Z-POOL versus MAN-THING
Marvel Zombies 4: Midnight Sons Part 3 (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Zombies 4 #3 When: August 2009
Why: Fred Van Lente How: Kev Walker

The Story So Far...
When zombie infected heroes from parallel Earth-2149 find their way through the Nexus of Realities hidden in the Florida Everglades, an unprepared group of C-list heroes assigned by the Fifty States Initiative find themselves under attack! Alternate universe monitors, ARMOR, succeed in preventing mass invasion from the parallel universe, but are forced to deploy a team to eradicate infected Men-Fish.

Having played a pivotal role in containing the threat and defeating the zombie invaders; Dr. Michael Morbius emerges as a new leading operative with ARMOR. He recruits traumatized survivor Jennifer Kale, along with familiar occult allies, Son of Satan and Werewolf by Night, into a new taskforce dubbed the Midnight Sons. The group succeed in destroying the Men-Fish, but fail to recognise the threat of "Z-Pool" (Zombie Deadpool's decapitated head) and Simon Dark, the latter of whom falls under the spell of Black Talon -- a voodoo mystic capable of enslaving the zombie.

Black Talon offers the interdimensional zombie plague as a weapon to Kingpin of Super-Villains, The Hood. Through a series of blunders on the island of Taino, the plague is unleashed through Black Talon's minions, ultimately mutating into a gaseous airborne form. With the plague spreading to remote populated areas, the Midnight Sons battle against the clock to contain the threat, or condemn the area to destruction by an ARMOR nuclear assault.

Jennifer Kale summons Man-Thing to pursue the threat, while Z-Pool develops a mild psychic link with the plague as it becomes rain and raises corpse pieces of super-powered Roxxon security agents to create a super-powered composite being. Thus, the monstrous Man-Thing fights for the fate of humanity!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Man-Thing 5 (Superhuman)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Man-Thing 2 (Average)
Stamina: Man-Thing 6 (Generator)
Agility: Man-Thing 2 (Average)
Fighting: Man-Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Man-Thing 2 (Projectile)


- The exact details of Wade Wilson's early life remain a mystery, perhaps even to him. During his adult life he became a mercenary who, upon learning he had developed cancer, gave up on his life to submit himself to experimentation with the top secret remnants of the Weapon X program. The project experimented with altering Wilson on a genetic level, attempting to treat him with a healing factor developed from the genome of former subject, Wolverine. However, Wilson's cancer interacted with the process in unforseen ways, reducing the effectiveness of his healing powers, and rendering him hideously disfigured.

Skilled in hand-to-hand and weapons based combat, Wilson becomes Deadpool.
In the alternate universe of Earth-2149, Deadpool is among the countless heroes and villains who are infected by a zombie plague. He crosses through the Nexus of Reality into Earth-616, where he engages members of The Command. He is sliced into a pieces by a skiff propeller during the fight, by Wundarr and Jennifer Kale, continuing life as a decapitated head. He is nicknamed Z-Pool.

- Project Gladiator was an experiment to recreate the effects of the "Super-Soldier Serum" developed during the Second World War by assassinated German scientist, Dr. Abraham Erskine, and used to create Captain America.

Stationed in the Florida Everglades; a team of biochemists including Dr. Theodore Sallis work on Project Gladiator in secret in close proximity to agents of AIM. The science terrorist network infiltrate the project through Sallis, who defies protocol to sneak his wife into the base. Though Sallis was able to destroy his research, his escape was impeded when he injected himself with the serum, and crashed his vehicle into the neighbouring swamp. When he reemerged, it was as the marshy muck-monster, created by science and mysticism, called Man-Thing!

As Man-Thing; Sallis possesses a primitive mind rarely capable of recalling more than glimpses of the knowledge he held as a biochemist. He does possess an instinctive psychic empathy capable of sensing emotional disturbances. Via a secretion triggered by this shift, those who know fear burn at the Man-Thing's touch. The marshy composition of his form is also highly durable, capable of recovering from significant wounds and adapting significant malleability, while also producing form strong enough to deal superhuman strength.

Man-Thing also possesses mystic sensitivities and serves as the guardian of the Nexus of Reality -- an interdimensional crossroads located deep within the swamps of the Florida Everglades from which he arose.

Math: Man-Thing Ranking: Z-Pool (#449)

What Went Down...
Carried by a zombie of a very different kind, the decapitated head of Deadpool spies the looming silhouette of Man-Thing as it stalks through a red rain of gore and infection. Man-Thing, though not immune to the effects of the rain, shows considerable resilience as he is replenished by mother nature so long as he remains connected to the Earth.

Z-Pool [and Simon] takes the weather with him, and upon encountering a team of super-human security guards for a Roxxon Blackridge resort, gains the means to fight back against his stalker. The rain devours the guards, only to reassemble them as a composite revenant possessing their combined powers.

Receiving psychic direction from Z-Pool, the creature unleashes a bolt of electricity, taken from Lightning Fist, that severs Man-Thing's right arm.
Wielding the toothed whip of Razor Wire, the revenant throws the jagged saw into Man-Thing's body, slicing down through the shoulder deep into it's torso.

Feeding from the Earth, Man-Thing reconstructs it's vegetative limb and swings it with superhuman strength at the patchwork revenant!

The blow sends the creature hurtling into a nearby resort light, snapping the post with the impact. Gaining strength from the limbs of Ogre, the revenant creature proves strong enough to wield the lamp post as a weapon, which it again uses to bisect Man-Thing's form!

The swamp monster snaps the post and heals around the impalement, fighting on with a wild slash to the revenant's race. It is then, however, that the zombie creature makes a horrific deduction. Gaining understanding through the rain, the revenant clutches at the snapped-off post protruding from Man-Thing's chest, and denies him his connection with the Earth!

Robbed of the replenishment of nature, the Man-Thing begins to wilt in the rain, and gradually, he succumbs to decay as the burning zombie rain destroys his form completely. Held skyward by the composite revenant, Man-Thing dies.

The Hammer...
Infinite Wars stat counters will appreciate that it's incredibly difficult to make a call on exactly who or what gained victory in this exchange. For the implication that it was he pulling the strings, I'm going to make the easy call and say it was Z-Pool, but there's an argument the Marvel Zombies plague (as rain) has gained a degree of sentience. It should also be reiterated that the revenant was created from characters called Razor Wire, Lightning Fist, and Ogre.

After skipping MZ3, it's become apparent to me that Fred Van Lente has really been a revelation as writer of these series. We've documented in the past the origins of the high concept as a Mark Millar UFF storyarc [Crossover], and it's devolution as a thinly developed mini-series under Robert Kirkman, and a well beaten dead horse for marketting gimmicks like line-wide gimmick covers.

Even with those historic shortcomings; Marvel Zombies 4 has managed to rise above the past to be one of the very best Marvel comics published in 2009!

By utilizing a cast once popular, but now overlooked Marvel characters, Van Lente has transformed the brand into something slightly more conventional, but much more realised in it's design as a superhero-horror comic. With MZ4 in particular, he's drawn from the horror comic boom of the seventies, to create a grounding of character in the story that recalls that time period and embellishes it.

