Wow - what a pleasant surprise this issue has been. Although I am a long-time Marvel fan, I have never read The Incredible Hercules before. Due to the fantastic Secret Invasion tie-ins (e.g., Ms. Marvel, Captain Britain), I was tempted to check out Incredible Hercules #118. To gain context, I bought the prior issue as well. And I am quite glad that I did.
As a comics reader, I am more of a story buff than an art buff. Yet this book's art simply blew me away. One of Marvel's great strengths has always been the cosmic; however, there has not been great evolution of the portrayal of the cosmic since Kirby and Ditko. However, Rafa Sandoval (an artist I simply know almost nothing about) has beautifully portrayed the abstract cosmos in a strong yet subtle comic style. I suspect that the inker and colorist had a great deal to do with this issue's success.
Here, the realm of Nightmare, the "Lord of Dreams" is portrayed elegantly. The heroes (Hercules's "God Squad") are drawn in a more traditional comic-book style, whereas Nightmare's realm is shown in a more subtle, painted style. The effect is fantastic. And Eternity - what a revelation. We are all familiar with the portrayal of Eternity as a cloaked figure with the cosmos drawn within him (it?). Here Eternity is shown in the same way, but with a painted space-shot from just above a planet. The effect is breathtaking.
The story is entertaining as well. In the prior issue, Hercules organized the God Squad - a collection of figures from a variety of human pantheons - whose goal is to find and destroy the Skrull deities. As noted above, the God Squad lands in the realm of Nightmare, as they need "directions" to the Skrull pantheon. And of course, Nightmare seeks to discover the fears of the human deities. The outcome is nice, but what is more interesting is the dialogue between the gods.
It's a good week for Hercules.
Story: 4 - Very Good
Art: 5 - Excellent
