Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Discuss: The Lion of Olympus

Karen: Discuss Hercules in the context of his role as Thor's sometime buddy, traveling companion, and occasional sparring partner.





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16 comments:

david_b said...

Love that last panel (great pick..). I'll always remember that Thor-Herc exchange in WCA Annual 1 where Herc's chowin' down on a bucket of KFC chicken and Thor wisks him away to battle.

Herc: But Thor I need strength for battle.

Thor: I need strength to deal with thee..

Priceless.

As in most cases, it's not so much Herc himself, but how everyone (ie, Wasp, Hawkeye in those early issues, Black Widow in the Champions..) around him deals with his personality that makes for my favorite Hercules moments.

November 13, 2013 at 7:49 AM
david_b said...

'Course heres an interesting look at the 'Loves of Hercules'..

http://www.comicvine.com/hercules/4005-2503/forums/so-who-has-hercules-been-with-722068/

Thundra..? Now that would have been a good match-up for Herc.

November 13, 2013 at 7:57 AM
Doug said...

I have the two hardcovers that reprint Bob Layton's Hercules mini-series. I have not read either, but am looking forward to the scene where Herc and Galactus are sitting around drinking and Herc makes Galactus laugh.

http://whencallsgalactus.com/2011/12/02/hercules-prince-of-power-3-4-1982/

Doug

November 13, 2013 at 8:15 AM
Doc Savage said...

Favorite Marvel Hercules appearance is that issue of Thor where he takes over and tells a tale to a kid in which he diminishes Thor every chance he gets until he realizes the kid is a Thor fan.

November 13, 2013 at 9:07 AM
Anonymous said...

Favorite Marvel Hercules appearance is that issue of Thor where he takes over and tells a tale to a kid in which he diminishes Thor every chance he gets until he realizes the kid is a Thor fan.
Seconded!

November 13, 2013 at 9:51 AM
Anonymous said...

My favorite Hercules story is from Thor #356 (1985) - with Hercules telling the story of his many fights with Thor in his usual exaggerated vein, much to the chagrin of the young Thor fan who was being bullied.

One of the best panels, here.

November 13, 2013 at 11:49 AM
Anonymous said...

Uh, thirded. . . ;)

November 13, 2013 at 11:49 AM
Doug said...

Ah, but at least you got us the issue number, Osvaldo! I was wondering where it was from -- sounds like a fun issue!

Doug

November 13, 2013 at 11:53 AM
Greg said...

I've always liked Herc. His blustery rivalry w/ Thor was always fun to read, although I know I have not seen all their appearances together.
Have to agree with the comments above about Thor 356, that's a good one. Miss those kinda interludes.

I also thought his relationship with Subby was interesting in Stern's Avengers run, would have liked to see more of that.

November 13, 2013 at 11:58 AM
Anonymous said...

It's funny...but I never really cared for him EXCEPT when he was Thor's sometime buddy, traveling companion, and occasional sparring partner. As an Avenger or Champion, he didn't do much for me.

Tom

November 13, 2013 at 2:03 PM
MattComix said...

I have to agree with Anon' here. I don't mind Hercules as a character in Thor or in the greater Marvel Universe but I'm that fond of him as an Avenger. I guess mainly because he's kind of a stand in for Thor which just sort of hangs a hat on the hole that's left when Thor isn't there. He's enjoyable as Hercules, not as Diet Thor.

But I admit that I'm more fond of Avengers line ups where Thor, Cap, and Iron Man are present. I guess it's kind of the same reason why I can't get into stuff like the Detroit era Justice League. If you don't have at least a few of the big guns present might as well just make a new team with it's own name.

November 13, 2013 at 3:19 PM
Humanbelly said...

LOVED his rivalry w/ Namor when they were both in the Avengers-- that was amazingly well-handled by Stern. He managed to capture the limitless egos and outright arrogance of both characters and yet manage to make them likable and oddly sympathetic. For Namor in particular, that's a tall order.

Herc's "I give thee the gift of battle!" mindset has always been a hoot, and truly does a great job of capturing his personality. He's truly a good guy. . . but also not the deepest ladle in the drawer, and works best when he's pretty much a forehead-slapping bozo. . .

HB

November 13, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Ace Frehley Jr said...

Not a fan.

November 13, 2013 at 4:34 PM
Anonymous said...

By the thunderbolts of Zeus!

The Lion of Olympus has certainly been one of my favourite Marvel characters since his debut. Marvel's version of the son of Zeus with his supremely confident personality bordering on arrogance has been a good foil and contrast to the brooding God of Thunder.

Doug, I've read that Bob Layton comic (heck, I still have it!) and you're in for a treat. Layton brought the right combination of humour and action to Herc; the scene where a helmetless Galactus laughs at the antics of Herc is priceless.

Whereas Walt Simonson gave Thor a hitherto unseen sensibility and levelheadedness during his acclaimed run, Layton mostly played it for laughs with Herc, tapping into the comedic possibilities of such a bombastic character as Herc.


- Mike 'until the Prince of Power joins a monastery' from Trinidad & Tobago.

November 13, 2013 at 8:37 PM
Fred W. Hill said...

The first Hercules story I read was actually the one during Gerry Conway's run circa 1973, with a cover featuring Herc about to toss a huge column at Thor! A bit later I got the Treasury edition featuring Herc's first extended guest role in Thor, and, wow, that's just one of the all time great comics epics, with Thor & Herc initially duking it out over Jane Foster, then Herc foolishly signing one of the worst contracts in history while Thor saves Asgard from one of Odin's worst mistakes (giving his power to an advisor he shouldn't have trusted), and finally Thor saving Herc from having to reign unwillingly in the underworld for eternity. I got the full thing in the 2nd Essential volume, and it's a fun, majestic tale.
That Hercules fill-in during Simonson's run was also lots of fun. Herc's a braggart, sure, but he also has a big heart.

November 13, 2013 at 10:16 PM
Joseph said...

I've always liked Hercules, but I admit that he is kind of a second rate Thor. Then again, that is what attracts me to teams like the Champions and Defenders: they are not the A-list guys.

November 16, 2013 at 1:17 AM

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