[Mark] Millar's original creation of the zombie heroes of Earth-2149, (in Ultimate Fantastic Four), played extensively with horror elements which Van Lente appears to have bifurcated between MZ3 and MZ4. The latter contains the conventional zombie horror of visualized gore and unsettling images of disfigured humans, while MZ3 inherently plays with the psychological horror of mistrust in characters who might not be themselves. This appears in MZ3 through the plot of Z-Morbius posing as our Morbius, but also through the threat of infection, ala; Jennifer Kale's turning teammates, and even Jack Russel in the cliffhanger for MZ4 [#3].

Of course, in developing the depth of plot further, Van Lente runs afoul some of the difficulties posed by Kirkman's thinly considered backstory.
The chief difficulty stems from the issue of immunity. It's a vital part of Man-Thing's almost checklist-like appearance in this issue (as another seventies horror icon), but rubs awkwardly against the list of characters who've been established as turned in the past [see; Marvel Zombies Defense Strategum].

I'm happy to not think about it too much, particularly if we assume there was never any grand plan for Marvel Zombies to explode the way they have. It's a great concept and I can't blame Marvel for wanting to expand upon it! It's just a shame there couldn't have been a greater awareness at the beginning, to allow for a more thorough design of this weird and wonderful world of undead heroes.

Kev Walker deserves a lot of credit for realising this and every other issue!
Zombie clouds, zombie rain, and all the other wonderfully wacky things going on in this issue could've made for a visual nightmare, but he pulls it off superbly. There's a suitable rough edge, but as I've mentioned before, the treatment feels a little bit more superhero friendly than the previous series. I like that it isn't quite as heavy-handed with the darkness, and not nearly as motley looking.

There are so many threads up in the air that I'm really looking forward to the fourth issue! I anticipate what might come next for this collaboration of brand and creators, because they really do seem to have a wonderful grasp of it all.
As if to go above-and-beyond the call of duty, there are also some really interesting developments in The Hood's story that will almost certainly be of interested to readers of Dark Reign and New Avengers! There's nothing as specific as references to events in other series, but the relationship between Parker Robbins and his (Dormammu) powers is explored in interesting ways.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5

Marvel Zombies 4 is a four-issue mini-series that concludes next month! You can pre-order it in collected form, or pick up one of the various previous Marvel Zombies mini-series, via Amazon! MZ3 in particular comes with recommendation for planting the seeds that gave us MZ4! You'll also find other tales in our Amazonian Gift Shop which features editions of most stories reviewed in the Secret Archives. By using any purchase links provided on the site, you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars! Every referred buy is much appreciated and helps spread the Infinite Wars infection! Mmm, brains!

NIGHT SHIFT versus MIDNIGHT SONS
Midnight Sons Part 2: Night Shift (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Zombies 4 #2 When: July 2009
Why: Fred Van Lente How: Kev Walker

The Story So Far...
When zombie infected heroes from parallel Earth-2149 find their way through the Nexus of Realities hidden in the Florida Everglades, an unprepared group of C-list heroes assigned by the Fifty States Initiative find themselves under attack! Wundarr, the Conquistador, Siege, and Jennifer Kale, (known collectively as The Command), are easily devoured by the nightmarish zombies. Only Kale survives, but before his self-destruction, Siege was able to inform secretive alternate-universe unit, ARMOR.

Having played a pivotal role in containing the threat and defeating the zombie invaders; Dr. Michael Morbius emerges as a new leading operative with ARMOR. He recruits the traumatized Jennifer Kale, along with familiar occult allies, Son of Satan and Werewolf by Night, into a new taskforce assigned the job of seeking and containing infection spread by an escaped zombie head (Deadpool).

Unbeknownst to Morbius and his team, the Deadpool head was retrieved by a very different type of zombie (Simon Garth) - occult in nature - who carries the plague infected head into the hands of Black Talon. When Talon attempts to sell the head as a bioweapon to The Hood, he is advised by Dormammu to accept, leading the Kingpin of Super-villains to lead Night Shift to the island of Taino, where they will intercepted the Midnight Sons and the zombie plague.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Werewolf by Night 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Morbius 5 (Professor)
Speed: Werewolf by Night 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Son of Satan 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Dansen Macabre 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: The Hood 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Son of Satan 6 (UWMD)


- Night Shift are: The Hood overseeing; Dansen Macabre, Tatterdemalion, The Needle, Digger.

Originally founded by the Shroud, Night Shift was a collective of dark entities manipulated into aiding him in his pursuit of justice, with an interest in personal gain. Eventually, Shroud was overthrown as leader of the group by Dansen Macabre, who continued the group's operations in a more villainous direction.

Some time later Night Shift joined The Hood's unionized collective of super-villains. They were later hand-selected for their unique talents in the field of dark magic to accompany The Hood on an acquisition of the zombie plague that ravaged Earth-2149, from Black Talon.

- The Midnight Sons are: Morbius, Son of Satan, Jennifer Kale, and Werewolf.

It was the return of the Mother of Demons, Lilith, that first prompted the creation of a destined occult group to combat those darker than themselves. Daniel Ketch and Johnny Blaze, once known as the spirits of vengeance, were joined in their mission against evil by a host of likeminded oddities, including; Blade, Morbius, Frank Drake, Hannibal King, members of the Darkhold Redeemers, and later, allies such as Vengeance, Dr. Strange, and Werewolf by Night. The group succeeded in repelling many threats to the light before their tenuous allegiance faded, including Lilith and the exceptional demon, Zarathos.

After becoming involved with the incursion of zombies from a parallel Earth when he was kidnapped by his zombie counterpart; Morbius was installed as a scientific operative with top-secret SHIELD subsidiary, ARMOR: Altered-Reality Monitoring and Operational Response. Under ARMOR, he hand-picked Jennifer Kale, Son of Satan, and Werewolf by Night, to form a new taskforce called Midnight Sons.

Math: Draw (Avg) Midnight Sons (Ttl) Ranking: Morbius (#65)

What Went Down...
Receiving instruction from the powerful demon lord, Dormammu; Parker Robbins, better known as The Hood, rallies Night Shift to launch a surprise attack on the heroes intent upon securing and destroying the zombie head of Deadpool.

Occult protection spells surrounding the area of Black Talon's cocain plantation inform the quartet from ARMOR of their impending predicament. Despite Jennifer Kale's aptitude for recognising magics, Morbius is still caught unawares by a shovel to the face wielded by the ghoulish serial killer, Digger, of Night Shift.

The ambush finds Tatterdemalion leaping through the air to attack the Werewolf with his enhanced acidic touch. The Hood emerges from a cloud of smoke to accept responsibility for the sophisticated magic needed to evade the enhanced senses of both Werewolf by Night, and Morbius. He blasts Daimon Hellstrom with a bolt of mystic energy, freezing him on the spot to allow Needle the opportunity to strike with his oversized impalement device fashioned in the guise of namesake. As the blade pierces Hellstrom's flesh, flames bursts forth from the Son of Satan's chest!

