The Uprising Storm has been vanquished for the moment. But one battle is not a war. And the fight between the new gods and the champions and gods of old is far from over.

Still, there is time enough to plan for the battles yet to come tomorrow. Tonight is a night for celebration! Or so Hercules’ allies would have it. There is much to celebrate, after all – not only their victory over The Uprising Storm but also the recovery of Herc’s friend, the seer Tiresias.

And yet, despite the festive mood, there is much upon the mind of the Son of Zeus. And that troubles him all the more. For Hercules is not one to think overly much about the mistakes of the past or the problems of the future. Indeed, he is rather renown for NOT thinking much about these things. Or thinking much of anything, come to that.

It is for this reason that Hercules has done something else that is as difficult for him as thinking about past mistakes and future problems – asking for help. For the enemy Hercules must do battle with lies within, not without. And the sage he seeks is someone who knows far more about fighting battles of the spirit than Hercules – Tony Stark, a.k.a. The Invincible Iron Man!

I found myself oddly touched by this issue and the conflict that drives Hercules apart from his allies on a night of celebration. I was forced to stop drinking when I started taking medication that cannot be mixed with alcohol. And while I’ve never been a heavy drinker, you never really notice how much drinking is a part of social interaction until you suddenly can’t do it.

And yes, you CAN get other beverages but there’s just something that seems to place a wall between you and everyone else when you suddenly stop being able to have a beer in the hotel bar at a convention or wine with a fancy dinner. It can make social interactions awkward and Dan Abnett’s script perfectly captures that sensation as Hercules repeatedly (but politely) tries to extract himself from positions where he might give in to his favorite vice. This battle-within Hercules is as riveting as any fist-fight and makes up for this issue’s lack of action.

Goran Sudzuka and Dalibor Talakic prove able substitutes for regular artist Luke Ross. I’d never have known that two artists worked on this issue together, the transitions are so seamless. And Guru-FX does their usual stellar job on the color art.

I’d say this would be a good jumping-on issue for this series, but this is the last issue before it restarts as Gods of War. Still, this comic is good for what it is and a fine ending to a good story. Who would have thought you could use Hercules to tell a story about the pitfalls of social drinking as an alcoholic?!