This post is brought to you by the Bearshirt series, by G. W. Thomas, now six volumes long and growing. Arthan the Bear Man is a powerful swordsman who can also change into a thousand pound brown bear. Preferring a solitary life in the woods, he rarely enjoys such as terrible foes threaten his world, like an army of bee-men, lizard folk in a lost world, a horde of goblins in a secret city, and a war between the werewolves and bears. This is Heroic Fantasy filled with action and color.
A tale of a mighty hero set against terrible foes is a classic scenario from very ancient times. Whether written on clay tablets or sung by a bard, audiences have enjoyed great heroes from the beginning. Because of this, mythology and legends are a natural for heroic fantasy comics: Beowulf, King Arthur and his bunch, Siegfried, Sinbad, Thor and the Asgardians, etc. Hercules is perhaps the ultimate champion and hero. He was featured in a number of comic books, some set in ancient Greece, some in apocalyptic New York. When we think “hero” or perhaps “superhero”, it’s not Gilgamesh we go to first.
Charlton Comics
The origin story for old Herc, before he became an Argonaut, was the famous Twelve Labors, a dozen impossible tasks that the hero had to complete to be forgiven for his sins, which included murder. The Oracle of Delphi tasks him with serving King Eurystheus for twelve years. What a perfect set-up for a twelve issue comic book series, with one task per issue. (This is what Charlton attempted, and they alone with Adventures of the Man-God Hercules, September 1967-September 1969. The comic was written by Joe Gill and Denny O’Neil (as Sergius O’Shaugnessy). Art was by Sam Glanzman.
The tasks include:
Slaying the Nemean Lion, a fierce beast with an impenetrable hide, requiring Hercules to trap the beast in its cave. He stuns it with his club then strangles it with his hands. He skins the beast and wears the hide as armor and as a symbol of his first success.
Slaying the Lernian Hydra, a monster with many heads that grow back when cut off, requires Hercules to find a way to stop the heads from growing back. In some versions he does this with fire and in others with the poison from the beast itself. He dips his arrows in the monster’s venom to use against future monsters.
Capturing the Cerynian Hind, a golden deer belonging to the goddess Artemis, has Hercules chasing the animal for a year, finally netting the giant deer. He takes it alive to King Eurystheus. On Young Hercules, they turned the deer into a centaur.
Capturing the Erymanthian Boar, a giant pig, requires Hercules to find a way to slow the beast. He does this by driving it into deep snow. He takes the animal alive in chains to the king, throwing it in the entrance where it becomes Eurystheus’ problem.
Cleaning the Augean Stables, a very messy place that contains the poop of three thousand horses, has our hero use his noodle instead of just his strength. He diverts a river and washes away the mess.
Slaying the Stymphalian Birds, man-eating birds made of metal that live in a swamp, has Hercules using a rattle that drives them into the air. Once airborne, the archer simple shoots them with arrows tipped with Hydra poison.
Capturing the Cretan Bull, a fire-breathing beast of Crete, has Hercules wrestle the animal, bringing it back alive. It later escapes at Marathon.
Capturing the Mares of Diomedes, man-eating horses, has several variations but the main thing is that Hercules calms them by feeding them human flesh, allowing him to capture them. In some versions the horses breath fire.
Obtaining the Girdle of Hippolyta, a magic belt belonging to the queen of the Amazons, is a tale of seduction rather than just brawn. Hercules negotiates the possession of the girdle but the goddess Hera ruins everything by causing suspicion. The Amazons and Hercules fight a huge battle, and Hippolyta is killed. He gets the girdle but not as peacefully as he had wished.
Obtaining the Cattle of Geryon, a herd guarded by a two-headed dog, Orthus, has Hercules kill the dog with a single hit from his club. The cattle belong to a three-headed giant and grandson of Medusa named Geryon. The two battle in a river where Herc shoots one of the three heads with a poison arrow, ending the fight.
Obtaining the Golden Apples of Hesperides, a garden guarded by Atlas himself, has Hercules taking over Atlas’s job of holding up the sky while the titan gets the apples. Atlas refuses to go back to his job and Hercules tricks him back into it. In other versions, Hercules simply steals the apples himself.
Capturing Cerberus, the three-headed of of Hell, requires Herc to go to the underworld after learning the Mysteries. He uses his lion skin to subdue the beast. In some versions he has to fight Hades himself first to get the chance. Now that’s Sword & Sorcery!
Dell Comics
Dell’s Four Color Comics had two issues dedicated to the Steve Reeves Hercules from 1958. These aren’t about the labors but the back covers in #1006 and 1121 (1960) offer some of his famous feats.
Treasure Annual 1976
This British annual featured many well-drawn pieces including “The Labors of Hercules”. The writer and artist are not known.
Conclusion
There have been other comics like the Graphic Universe’s graphic novel, ones based on the Kevin Sorbo Herc and the Marvel comic that turns the mighty Greek into another standard superhero. But the more interesting adaptations remain on film.The Rock’s Hercules (2012) was a complete disappointment for me. No real monsters. Why bother? Fortunately, Herc did appear in part of Jason and the Argonauts (1963) by Ray Harryhausen. We also have the forgettable Lou Ferrigno film from 1983 and the fun 1997 Disney film. Cheese but there were some monsters.
Perhaps the most intriguing use of the labors, if you aren’t going to do monsters, was Agatha Christie’s The Labours of Hercules (1947) a set of twelve Hercule Poirot mysteries published in The Strand, each based on one of the monsters.
If Sword & Sorcery and the labors are a must I can’t recommend any books. Mythology volumes abound from Bernard Evslin to Edith Hamilton. But if you want Hercules, written in a way that isn’t a novelization of a Sorbo episode, I can recommend John Gregory Betancourt’s trilogy from 1997. It slipped through the cracks while the TV show was going but it is an S&S treatment that has nothing to with Hollywood. For more go here.
Sword & Sorcery from RAGE machine Books
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