Hercules Kush'd

Hercules: The Knives Of Kush #'s 1-3

Written by Steve Moore
Illustrated by Cris Bolson
Lettered by Todd Klein
Coloured by Doug Sirois
Edited by Renae Geerlings
Character (& Logo) designed by Jim freaking Steranko
Published by Radical

In issue one we meet Hercules and his allies- Iolaus the Charioteer (and general narrator for the series), Meleager and Atalanta the hunters, and Autolycus the thief, as they make their way from hard adventuring in Thrace only to be attacked at sea by the pirate Caunus. Diving straight into the action, the pirates are fought off at the cost of the band finding themselves aboard a literal sinking ship, forcing Hercules and company to swim for the approaching shore of Egypt. Stumbling upon a raiding party in action, the heroes pick the right side, at once endearing themselves into the service of the Pharaoh's employ while finding enmity with the assassins guild known as the Knives Of Kush.
In issue two the plot speeds along, as the Pharaoh- currently in a bloody civil war with his half brother- requires Hercules to spy on his own temples so as to find the source of the information leaks that are resulting in the loss of much blood and many lives. Visiting an old necromancer friend of Autolycus, the heroes uncover clues to the apparent network of duality while defending one of the Pharaoh's wives from a surprise attack by the Knives Of Kush. This secret society is bigger and more powerful than anything the good guys were expecting, their sorcerous leader allied with the Pharaoh's power-hungry half brother. To deal with the looming threat, the Greeks are moved to the frontlines of the upcoming full on assault, to face down impossible odds.

And now issue three, on sale at the end of this month (with gnarly covers by both Clint Langley and Daryl Mandryk), explodes as the middle of the five-issue Hercules: The Knives Of Kush series delivers more meat than many of the books from the larger publishers out this month. Moore writes like a pulp serial gone mad on speed, allowing the action to move the story in breakneck fashion. So much happens in these issues, the flow is fantastic to digest. Page turner, all the way. Bolson displays the dynamic realism of the battlefield in such a manner that every single page is incredibly atmospheric and dense. Limbs are forcefully removed, faces are ripped off by clubs, and enough thought is put into all of it so that afterwords the victors slump a bit, their world seeming all the more brutally real for the reader. And the ethnic and cultural differences are observed well by the raiment, etc, meaning actual research went into the production of this comic! The Egyptian women especially are easy on the eyes. Very solid stuff, and all of it brought home by Sirois, whose palette infuses every frame with ghostly auras of soul. I know most colouring is handled digitally nowadays, but so many of the scenes in these issues were like gorgeous watercolor paintings. This art is beautiful, really beautiful. I want to see Bolson and Sirois work together again after this story wraps.
Thus far, this mini should greatly appeal to fans of sword and sorcery, fantasy genre materials. The plot is carried very constructively well, and the characters have great banter. And the art, like with many of the Radical books I have seen, is of an insane level of quality. However, the fights and sexual innuendos are all a bit expressive at times, so if you are looking for something withwhich to win over your stodgy fundamentalist grandmama then this might not be it. But if you like smart, action-rich adventure then by the gods hunt down copies today.
In all seriousness, Radical gives damn good comic. Check them out now.

http://www.radicalcomics.com/