On sale 03/19/08.

This is a revealing issue in terms of the interpersonal character development of Hercules. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be as writers (in this case, Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente) who must script an established hero that’s been the protagonist of countless stories for the past few thousand years. How can you develop this character that’s been explored so thoroughly and deeply that every facet of his fictional history has been picked apart and put back together again? Well, Pak and Van Lente have figured out how to do it and they’ve done it with success.

The trick is that these creators take extreme creative liberty by rewriting the history of Hercules through the dialogue of the title character. Herc tells a tale to Amadeus Cho that makes use of a flashback to set this story on the right track. That’s normally something I would decry, but the writers are magically able to make this flashback feel monumental.

Interestingly, Pak and Van Lente make the flashback pivotal in the only issue thus far that doesn’t use a direct interpretation of classic Herc myth to frame the action in the present. Instead, we get a confessional moment from the Prince of Power. And it’s a real humdinger of a confession as Mastermind Excello takes serious heed of Herc’s words.

This issue is also notable for the massive throwdown between Ares and Hercules. Their sibling rivalry comes to a head, also full of interesting reveals. Ares finally exposes the emotional motivation for attacking Herc with such zeal. Herc finally exposes his emotional weakness (and in turn strength), thus making himself a more identifiable protagonist. The fight is huge, the type of thing that a movie budget could never produce convincingly with current technology.

Speaking of which, anyone think Marvel might want to produce a Hercules film based off of this plot? Seriously, this story arc has reached (what I assume is) rather unexpected success critically and financially. They would take a huge hit in terms of licensing, because any company can produce Hercules-related merchandise. But a movie based off of this particular story could be very lucrative, as it seems to click with readers.

Khoi Pham looks better than ever in this issue. His pencils are really hitting the right beats, giving way to better emotional expression and bigger action. The inking team of Paul Neary and Danny Miki add terrific support, making sure that Pham’s stuff keeps looking stronger. Joe Caramagna does great on letters, keeping it clear with strong flow.

Dennis Calero joins the art teams as colorist and he does a wonderful job. He has a tough position following up the recently deceased Stephane Peru, who was both adored by fans and professionals while setting a strong mood for this particular story arc. Calero would make Peru proud, continuing some of Peru’s smart monochromatic tendencies, while adding his own flourishes including more saturated tones when it comes to skin and clothing. Speaking of Stephane, there’s a touching tribute page for the artist at the end of this fantastic issue. He’ll be missed greatly, but his work and memory will live on in every reprint of this acclaimed series.