Marvel Comics delves into the world of deities and pantheons with “Chaos War,” a story-arc written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente with art from Khoi Pham.
An ancient being known as the Chaos King escapes from his prison and slays Nightmare, giving him access to the Dream World. After slaying deities, he can add them to his undead army, allowing him to battle Hades and Hela. When Death hears this, she flees, allowing the souls of dead Avengers, X-Men, and Alpha Flight to escape.
Hercules escapes death and emerges with new powers. After being warned of the danger by Amadeus Cho, Herc gathers Thor, Venus, Sersei, Silver Surfer, and Galactus to battle Chaos King, who unleashes his undead army upon the Earth. However, as the Chaos King grows in power, it seems like no one can stop him as he continues to take over reality itself.
While I did enjoy this story, I did find one thing interesting about it. It felt more like a DC Comics event than a Marvel one. For instance, Marvel tends to do “soft reboots” of stories. As an example, Iron Man: Extremis updates Tony Stark’s origin from the Vietnam War to the Afghan War but maintains most of his core stories. When DC Comics does an update, it shatters the multiverse. Literally. This Marvel story, while it does not reset everything, it does feel like a hard reboot compared to others.
As for the artwork, it is top-notch. The characters are well-drawn and their designs are excellent. I especially liked how Galactus looked. “Chaos War” had one of the best full-page illustrations of him.
Also, I did not really care for Cho as a sidekick. He is better as a support role than he is as a main character. In this story, he was incredibly annoying and I know he had a starring role in the “Incredible Hercules” stories, he should have been substituted with someone else. Perhaps, Spider-Man or Mr. Fantastic to tackle the science stuff.
Normally, I do not enjoy Marvel Comics’ take on Hercules, but I did like him as the protagonist of the story. Though, I think Dr. Strange and Thor should have had more screen time in the story that was given to Alpha Flight. Their fanbase is ten people. Glad their back, I guess, but not that exciting. Likewise, the Chaos King is frightening as the villain. Though he did seem a bit overpowered, they did a good job of balancing it out.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my review of the graphic novels The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman and Captain America: The Chosen. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.
Did you know my new fantasy novel “The Seven Royals: All Good Things” is now available on Barnes and Noble and Amazon? You can get your e-book copy at BookLocker.
You can find me everywhere on social media! Facebook: Author Jacob Airey | Instagram: realjacobairey| Twitter: @realJacobAirey | Parler: RealJacobAirey | YouTube: StudioJake