Jennifer Kale confronts the gracefully twisting naked form of Dansen Macabre, whose hands spiral and twirl leaving black energy in their wake. Possessing powers of Kali, the dancing Dansen snuffs out Kale's attempts at a mystical counterattak, launching into a spectacular kick that proves the effectiveness of conventional assault.

Regaining consciousness in the pit of a grave, Morbius bleeds profusely from his beaten face with the silhouette of Digger hovering gleefully above. The living vampire wipes the stain from his face with a momentary realisation that preceeds the animalistic instincts that characterize him akin to the undead creatures of the night. He responds to Digger's quipping queries with a rapid rise from the grave!

Gripped by bloodlust, Morbius snaps Digger's shovel with ease and plunges the spade into the top of his head. Still the morbid Digger shares his humorisms.

Upon reciting a dark incantation, hellfire spews from the mouth and eyes of the Son of Satan, bathing the protruding Needle in his torso in flame. With a roar he reduces the weapon to slag, before channeling his hellfire through his trident in the general direction of the ranting madman, Tatterdemalion.

The overdressed vagrant burns just as his fellow, Needle, succumbs to the spell casting of Jennifer Kale. The turning tides of triumph extend to the Werewolf, who continues the battle against Digger, wielding his lycanthropic talons like sharepened blades that slash effortlessly through Digger's grim body.

The Hood expresses verbal disappointment in his team's failing performance, just as a toppled Dansen Macabre falls victim to Morbius' untamed thirst!

Jennifer Kale compells Morbius to find a clearer head, calling him away from the neck of Dansen Macabre to observe the oncoming march of plague infected undead. In a better state of mind, Morbius fires upon the marching horde, dispensing a liquid-based vaccine designed to cure those infected. Instead, the formula results in a very different outcome, prompting a bizarre green cloud to burst forth from the bodies of the infected -- creating an airborne plague!

Night Shift remain oblivious to the onset of the green cloud that quickly engulfs them and begins shredding through their bodies. The Hood and Midnight Sons can only watch with the horrific realisation that the plague that destroyed an entire universe of heroes has been unleashed upon their world, in a mutated state.

Morbius orders a strategic retreat, but for Jennifer Kale who confronted the first wave of invading zombies, the sight is too much to bare. Her silent prayers do not go unheard, however, prompting Dormammu to appear before her...

The Hammer...
Despite a somewhat ambiguous predicament to bring their battle to a close, I think it's safe to declare the entire quarter of the Midnight Sons sharers in victory! [Pictured; Jennifer Kale]

It's been four years since Mark Millar first introduced the Marvel Zombies way back in 2005's Crossover. In the past, I think we've been fairly positive about that first high concept appearance. It really was one of those head slapping moments where you really had to wonder how Marvel comics hadn't done something on that scale beforehand. I mean, sure, you've got comparable examples, like the famous What if...? [#24] that unleashed vampirism upon a version of the Marvel universe, but those examples were typically fleeting.

If somehow you missed it, you might like to know that the expansion of the Marvel Zombies phenomenon began with Robert Kirkman [and Sean Phillips]'s aptly titled 2006 mini-series, Marvel Zombies. There can be no doubt that at the time the spin-off felt like a very fun and unique oddity, but as Marvel saw a cash cow to be milked without mercy, the slew of sequels, spin-offs, and tenuously related variant covers really exposed the holes of contempt in an otherwise nice deviation from usual superheroics. Of particular disappointment, the apparent lack of conceptual development at the foundation level of the concept that forced subsequent entries to seek inventiveness apparently beyond them. Or so it seemed...

Spooks & Horrors Playlist
[Site Ranking & Year One]
#1 Hulk (1962)
#2 Venom (1984)
#3 Noob Saibot (1992)
#4 Morbius (1971)
#5 The Demon (1972)
#6 Ghost Rider (1972)
#7 Spectre (1940)
#8 Blade (1973)
#9 Blazing Skull (1941)
#10 Dr. Strange (1963)
#11 Dr. Occult (1935)
#12 Mephisto (1968)
#13 Deadman (1967)
#14 Doppelganger (1992)
#15 Monolith (2004)
#16 Hellboy (1993)
#17 Quan Chi (1996)
#18 Mr. Hyde (1963)
#19 Scarlet Witch (1964)
#20 Solomon Grundy (1944)
#21 Scorpion (1992)
#22 Lilith Dracula (1974)
#23 The Werewolf (1972)
#24 Pluto (1966)
#25 Dracula (1972)The announcement of Marvel Zombies 3 -- actually more like the fifth mini to branch out from the original Ultimate Fantastic Four storyarc -- was met on the Infinite Wars with lukewarm interest [October 08, 2008]. Introducing previously unseen characters into a suggestively defined timeline was an intriguing prospect, but as much fun as it was to think about Jocasta and Machine Man battling their way into the zombie Earth was, it felt like one step too far for a seemingly endless parade of cutesy meme style archetype based stories (zombies, robots, apes...).

As you can clearly see, that initial assessment was very unfair. 2009 on the Infinite Wars has seen a deviation into contemporary releases; reviews of the weeks comics. Despite the implication, that shift of perspective hasn't been taken for granted, making the selection process from week-to-week a carefully considered one.

Today we're discussing Marvel Zombies 4 for a very good reason -- it demands attention!

Writer Fred Van Lente has been quietly improving his stock over the past couple of years. Rising from the critical independent success of Action Philosophers, he's since carved out a niche as one of the favourite driving forces behind Marvel's all-ages Adventures line. There, he's arguably instated a writing ethic more akin to classic Marvel Comics than anything produced by the current core line-up. His attention (and retention) for characters is well observed in Marvel Zombies as he makes use of some of the great under utilized characters in ways akin to his Adventures stories.

Bill Rosemann (Editor), Ralph Macchio (Senior Editor), and Joe Quesada (Editor In Chief) deserve full credit for whatever minor influences they might have had in the process of greenlighting these projects. It is, however, Van Lente who seems to be most deserving for utilizing these much loved, but often overlooked, horror characters from the seventies. Combining them with other curiosities, like the long since forgotten motley crew from the late eighties, Night Shift, not only reemphasises the diversity of the Marvel pantheon, but builds on the atmosphere established by previous Zombies series, greatly enhancing it.

Things don't look too good for the Night Shift come story end, but I really hope Van Lente hasn't killed them off. I don't think anyone would really begrudge him for taking that license, but it would perhaps diminish the praise I really feel compelled to heap upon him. As a writer, he's achieved something none of his predecessors ever did. By combining iconography that's inspirational to longtime readers, with a very well directed and written story, Van Lente has well and truly made the Marvel Zombies brand his own, finally elevating it to a level all the previous spin-offs should have reached.

As a story, Marvel Zombies 4 becomes far more significant than the sum of it's parts. While the checklist of guest characters is something to behold, it's the progress of the story, and their contribution to it, that secures the success of the four-issue mini only half way through the plot.

