I am a huge fan of all things related to the Classics, so I knew that I had to read this as soon as I saw it. I was very impressed with how unique and enjoyable this graphic novel was to read. I found the illustrations interesting and the depiction of Herakles to be one that I don't often see--a fact that I actually really liked. The premise of this story is familiar, but there were two main things that set it apart and led me to giving it four stars: 1) the art style, which is so engaging and unique, and 2) the alternate depiction of Herakles as not exactly your typical 'hero.' Overall, I was intrigued by this retelling of one of Herakles' stories. It is not the best I've seen, but it is certainly worth a read.

3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this story that told the labours of Heracles.
I’m pretty interested in greek mythology but don’t know as much about it as I wish so I was pretty happy to read this.
But they were flaws. I didn’t really like the art and I didn’t feel anything for any of the characters.
Still, I’m planning to read the next books in this series.

This book grew on me. At first I didn’t care for it, but by the end I was entertained and interested to see who the story plays out. Herakles, is the Greek equivalent of Hercules so the story is very familiar. He is sent on his trials and tasked to impossible quests. This Herakles is more a Game of Thrones type character than a Disney character. He is brash, gruff, and very rough. We travel with him to complete four or five labors, and they are not pretty. They are violent, but not bloody as drawn in this book. I now want to see how this author/artist bring this story to completion. But at the same time, I don’t find it so unique and great that I would buy it for my library.

An interesting take on Herakles and his trials, but only if you know something about the mythology.

The comics starts with Herakles already working to achieve his first of the 12 labors given to him to pay for the crimes he committed against his wife and children, but none of what I just wrote is provided, as the reader is unaware as to why this brusque of a brute is even trying to accomplish anything.

Edouard Cour is taking a gamble here but going straight into the labors of Herakles with very little backstory although as one progresses through the story, there are hints along the way that may provide some character backstory which I can only hope will be further explained in the next volume as this one only covered 8 labors.

The art style was interesting and reminded of me of older drawings and illustrations of that era while the color scheme made me think of the limited color palette in Greek pottery - not sure if this was intentional but it lent itself nicely to the story.

If you know a little about the myth, that will help you along but if you don't, you might find yourself with more questions than not.

'Herakles Book 1' with story and art by Edouard Cour gives us a different look at the famous Greek hero.

When we first meet Herakles, he is beginning his tasks. The first one is slaying the lion that lives in the hills of Nemea. He starts the task by getting stung by a scorpion. This is a Herakles who seems to be not so bright sometimes. Herakles is a big lumbering brute of a man who seems to mostly be saying "Fine. Whatever." He lumbers along through his tasks. Sometimes being given hints, mostly just by brute force.

He is more complex than this, of course. He is racked by guilt over the ghosts of his childhood, like Linos, son of Calliope, who was his music teacher, who hangs out and makes sarcastic comments at him.

I liked this version of the myth. The art is chunky and crude, just like the character it portrays. This volume isn't all of the tasks, so there are further adventures to look forward to.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

This was a strange way to tell the tale of Heracles. Firstly, we are thrown into his labors without any information about his background, why he is doing them, or anything along those lines.

The actual wording itself was I think poorly done. Every time anybody talked it was almost modern-sounding. And when they talk for the first time they don’t introduce themselves, so we are introduced to a bunch of new people with no explanation. We are also dropped into some of Heracles’ labors very randomly as well. The novel actually starts in the middle of him trying to obtain the fur of the Nemean Lion. Parts of this tale were unnecessarily gratuitous, for example when Heracles is in the lake going after the Lion, he runs after him completely naked and there’s a shot of his front completely bare. Like… why?

I think the one thing I liked about this novel is the art style. Everyone had long faces and long lines and everything was angular. It seemed like they were trying to evoke the style of Ancient Greek reliefs on pottery, etc and it’s very unique.

Overall I was let down by this novel, but I think it’s my own fault and I should have gone into it with lower expectations.

When you are not familiar with the story or trying to unearth your schooldays in your brain like I had to do a lot of this graphic novel will be lost to you. The story is hardly explained and the who is who is at the end..
The drawings are in just a few colours and very basic. One I really liked but the rest not so much. Reading other reviewers I realised it was supposed to be in the style of Greek pottery. I wished I had known that when I was reading it.
Like I said: You best have a basic knowledge of Greek mythology so this graphic novel will do well in a school where they teach Greek and Latin and I can imagine my friends who studied ancient history in university liking it as well. But not for the general public and certainly not for people under 12.

Herakles follows Hercules as he completes his labours. This graphic novel retells a well known ancient story, but this time in a different light. Rather than a simple heroic figure, Hercules is depicted to be less than perfect and battling his own inner demons. It explored the sorrows he faces that can often be looked over in the original legend.

With a play of humour and a look into the thoughts of the main character, it asks readers the question, is creating so much grief and sadness worth being the hero?

This is a great retelling of Hercules that appeals to adolescent readers.

