Throughout comic book history, companies have often attempted to incorporate the legends and myths of mankind into their stories. Heroes who were ancient gods and heroes have now become the stuff of comic book lore, such as Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Whilst Thor remains Marvel Comics’ most popular ancient hero, Hercules is not far behind.
’Still Going Strong’ sees the Greek/Roman demi-god try to reinvent himself as a hero again. Having spent the last few decades being this rambunctious character who was always drunk, Herc finds himself having to change his ways at the behest of his landlord. And to top it all off, Hercules has decided to embrace the modern era by using new weapons in his quests. And then comes the “Uprising Storm”, a mysterious menace that threatens to wipe out all the gods, heroes and creatures of old. Hercules, realising he can’t face them alone, forms a team of allies who will fight these “New Gods”.
I’m not sure if this novel was a one-off or part of a longer series, but I did particularly enjoy it. Having not read previous comics about Hercules I was unsure of how much he had changed, but there are moments we get an idea of how much growth has occurred. I think that his interaction with his ally Gilgamesh are great to see because you see Hercules actually attempting to use his newfound growth to aid his friend to see how to be a hero once again.
The artwork was good, there were no complaints. However, when I compared the art to the actual covers, it did not come close. The covers were fantastic and a definite highlight! Overall, this was a good novel and I’d be excited to see if there’s more of the adventure to follow!
Favourite Panel:
A very poignant panel. It seems that even Ancient heroes aren’t safe from blatant racism
Favourite Character:
It has to be Hercules. He’s a great hero who in this novel has a really good attitude!
Rating:
Story Arc: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★½
Artwork: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★½
Re-readability: ★★★
Level: Intermediate