Fans eagerly following the exploits of The Hood and Dark Reign will find detached touchstones that connect an otherwise isolated story to the core Marvel Universe. In fact, those interested in the developments of the Hood's relationship with sponsor demon, Dormammu, might actually want to seek this story out in particular. It's unlikely the tangent series will provide any key significant developments in the on-going internal struggle of The Hood, but like good corporate comics should, it produces volume and greater context for the tale.
Of course, on the subject of so-called "continuity," we already know "Z-Pool" - the decapitated head of Zombie Deadpool - will be a lasting consequence of the story as he spins off into a secondary Deadpool title, Merc' with a Mouth.

Those keen to rationalize independently written series in the Marvel Universe might note an unlikely overlap via Son of Satan, who also appears opposite The Hood in recent issues of New Avengers. While the Avengers book, detailing the search for a new Sorcerer Supreme, specifically references Daimon Hellstrom's ignorance to the identity of Parker Robbins, MZ4 has nothing of the such.
If you're really concerned, it seems plausible, despite indirect references to similar ignorance, that MZ4 takes place after those issues. Future issues could still make a reference. I'm not sure that really matters, however, as these things are bound to happen without strict editorial intervention.

Granted; the connectivity of in-universe stories should not be underestimated in any well rounded critique, but of course, this element is additional to the quality of a story. Without a doubt, anyone reading Marvel Zombies 4 will probably want to check out the previous instalment. I'm generally reluctant to claim any issue of a superhero comic fundamentally requires previous reading, but Van Lente makes good use of in-character video recordings (last will and testament) to frame the context of each issue. It elaborates on previous events, while also informing any uninformed reader with allusions to the integrity of each character.
MZ4's Jennifer Kale will pays off big time in the final pages of the issue -- food for thought for those trade waiters among you.

All in all, Marvel Zombies 4 is just a very solid read.
It does a great service to the legacy of the seventies Marvel horror characters, returning them to the spotlight in a way that feels unique, but wholely appropriate. I hope the company can benefit from this example without losing sight of what made the feature work.

Kev Walker and colorist, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, continue the tradition of a grim tone to the art of the series. While not identical to previous series, the reference points of tones, colours, and linework, feels unmistakable. If I really had to draw such conclusion, I might say that I actually like this approach a little better.
MZ4 takes a more conventional visual approach in the pencils, both in lines drawn, and the application of inked blacks. Colours are certainly more vibrant as well, quite delightful in scenes like Dansen Macabre's rainbow effect, and in the vivid reds used both to compliment highlights on Morbius, while also giving the pale of his skin a real pop. Being that this story is set in "our" Marvel Universe, it arguably stands to reason that the art might be directed in that sense.

I wouldn't be surprised if we return to the series at a later date, hopefully to elaborate a little bit clearer on what makes the series so good. (Other than Van Lente.)

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 5

Marvel Zombies 4 is currently available monthly. For more information about release dates, you'll find archival information in our weekly Shipping List entries. You can pre-order the MZ4 hardcover edition via Amazon, but if you don't want to wait, check out Marvel Zombies 3, currently available in collected format. You'll find plenty more offers like that in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe and by using purchase links provided, you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars, which, let's face it, could potentially save your life in the event of an actual zombie plague outbreak. Or, at the very least, give you something to read while you're held up in a fortified area waiting for help.

AVENGERS versus OLYMPUS GROUP
Gauntlet (Marvel)
Where: Incredible Hercules #128 When: June 2009
Why: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente How: Dietrich Smith

The Story So Far...
Rising to power off the back of a smear campaign against former Director of SHIELD, Tony Stark; Norman Osborn becomes the new lynchpin of an American whose trust in heroes has been replaced by paranoia and fear. Pursuing his own sinister lust for power, Osborn recreates himself as the Iron Pariot to lead a team of Dark Avengers against the very evil he was once, and still is, a part of.

After seizing control of Olympus Group - the corporate identity of the gods - from Zeus; Hera earns the attentions of Osborn, and his agents of HAMMER, with a product called Continuum®. Despite the makings of a perfect match, the two powers are unable to reach a mutually beneficial business agreement, leading their respective groups into a head-long collision!

The events turn Athena, Hercules, and Amadeus Cho into unlikely allies of the Olympus Group, despite Hera's bitter jealousy over a prophecy of Athena's ascension to greatness, and her disdain for Zeus' son. Thus, the great heroes join Olympus Group in a battle against the Dark Avengers!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sentry 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Iron Patriot 5 (Professor)
Speed: Sentry 6 (Superhuman)
Stamina: Pluto 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Captain Marvel 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting: Ares 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Sentry 7 (Cosmic)


- The Dark Avengers are: Iron Patriot, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Sentry, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Wolverine, and Spider-man.

When several individuals within the superhero community were revealed as Skrull impostors, a battle of paranoia forced heroes previously divided by their own civil war, to battle together against a Secret Invasion. Though the heroes emerged victorious, the mass corruption incurred within SHIELD allowed then Director for the Commission on Superhuman Activities, Norman Osborn, to stage a coup.

After branding Tony Stark a traitor and coward, Osborn set about rearranging his world as a dark reflection of Stark's. His reign quickly began with the disbanding of SHIELD, in favour of his own organization, HAMMER, before attentions were turned to the Avengers. Incorporating members of his Thunderbolts team, Osborn reimagines their public face as palatable identities associated with heroics.

Mac Gargan becomes Spider-man; Daken adopts Wolverine; Bullseye is Hawkeye; Noh-Varr upgrades to Captain Marvel; Moonstone becomes Ms. Marvel; and Osborn himself creates an iconic identity to fill the void typically filled by a symbol, utilizing Stark's armor designs and a motiff inspired by Captain America, to become the Iron Patriot. Existing members of the team, Ares and Sentry, remain on this newly formed incarnation of Dark Avengers.

- The Olympus Group are: Hera, Typhon, Pluto, and Delphyne Gorgon, who are accompanied by Hercules, Amadeus Cho, and Athena.

Founded by Zeus; the Olympus Group was designed to maintain contact between the gods of Olympus, and the human world. The corporation represents a modern redefinition of the power and influence of the gods. Prominent membership is held by Hebe, Huntsman, Typhon, Pluto, and Hera, who usurped control of the corporation upon Zeus' death. She manipulates the group to her own ends, in particular, in pursuit of her son by marriage to Zeus, Hercules.

Hercules is the demigod spawn of king of the Olympian gods, Zeus, and Alcmena; the mortal daughter of the king of Mycenae. Despite a conspiracy perpetrated by Hera and Luciana to prevent the birth; Hercules was born after seven days of labor, to rule those around him, by the decree of Zeus. The mammoth child would indeed traverse many perils to grow into a mighty leader of men, whose strength became the stuff of legends.

Math: Dark Avengers Ranking: The Sentry (#91)

What Went Down...
When the Dark Avengers descend upon the Olympus Group, Hercules and his fellows become unlikely allies to their godly enemies. They have little choice, quickly thrown into the fray against their Dark Avengers counterparts.

Confronted by the on-coming blur of the Sentry, Hercules is quick to enact an offensive-defensive by catching his opponent's cape on the fly-by, only to toss him through the levels above like a blonde olympic hammer!

