Comic Info
Comic Name: Hercules: Twilight of a God
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: Bob Layton
Artist: Ron Lim
# of Issues: 4
Release Date: 2010
Hercules: Twlight of a God #3
Reprints Hercules: Twilight of a God #1-4 (August 2010-November 2010). Hercules’ adventures in space continue, but an attempt to save Port Anteris leaves Hercules crippled mentally. Now in the care of his father and children, Hercules has become a liability with his absurd behavior increasing with his illness. When Galactus begins to implode, the Andromeda galaxy is threatened. Can Hercules summon his strength one last time to save the galaxy again?
Written by Bob Layton, Hercules: Twilight of a God is illustrated by Ron Lim. It is the long delayed finale to Layton’s trilogy of Hercules and Hercules: Prince of Power from 1982 and 1984. The previous two series were collected in one volume Marvel Premiere Classic hardback Hercules: Prince of Power.
The Hercules series is a strange alternate reality world. As a stand-alone, this volume doesn’t really work. The reader will need background in the other two series to understand it. They do provide some flashbacks, but many of the returning characters and the basic premise are unexplained. A lot happens in the four issues of this series and probably could have been expanded into a six issue series.
Hercules: Twlight of a God #2
All three series have a strange balance of humor and action. Hercules has always been a fun character, and I loved the most recent incarnation of him. This version is good, but Layton doesn’t quite get the balance right in the four issues. Hercules’ grandson’s death seems almost written off, and it just doesn’t seem momentous enough, and that problem is seen throughout the series.
Ron Lim steps in for the art and it works for the series. Lim is very familiar with space comics and the Silver Surfer’s appearance (though not the Silver Surfer expected) is old stomping grounds for the artist. The series has a lot of flash, and Lim is good for the space stuff.
Hercules: Twilight of a God is only for fans of the original Layton series. It is a true sequel and not a stand-alone and it doesn’t really resemble the stories of in Hercules’ most recent run. Old fans of the characters will probably like a conclusion to the old series, but new readers will struggle and probably prefer Greg Pak’s version.
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