The series has been described as an urban version of Conan, and that's a pretty fair assessment. Herc is a somewhat darker and more crafty character now than the jovial, oafish version seen in the earlier chapters of Incredible Hercules. While heroes defending the innocent of New York are a dime a dozen in the Marvel U., Herc carves out a niche for himself with his unique tactics and his status as a mortal deity. Most importantly, fans of past Herc tales from Fred Van Lente will find much of what they loved still present here. Granted, the humor is reduced more than it should be, and Amadeus Cho's absence does leave a sizable void in the book right now. But seeing Herc turn gang members to stone with his enchanted shield is great fun, and the character's reduced power level allows him to butt heads with a cool villain who would have previously been far below his pay grade.
Neil Edwards delivers some solid visuals as well, which is good considering consistent pencils have long been a problem with Herc's books. Edwards continues to grow and improve as a storyteller. While his style still bears too much resemblance to Bryan Hitch's at times, there are far worse artists to emulate. And Scott Hanna's inks ensure Edwards panels are often more refined and neat than Hitch's these days. Edwards' only real flaw is that he fails to accurately capture the stylized new look of the villain that appears in the final pages.
This isn't a bad start for the newest chapter in Hercules' career. But again, Van Lente and Pak do the hero a disservice by de-emphasizing the humor to the extent they have. Hopefully that will change as the series builds its cast and Herc's new status quo.