Ares; half-brother to Hercules and god of war; enters the battle to defeat his brother, disappointed to unexpectedly find Olympus Group alongside his familial nemesis. With promise of reprimand for his deceptive team leader, Ares topples Hercules and Athena with a grenade, unaware of Typhon's looming presence.

The giant clutches Ares by the skull amidst a swarm of serpents.
Remembering his slain brethren from ancient battles waged by Olympus, Typhon vengefully dominates the god of war, driving his head into the Earth beneath.

Meanwhile, Typhon's ally and Olympian god of the Underworld, Pluto, descends upon the impostor Wolverine with a macabre glee. He taunts the clawed mutant with "December 27th," a unique insight into the destined date of Daken's death. In retaliation, he drives his claws through Pluto's body, successful in amusing the immortal god. The dead rise at Pluto's command to join the fight on his behalf.

Pluto's presence stirs a plot in wise Athena, who recognises an opportunity to obtain power to rival Hera in her uncle's absence from the Underworld. While Hercules sends Noh-Varr flying with a left hook, she beckons for a strategic retreat, made difficult by a spray of webbing from the symbiote Spider-man.

While Athena grapples with the tangled goop, Hercules snatches who he believes to be his former ally. Sending his fist toward the web-slinger's face, he soon learns the truth as Venom manifests a familiar toothy gape to catch the punch.

When the Sentry attempts to reenter the fight, the symbiote's unwieldy grip gives the prince of power a convenient weapon to defeat two Avengers with one blow. He clubs the Sentry out of the air, following with a devestating uppercut through Venom's skull to Sentry's!

Across the warehouse, Delphyne Gorgon battles valiantly against the phony Ms. Marvel with a machine gun. The weapon proves useless against the powers of a Kree Moonstone that deflects the bullets and retorts with a powerful energy blast. Concerned for his crush's safety, Amadeus Cho retrieves the enchanted Aegis chestplate from Athena's recently deceased warrior, Trey Rollins.

Descending to finish the job, Ms. Marvel failed to notice Amadeus sneaking up behind her. With the chestplate clasped to her body, the Kree gravity stone causes a massive feedback of energy.

Cho failed to receive the kudos he might have anticipated, but while he and Delphyne are able to share a moment, it's quickly cut short by the arrival of "Hawkeye."

Summoned to retreat by Athena, the boy genius leaves his Amazon girlfriend to fight her own battle. The gorgon succeeds in cutting Bullseye's arrow from the air, finding opportunity for a close quarters exchange with the range marksman.

Outside the warehouse, Hercules continues his battle with Sentry and Venom.
The symbiote chomps the top of his head, while Sentry sends the trio airborne with a flying tackle. Driving Hercules into the ground, he inadvertently frees the prince of power of Venom's mouth whilst doing his damage.

The Olympian enters into a test of wills with Sentry, grappling with "the power of a million exploding suns." Hercules succeeds in breaking the stalemate with a swift knee to Sentry's groin, giving him the edge necessary to toss Sentry into a collision course with the airborne Venom!

Amadeus Cho reconvenes with his partner in adventure, delivering Athena's plan for evacuation to the reticent warrior. Despite his objections, Hercules sees reason in their plan, agreeing to leap into the surrounding waters with the intent of sinking a nearby ship. It is a feat all too easy for the Olympian powerhouse.

In the Olympus Group warehouse, the tides begin to turn when Hera uses her magics to restrain Typhon who is still grappling with her son, Ares. Norman Osborn seizes the opportunity, swooping in to fire Iron Man-esque plasts into the unsuspecting woman's back. Despite impending victory, the cries of innocent citizens draw Osborn's attention, forcing him to live up to the Iron Patriot ID.

In the interest of maintaining their public facade, Iron Patriot orders the other members of his "Avengers" to assemble to rescue the drowning patrons. While the Avengers earn their promotional support, Ares negotiates a truce between the two groups he holds allegiance to. It's an offer Osborn cannot refuse as the god of war threatens to join his mother should the battle continue.

The Hammer...
The only conundrum bigger than deciding what tense I'm writing in, is the question of who emerged victorious in this issue! It gets a little tricky when the context of these reviews becomes about the efforts of a team. Sentry and Venom certainly weren't particularly successful against Hercules, but then, the Avengers did redeem themselves toward the end of the fight.

To avoid complication, I think the best interpretation for our much beloved records is the literal conclusion of a draw.

Despite recently making some ground in our updating deficit, we're once again falling spectacularly behind schedule.
After enthusiastically choosing Incredible Herc' over a couple of other options, I thought we might've been on a role, but on reflection, I suppose there's a comment in these recent delays.

Hercules fell unfortunately under represented in last year's competition, failing to accurately capture the exciting rise of both the character and his titular role as usurper of Incredible Hulk, in 2008.

This late visitation to the series really doesn't adequately represent what made it great in the last year. Ironically, since deviating into more specific storyarcs, the title appears to have lost some of it's fun-loving lustre, pursuing structural concepts that threaten to bog Hercules down in tiresome mythology derivations, over the more accessible format of superhero fisticuffs. I say that with a hint of reserve, not wanting to be mischaracterized as a foam drooling neanderthal interested exclusively in the violence central to the site concept.

I think it could be debated as fact that literal mythology has often dragged superhero comics into low selling ruts. My best guess, there's just something about two rights making a wrong. As any mainstream apologist will gladly tell you, these superheroes we flock to are effectively the modern equivalency of the gods and heroes of ancient civilization. It's a fair comparison given the winding fates of individuals well known for their unique abilities, or iconic dressing.

It's a compromise of knowing irony to celebrate Hercules as a Marvel character, while denouncing the surrounding components of his mythology. Perhaps it's the modern familiarity of the character, through television and cinema, that makes Hercules a more palatable facet of the Greek epics. Or, perhaps, it's the ease through which Hercules makes a natural transition into the [now] traditional, simplistic, modern construction of a "superhero," that makes him more successful than more complex legends associated with higher ideals.

What ever the reason for friction between superheroes and mythology, it certainly feels evident here. Despite their distortion through the conventions of the Marvel universe, the other gods feel somehow generic and under developed in this colourful issue. The real attraction is undoubtedly the first opportunity to get the Dark Avengers onto the Infinite Wars -- something important to 2009!

As many of us anticipated, the Dark Avengers stemmed directly from the same concept that gave us the Thunderbolts. In fact, it wouldn't be unreasonable to describe the group as the last crop of T-bolts ('Faith in Monsters') promoted.

It was in 1997 that we were first introduced to this version of the concept of villains diguised as heroes [Incredible Hulk #449]. It began as a plot hatched by Baron Zemo and the former Masters of Evil, coinciding with the apparent deaths of the Avengers and Fantastic Four (via Heroes Reborn), but ended with success enough to propel several pretenders into legitimate heroic roles, and spawned other reinterpretations of the team and it's duplicitous line-up.

