Originally Published: May 4, 2011, on Comicvine.com

A mortal Hercules will have his hands full with the Hobgoblin and a pouch filled to the brim with pumpkin bombs. Can the Lion of Olympus and his enchanted arsenal take down the pilfered tech of this hooded horror?

The Good

Herc #2 features epic action from cover to cover. With the Hobgoblin pulling out new goodies from that pouch of his to hold Herc at bay, Herc needs to use his mind as much as his limited remaining might to overcome his foe while also protecting the damsel he accidentally put in distress at a Brooklyn construction site. Swords, arrows, and pumpkin bombs fly for more than a dozen pages before Herc gets the upper-hand.

Combine this with the Kingpin making his first in-person appearance of the series and you know that this is just the beginning of Herc’s non-Olympus related problems.

The Bad

The overall plot for this opening story arc that finds Herc in Brooklyn to find his followers and quash the Ares uprising progressed a little more slowly than I would have liked. Also, the end reveal of who Herc’s foe really is means that his Olympus related problems are separate from this business with the Kingpin, which will likely be put on hold for some issues, but that the action is just getting started and business is about to pick up!

The Verdict

A lot of great action coupled with a great villain reveal at the end of this issue has Herc shaping up to be one of the best new series to come out in a long time. I can’t wait for each new issue each month and because of the villains who have popped up here in just the first two issues allows me to forgive the plot for moving along a bit more slowly than you would expect at the launch of a new monthly.

If you haven’t picked up the first issue of this series, then go get it and then pick this up so you can join the rest of us as we wait with baited breath for the next action packed issue of Herc’s new adventures as the number one champion/bartender of Brooklyn.