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Herc #5

Jul 2011
?, Neil Edwards

Story Name:

Lost City


Synopsis

Herc #5 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Witch-Goddess Hecate, in league with Kyknos, son of Ares, has turned Brooklyn into a hellscape with eerie trees, vicious monsters and a miasma of fear. The injured Hercules’ brain is filled with he voices of his worshippers. He mounts Griffin in his winged lion form and flies off two face his enemies in their Coney Island lair. They are attacked by bewitched police officers mounted on flying dragons which were once horses. Griffin is seriously burned by dragon’s breath and he and Herc crash to the ground. Herc is attacked by goblin-like creatures but Man-Bull and Basilisk arrive to fight them with Herc, who unleashes the Shield of Perseus to turn them to stone. The baddies saw Griffin and came to help Herc; Basilisk is then grabbed by a giant purple tentacle and dragged down into he subway. Hercules races down there and chops the monster up, pulling Basilisk from its gullet. The goblins comes after them, Herc realizing that the petrifying effects of his shield are lasting seconds rather than days, probably an effect of Hecate’s magic. The train pulls in but it turns out to be a giant centipede-like monster. Herc and the baddies jump aboard and the centipede carries them away. The “train” pulls out of the tunnel and into daylight. Bas asks Herc if he can summon some kind of help but they see Manhattan in flames and the Statue of Liberty destroyed. So Herc’s Avengers pals are likely busy. As police dragons descend on them, Man-Bull suggests prayer. So Hercules prays to his father Zeus for aid and a bolt of lightning crashes down, revealing Hermes, messenger of the gods. Hermes explains that the crisis is worldwide, brought on by the renegade Norse god called the Serpent. Odin and Zeus have forbidden their people to take part. And now Zeus commands Hercules to return to Olympus; Herc responds that he is no longer a god. Hermes notes that Zeus can always give him back his divinity. Herc ponders but refuses as if he were again a god, Zeus would have forbidden him to intervene and many mortals are in danger. Hermes doesn’t see his point but promises to convey his refusal back to Olympus….

Herc and pals ride the centipede to Coney Island where Kyknos and his army have established a base in MCU Park, a minor-league baseball stadium. There, the Son of Ares commands his followers to maim and kill one another, illustrating the Warhawks’ “All Versus All” philosophy. Herc notes that Kyknos’ followers must be bewitched and besides, there are far too many of them to fight so Herc comes up with a plan….

Helene Panayiotou drags Rhea through the stadium, telling her that when the ground is bloodied enough, Ares will return and Rhea and Herc’s three captive worshippers will be his first sacrifices. Rhea is surprised to discover that Herc really has worshippers and is less then pleased to find they are all nerds, as they are locked in a cell at the center of a giant wicker effigy of Ares. Then the three baddies step forward, Man-Bull, Griffin, and Basilisk, demanding attention and they bring the greatest kill: the petrified form of Hercules….



 

Review / Commentaries


Herc #5 Review by (October 1, 2024)

Review: Herc and his (ex-villain) pals ride a centipede across the hellscape of Brooklyn to reach the villain’s lair at Coney Island. It sets up the final issue of the arc with the final confrontation between the powerless Hercules and the powerful Kyknos. It’s quite a thrill ride and Herc will prove to be smarter than everyone thinks.

Comments: Issue bannered FEAR ITSELF, as a tie-in to that event. Issues #3-6 take place shortly after the events of FEAR ITSELF #4; there is a brief cutaway to Thor battling Nul, Breaker of Worlds, formerly the Hulk. MCU Park is known as Maimonides Park since 2021. One of Herc’s worshippers invokes E. Gary Gygax, co-creator of DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS fantasy game. Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente are co-writers of this series.




> Herc comic book info and issue index

Elektra

Excelsioring your collection:
statue
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

?
Neil Edwards
Cory Hamscher
Jesus Aburtov
Ale Garza (Cover Penciler)
Ale Garza (Cover Inker)
Christina Strain (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Simon Bowland.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Hercules
Hercules

(Heracles)

Plus: Basilisk (Basil Elks), Griffin, Hecate, Hermes, Kyknos (Son of Ares), Man-Bull, Warhawks.