It'd be nice to believe the "Dark Reign" "status quo," introduced line-wide by Marvel comics, might actually have some staying power, but one tends to be validated in feeling jaded toward these gimmick-laden high concepts. Just like Tony Stark's stay at the top was ultimately brief, so too does it seem inevitable than the mentally unhinged lynchpin, Norman Osborn, will be overthrown from his position as supreme commander of international intelligence and heroics.

It's not what I'd call a delicate concept, but it has a simplistic brilliance that makes all of these inevitable guest appearances so delicious. It's wonderful to see how these established characters can react en masse to the introduction of new(ish) concepts more forthcoming in-fiction than Thunderbolts.
Pak and Van Lente clearly aren't given a lot of room to contribute to the building mythology of the Dark Avengers, but they play with some enjoyable moments, particularly Hercules' overstated reaction to the villainous turn of the likes of Spider-man (whose true identity, as already noted, is soon revealed).

It's a much more subdued affair than Pak's epic battle in World War Hulk [#5], but there's also the fanboy moment of another heavyhitter clashing with Sentry. It suffers from the typical symptoms of a corporate shared universe, but it's worthy of note, even if only for the inevitable confusion over exactly where the boundaries of Sentry's powers lie. Unrelated, but similarly abbreviated, is Hercules' brief encounter with Ares, who has been a regular sparring partner not just in recent Marvel appearances, but throughout legend (and Kevin Sorbo).

A critical eye could easily look at this issue as an unnecessary deviation.
Honestly, on-going plot progresses at an absolute minimum, stopping briefly to close out tangential sub-plots connecting Olympus Group to the central premise of HAMMER (and Norman Osborn), and offering brief character beats. The big benefit to Incredible Hercules is a set-up for a trip to the Underworld in the next issue. Personally, I think the roadtrip adventuring that led the series through a fun packed series of character-spots and fights, was actually a strength.

The Dark Avengers might be primed for a catalogue of intrusions into other series over the next few months, but the bigger picture is more forgiving. One of the all too often forgotten joys of modern superhero comics is the indulgence in concepts across multiple stages. While we learn very little about the group in this issue, it's none-the-less valuable in building context for their prevelance. You might call it an exercise in economy of reputation, space, and time.

Writing doesn't feel as fluid as it did under the exclusive scripting of Greg Pak, and the art is decidedly less attractive than the likes of Clayton Henry or Jim Cheung. Never the less, it seems this is still a title worth checking out, even if only to make up your own mind. Upcoming storylines promise to entertain a variety of high concept pitches, including what appears to be a Thor-empowered Hercules.
Sure to be an interesting twist on the old rivalry.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4

While the Infinite Wars plays catch-up, why not find yourself some reading material to keep you busy between updates? The Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe contains collections featuring most issues reviewed in the Secret Archives, including issues like Incredible Hercules #128, which is too present to be available at the time of this posting. By using purchase links provided anywhere on the site, you help sponsor future entries, whilst benefitting from the price and service associated with the Amazon name. Not quite a Herculean task!

SPIDER-MAN versus THE SPOT
Marked (Marvel)
Where: Amazing Spider-man #589 When: May 2009
Why: Fred Van Lente How: Paulo Siqueira

The Story So Far...
Recruited into a crack team assembled to penetrate the domain of the Infinicide; the Spot ultimately betrayed his employer, MODOK, to serve the interests of The Mandarin! In an ironic twist of fate, Spot's capacity for treachery led Mandarin to use his mystic rings to entrap Spot in one of his own black portals, preventing another betrayal.

Thrust into the subspacial realm of the dark dimension without his intending, the Spot was trapped, unable to locate any viable point of exit. Lost in a maze of black portals, Dr. Jonathan Ohnn was driven to the brink of madness by his predicament. Unsuccessful in his attepts to make contact with others in the criminal fraternity, his only saving grace became the hope of being reunited with his son.

The father's goal was enough to finally lead him to freedom, but his return to the world led to the grim discovery that his son was now in a coma. After learning of the Russian mob's responsibility in his son's accident, the still unstable villain now turned his determination to exacting vengeance upon the guilty.

While the Spot hunts the hitmen who accidentally struck down his son; Peter Parker struggles to protect his Aunt May, whose charitable organization for the homeless has become the victim of the Russian mobster's protection racket.
With their paths on a collision course, Spot and Spider-man clash once again!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Spider-man 5 (Superhuman)
Intelligence: Draw 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Spider-man 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Power: Draw 2 (Projectiles)


- A bite from a radioactive spider should have killed highschool nerd, Peter Parker, but instead it would irradiate his own blood, granting him extraordinary powers.

After turning to a life of profit, Peter is inspired to use his gifts for the greater good when his decision to allow a burglar to escape leads to the murder of his adopted parent and uncle, Ben Parker. Ben's sage-like advice, "with great power comes great responsibility", becomes a mantra for Parker as he becomes Spider-man!

Over the years his exploits as Spidey earn him a multitude of powerful enemies. Among his most lethal foes are: Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Vulture, Chameleon, Kingpin, Jackal, Kraven the Hunter, Venom, Carnage, Sandman, Rhino, Lizard, Electro, and many more. Fortunately for Spidey, he finds himself in good stead with as many heroes as he does villains, eventuating in official membership with Captain America's Avengers, later known as the Secret Avengers.

Spider-man possesses the proportional strength, speed, and agility of a spider. Adding to his arsenal is a precognitive spider-sense that warns him of pending danger. Self-made mechanical webshooters round out Spidey's abilities, allowing him to ensnare opponents in a variety of modes; travel through the city by web-line; and form basic constructs based on the available quantities of his own formula of web-fluid.

- Working as a scientist for Wilson Fisk, Dr. Jonathan Ohnn fell upon a fate that would transform him forever. Whilst researching the radiations that facilitate the powers of Cloak, Ohnn accidentally replicated them, only to become bonded with the energies of an alternate form of interdimensional perception when a blackout threatened to negate his results. Covered in white and black, the scientist would become The Spot, launching himself into villainous infamy with the ability to use his black spots as portals to transport himself, or others, through space.

Math: Spider-man Ranking: Spider-man (#2)

What Went Down...
On a barge in Red Hook, the Spot slices and chokes his way through the members of rival mobs, killing toward the man responsible for his son's coma. When a black portal opens before Dmitri Ivankov, the Russian mobster stands alone.

Too slow to save the other crooks, Spidey swings in to save Ivankov with a kick that knocks the Spot from his hovering portal. Spidey follows with a strong right hook, but before he can tangle further with his foe, he vanishes through a portal!

Ivankov begs for Spider-man's protection, but when the hero offers an ultimatum that depends on his testifying against fellow underworld figures, the mobster scoffs the web-slinger. Trusting Spidey's better nature, the mobster successfully banks on being saved despite his resistance, but his assumptions depend on the wall crawler's ability to anticipate an opponent capable of evading his spider-sense through interdimensional travel!

Spot returns, emerging suddenly from a portal on the very wall Spider-man is climbing! With a simple hook, he sends the mobster hurtling helplessly into a fatal descent, but leaps after him to ensure a grim finish.

