Issue(s): Marvel Premiere #26
Cover Date: Nov 75
Title: "The games of raging gods"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
George Tuska - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker

Review/plot:
This is a fun Hercules story where he gets into a fight with Typhon. Since Herc was already featured in the Champions, i don't think this was a try-out book, but i'm not sure why else it would have been printed. Prior to this, Premiere was Iron Fist's book; starting with this issue it will feature one or two part stories that either are try-outs or discards from other cancelled series.

Hercules is riding along in Marin county with his lecture booking agent Richard Fenster, and doing some light drinking...

...when they come across a big fire. I love Hercules' response to Fenster. Yeah, i can see the fire, Richard.

Hercules literally fights fire with fire.

I'm not so sure about the science of that. I know firefighters do often use controlled fires to fight fires, but that doesn't look quite right. A barrier of flames? I think Hercules is making that work through sheer force of will.

The fire turns out to be a mystical flame created by the titan Typhon.

After the last time Typhon was banished to Hades, he met the former Delphic Oracle Cylla, who was in Hades of her own free will after being scorned by Hercules.

In return for being her boyfriend, Cylla transported Typhon out of Hades and brought him to the place where his axe was held in a powerful flame. He reached in to get it and found that the flame was so hot that the axe was permanently welded to his hand. Cylla prophecizes that blood from Typhon's worst enemy will allow him to release the axe. Hence the attack on Hercules.

Richard Fenster gets in on the action, hitting Cylla on the head with a tree branch from behind.

    

Hercules kicks Typhon's ass from the bottom of the sea and back, and he surrenders.

But it turns out that blood from his own brow releases the axe. Then Zeus shows up to take Cylla and Typhon back to Hades, which Hercules is grateful for because he didn't want to be bothered cleaning up the mess.

Fun, simple, harmless.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place after the formation of the Champions. The MCP places it between issues #3-4. I've placed it a little later thanks to my Champions trade.

References:

• An opening blurb notes that it was 10 years ago that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Hercules, in "King Size Thor annual #1", which was actually Journey Into Mystery annual #1.
  
• Typhon previously appeared in Avengers #49-50.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

This entry seems to be lacking a quality rating.
Perhaps it was too awesome to rate?

Just an unclosed HTML tag. Thanks, CK.