this in future installments.