When Spidey plucks the criminal out of the Spot's reaches, the villain unleashes a multi-pronged assault, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks directly at Spidey through a series of "spot" portals. After securing Ivankov, Spider-man is able to catch one of the Spot's punches, only to be dragged into the dimensional pocket realm by his white and black assailant!

Concerned by the new lethal approach of the Legion of Loser alumnist, Spidey looks for a knock-out blow, but instead finds himself on the receiving end!

Staggered by his own punch, Spidey stumbles backward into a portal that sends him falling back into the real world. Landing on his back, Spider-man watches Spot emerge from a portal to capture Ivankov, but is quick enough to spring back to life to intervene - plucking the web-shackled mobster out of the air!

With the proportionate strength of a spider, Spider-man punches through a hull door to see daylight, but is caught in one of the Spot's materializing portals just as he attempts to leap to freedom! Disoriented, he loses Ivankov whilst slinging a web to stabalize himself. It's enough for Spot to capitalize!

The villain tosses the mobster into another portal that opens in the clouds high above the space needle in Seattle! Another last minute sling of a web saves Ivankov from certain doom, the web-line snagging him blind, by the foot!

Steadfast in his dedication to saving a life, Spider-man webs himself to the Russian with a declaration of his dedication. Finally the mute Spot pauses, reaching into one of his spots to extract a package addressed to his son!
With that, the villain retreats as suddenly as he had attacked, leaving Spider-man to seek justice by his terms instead. Spidey delivers the package, a treasured copy of Treasure Island gifted from father, to son, long ago.

The Hammer...
It was a hard fought battle, but in the end, the conclusion leads me to believe this can only be described as a draw. Not a bad result, given Spot's spotted past. Haw!

Despite the team only appearing in a single issue of Spectacular Spider-man [#246]; the Spot has come to be best known as a member of the Legion of Losers.
Yes, he's one of those villains. Ripe for mockery because he has a silly name and persona; I wonder if this might not be down to unfair press. I mean, come on, look at some of the greatest villains in comic history!... Okay, maybe not. It was, however, a bit of a thrill to come across a stand-alone issue that focused on the character's exploits.

A sense of imbalance was among the most disappointing qualities of the recent Brand New Day revamp of the Spidey-universe. While this fresh start was supposed to open new doors for the classic hero, it ultimately became an uncomfortable weekly wrestle between ham-fisted new villains, and heavy references to famous periods of the past.

Fortunately, a year later, Amazing Spider-man seems to have fully adjusted to the new status quo. Granted, we don't really ever seem to be seeing anything that couldn't have been done with Mary-Jane still in the picture, but the spider-marriage is as much a non-issue to the quality of stories, as it is an affront to the forty years of Spider-man history. Ahem.

Shift based tenure for creative teams means there's notable difference in approach to each story, even if the overall direction of the series is guarded by a brainstrust of influences. After jumping back in with Marc Guggenheim (and John Romita Jr) with relative success [#585], I couldn't help but notice the differences in approach to Spider-man/Peter Parker. I don't know if "subtle" is a word I'd use to describe Guggenheim's version, but the Van Lente script features dialogue that doesn't quite feel right for the famed quipster.
A lengthy running gag referring to Christian Bale's performance as Batman stood out as particularly puzzling. As much as popculture references have come to be part of the Spider-man lexicon, it was a series of sequences that didn't feel at all motivated by the scenes, or quite in line the humor of the character.

The cat and mouse of the fight was a great chance to explore the Spot's powers, and definitely points to some solid plotting. I hope these appearances can begin a larger role for the Spot, reminding us how deadly a villain he could be if ever motivated to rise above his own petty character flaws. As a fan of the old idea of an urban criminal eco-system, I even like the idea of just knowing the Spot might be hanging around, ready to clash or team-up with other forces in NYC.

Paulo Siqueira brings a different kind of energy to Spider-man than Romita, not quite as refined, but pleasantly reminiscent of Todd McFarlane in both the design of his Spider-man, and the sequences of action. It's the kind of throwback that I wouldn't want to see on a regular basis, but can really enjoy in short bursts.

In the bigger picture, most will now know all about J. Jonah Jameson's victory in the New York City mayoral battle. In a concept that very well should've happened long ago, Spidey's biggest detractor enters a position of power which promises to set up a variety of obstacles, some apparently including Mac Gargan!
I'll be looking very forward to that, as well as the appearance of more of those classic Spidey villains, which is something we've been promised in 2009.

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 4
Winner: Draw

Amazing Spider-man is published three times weekly, but alas, there is not yet any trade collection of this very recent issue. You'll find plenty of other trades, however, in the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe, where collections featuring most issues reviewed in the Secret Archives are waiting to be purchased. By using Amazon links provided on the site, you help sponsor future reviews!

HERCULES versus HULK
Smash of the Titans (Marvel)
Where: Hulk VS Hercules: When Titans Collide #1 When: June 2008 Why: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente How: Reilly Brown, Carlos Cuevas, Terry Pallot & Chris Sotomayor

The Story So Far...
Once long ago, during one of the Hulk's many rampages in New York City, the green goliath found himself locked in mortal battle with the mighty Odinson - Thor!

In an effort to curtail the destruction wrought by the Hulk's mindless rampages; the sorcerer supreme, Dr. Strange, intervenes in the epic battle with a conjuring that whisks his former teammate into a realm between dimensions.
By sending Hulk to this crossroads Strange offers him the opportunity to explore an infinite sprawl of worlds, a hex assuring that should the Hulk find anything but happiness, he would be returned to the nexus.

Taking pity on the magnificent gamma irradiated behemoth; Gaea extends her hand and directs the Hulk to realm of the Greek gods! Finding himself at the foot of Mt. Olympus, Hulk makes acquaintance with two lame giants, and in doing so, begins a path that will lead him into battle with the prince of power - Hercules!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Hercules 2 (Average)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Hulk 6 (Generator)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Draw 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Draw 1 (None)


- Hercules is the demigod spawn of king of the Olympian gods, Zeus, and Alcmena; the mortal daughter of the king of Mycenae.

Despite a conspiracy perpetrated by Hera and Luciana to prevent the birth; Hercules was born after seven days of labor, to rule those around him, by the decree of Zeus. The mammoth child would indeed traverse many perils to grow into a mighty leader of men, whose strength became the stuff of legends.

So far did the tale of Hercules travel, that he would gain the attentions of Nordic counterparts, who would seek to employ his power to unstick the might of the god of thunder, Thor! Despite many showdowns; Thor and Hercules would become godly allies, and members of Earth's mightiest mortal protectors - the Avengers!
Hercules' return to the mortal realm would also include tenures with the Champions, Heroes for Hire, and the Defenders, continuing his presence as a sometimes unruly force for the good of mankind.

- Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a slight and insignificant scientist, lives slavishly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, as funded by the United States military.
Though Banner justifies his goals as means for peace, he becomes one of America's leading weapons designers after inventing a gamma radiation bomb.

During preperations for a test launch in the desert, Dr. Banner spots a reckless youth on the testing ground, and in a moment of magnificence, knowingly throws himself on a bullet that would grant a far crueller fate than death.
Bitterly aware of the Communist conspiracy of his fellow scientist, Banner struggles to usher he and the boy to safety while his colleague continues to countdown the launch.

After succumbing to an ordinarily lethal doses of gamma radiation, Dr. Banner soon finds himself undergoing a horrific transformation. Originally by night, but soon triggered by rage or unease, Banner discovers the superhumanly strong alter-ego within himself, dubbed simply - the Hulk! As the Hulk, Banner's brilliance is reduced to a childlike lumbering, while his slight frame conversely comes to possess size, strength, and durability never before imagined.

Hulk has no specific known weaknesses, but is fiercely protective of the few who earn his favour. Though generally good hearted, Hulk is prone to wild rages and varied personalities, including the calculating persona adopted during his time on the planet Sakaar, where he adopts a military savvy.

Additional: A favourite amongst comic fans; the tradition of pitting the raw strength of the Hulk against the other powerhouses of the Marvel Universe has seen him develop many rivalries. Hulk and Hercules have had several showdowns in their long publishing history, the very first coming in Tales to Astonish #79!

History: Draw (0-0-1)
Math: Draw Ranking: Hulk (#5)

What Went Down...
Having defeated the unprovoked attack of Ares; Hulk's rages are redirected by two wounded and lame giants toward the home of the gods - Mount Olympus!
Achieving a feat rarely seen by even the mighty gods, Hulk launches himself with the gamma irradiated power in his legs, reaching the top of the mountain with one fell leap. There, he finds a Greek pantheon, already awaiting the return of their messenger Hermes, and his cargo, Hercules, son of Zeus!

Hercules grapples with the raging Avenger, intent on bestowing upon him, "the gift of combat!" The Olympians' waist lock gives him opportunity to launch the Hulk helplessly into the air, only to bring him driving back down to Earth with the power of an out-of-control "jumbo jet!"

The pankration turns to an old fashioned pummeling as Hercules presses his advantage, launching into a barrage of unrelenting fists. The flurry accompanies Hercules' offers of a chance to surrender, to which the Hulk responds with the flex of his mighty chest, which props an unsuspecting Herc' into the air!

The god flips backward to take an impressive ready stance, but the Hulk continues his responsive charge. The meeting of Hulk's palms sends a shockwave through the air that tosses Hercules like a ragdoll, into the beauteous columns and architecture of Mount Olympus!

Plundering the wreckage, Hulk hoists a column above his head, threatening an illprepared Hercules who throws a defensive fist at the very last minute! The power of his punch channels up the column, shattering the end in a hail of rubble on the Hulk's end!

The arrival of Ares, smarting from his defeat at the hands of the Hulk, brings an end to the battle between Hercules and the jade giant. Learning of Ares' hand in the Hulk's rage from Athena, Hercules extends his hand in friendship to Hulk.

The Hammer...
The escape of Cronus and his army of giants imprisoned by Zeus interrupts the peaceful resolution, but in the end it is undeniably a draw when the two warriors end their battle!

The Olympics are about to wrap up, but our terminal lateness won't interrupt plans mislaid. This battle on the hallowed grounds of Mount Olympus seemed the very perfect way to start August fisticuffery!

The Olympic month will give us a chance to leave behind the tiring themes of the past few months [Iron Man, Hulk, and Batman], giving us the opportunity to open the Infinite Wars back up to a wider variety of entries. With any luck this will help us turn the schedule back around, with a burst of new entries to excite me, readers, (and Leaguers) alike!

For those of you tracking our cumulative stats, you might be interested to know that this tie brings Hulk parallel to the higher ranked Superman with a record of; fourteen wins, seven defeats, two draws, and an assist! This, of course, will be of special significance for those locked in the endless debate of which character is truly superior [RE: Marvel versus DC #3]!

Top 25 Powerhouses
#1 Iron Man (Marvel)
#2 Superman (DC)
#3 Hulk (Marvel)
#4 Thing (Marvel)
#5 Black Adam (DC)
#6 Sub-Mariner (Marvel)
#7 Luke Cage (Marvel)
#8 Thor (Marvel)
#9 Silver Surfer (Marvel)
#10 Goro (Midway)
#11 Rogue (Marvel)
#12 Martian Manhunter (DC)
#13 Wonder Woman (DC)
#14 Dr. Doom (Marvel)
#15 Yellowjacket (Marvel)
#16 War Machine (Marvel)
#17 Colossus (Marvel)
#18 She-Thing (Marvel)
#19 Powergirl (DC)
#20 Death's Head (Marvel)
#21 Bizarro (DC)
#22 Destroyer (Marvel)
#23 Atom Smasher (DC)
#24 Drax (Marvel)
#25 Orion (DC)Top 25 Generators
#1 Iron Man (Marvel)
#2 Superman (DC)
#3 Hulk (Marvel)
#4 Wolverine (Marvel)
#5 Thing (Marvel)
#6 Black Adam (DC)
#7 Sub-Mariner (Marvel)
#8 Thor (Marvel)
#9 Flash (DC)
#10 Green Lantern (DC)
#11 Silver Surfer (Marvel)
#12 Rogue (Marvel)
#13 Flash (DC)
#14 Martian Manhunter (DC)
#15 Wonder Woman (DC)
#16 Dr. Doom (Marvel)
#17 Ghost Rider (Marvel)
#18 Tara (Marvel)
#19 The Spectre (DC)
#20 Green Lantern (DC)
#21 Green Lantern (DC)
#22 Dr. Strange (Marvel)
#23 Blazing Skull (Marvel)
#24 War Machine (Marvel)
#25 Raiden (Midway)Pseudo-statistical content like this is sure to take increased significance as we roll through the month, enjoying all the Olympic action from Beijing!

Over the next couple of weeks you'll probably note polls popping up at the top of the menu [right].
Your votes will help us determine who the greatest powers of the superhero universes are in the next Punch-Up, contributing bonus points to teams in the Fantasy League!

To help inform you in the quest for gold, the current cumulative rankings of characters possessing abilities relevant to this particular entry. Listed left; the top twenty-five powerhouses and generators, highlighting statistics for strength and endurance!

Hercules has to be a favourite for Most Improved of 2008, bouncing out of World War Hulk to not only sustain a solo-title, but do so with one of the most rollickinng reads on shelves! Hulk vs Hercules was a surprising one-shot spin-off, presumably to fuel Hulk movie excitement with a tie-in that might also steer readers to Hulk's surrogate on the Incredible title. [The uninitiated can find Hulk battling his red counterpart in his transplant home, the adjectiveless Hulk.]

With our focus shifting back to the battle portion of content, you can rest assured you'll see more Hercules at some point, possibly from this very issue, which is jam packed with fisticuffs featuring both the titular stars. For those considering the purchase, it's worth noting that the sixty-four page giant also includes a complete reprinting of the characters' 1966 meeting, the previously featured The Titan and the Torment!

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5

While the Olympics wrap up and the last of our belated August updates trickle out, you might like to find more Hulk and Hercules reads! Check out the Shipping List updates for new releases, and the Infinite Wars Gift Shoppe for more collections featuring all the reviewed issues in the Secret Archive!