This darker (and more accurate to the lore) take on the early trials of Hercules is much appreciated. I particularly liked the artwork, which reflected without replicating the style often found on Greek pottery. The text is limited but the gore level and nudity is high, so this book will likely find more adult readers that under 18s.

A pleasant take on the Herakles story. I only have a passing familiarity with the original story, I spent a lot more time with Odysseus in my youth, and so I don't know how much of what surprised me here is a new take, or just details I didn't know before.
He is certainly not a pleasant character, and is (literally) haunted by his many demons.
The artwork is suitably dark (sometimes too dark) and fast paced.
A recommended diversion.

The illustrations were really good, but I wasn't a fan of the book itself. I do enjoy Greek Mythology, but there was just something I didn't like about this one. It would make a good addition to a high school library, for Greek Mythology fans. I say high school because of the nude illustrations, only because I have worked with middle schoolers and know how they would react, which means that other teachers and parents would get annoyed with it and take it out on the librarian. (Speaking from experience) I'm not saying that it isn't a good book, just was not for me or my students.

*This book was provided to me by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*

This is a retelling of the twelve labors of Heracles in graphic novel form. There is a unique take on Heracles in this story, where the author depicts Heracles as being tormented by the ghosts of the many people he has killed or whose death were somehow caused by him. It is also stated in the book's summary that Heracles is depicted as being a jerk, as opposed to being depicted as a hero.

My favorite thing about this book was the art. It has a very dark, meets ancient Greek pottery kind of vibe. I enjoyed the idea that Heracles is constantly haunted by dark thoughts and the ghosts of his victims. This would be a fun read if you are already familiar with the myths and stories of Heracles. If you pick this up with the hopes of learning about the twelves labors of Heracles, you will be disappointed. This book does a poor job actually explaining what is happening or why Heracles is performing these labors. In order for you to get the best reading experience you would have to know about Heracles and his labors beforehand.

One big issue I had with this is that the summary is advertising this as a retelling of Heracles where the characterization of him as a hero is challenged. I found that the author did not depict Heracles any differently than I have read before. He was not any more of a jerk, or any more crude than in other depictions of him that I have previously read. Another issue that I had was the fact that the author never explains who the woman and three children that Heracles keeps seeing as ghosts are. I assumed that it was his wife and children who he killed in a rage, that Hera caused. Maybe this is something that will be explained in the next volume, but it would be a confusing twist for people who are unfamiliar with the stories of Heracles and it would be an anticlimactic twist for people who already know what happened to Heracles' wife and children.

Overall, this is just a less detailed explanation of the twelve labors of Heracles. If you enjoy graphic novels and are obsessed with Greek mythology, this may be perfect for you. I find that this a poor depiction of the myths, with very little explanation and no backstory. The art is very unique and dark and lends itself to this guilt-ridden depiction of Heracles, but it isn't particularly well-written.

This is a unique retelling of the life of Hercules, one of the greatest figures of ancient Greek mythology. Along with the spirit of his teacher, Linos, we follow Hercules on his path to completing the tasks set to him by King Eurystheus.

The artwork is very engaging, and the whole depiction of Hercules as a lot grimmer than what Greek mythology tells is very interesting. There is also a lot of dark humor involved, making this graphic novel all the more enjoyable. A very good read overall.

What made me pick up this book was the fact that it is all about Greek mythology. I've always loved the stories of the various gods and divine heroes and Herakles was no exception. His twelve labors made a great set of adventures. I like to read different perspectives on the greek myths and the premise of this graphic novel promised me a jerk. So I had high hopes when picking this one up.

The first thing I noticed was that Herakles isn't only a jerk (and a big one at that) but also physically not your typical Greek hero. He's a big chubby guy who looks like he eats and drinks a lot and shouldn't really be able to move around a lot. This is definitely a different approach to most Herakles/Hercules stories, but as it turns out not one I particularly enjoy.
Then there's the artwork. I like it a lot more clear and clean. The art in this graphic novel is harsh, dark and not very detailed. For me it was sometimes almost impossible to be able to see what was going on in a panel which for me, meant that I just skipped it.
The story was alright. The twelve labors make for enough action to keep you interested. However, to kind of understand what happens you do need the have a bit of basic knowledge about the topic, because most of the time the story rushes through the best parts. I did like the fact that Herakles was troubled and was haunted by the ghosts from his past. This added a fun element, but wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this novel.

A parody telling of Hercules, here we see Herakles going on quests. He is a man tied to the ghosts of his past and as a result he is depressed.
. The reason i gave it three stars was because of the art, not particularly my favorite because i could not see some of the panels( they were black out) and so i was left to my imagination. The print was not legible enough , this might put people off.

The story is interesting if you have read the tale of Hercules,you will enjoy this

Unable to read this book effectively as in most pages the language bubbles were empty. I was not particularly ensnared with the art. It was a style I did not find particularly appealing and often had difficulty trying to make out exactly what was going on in the scenes. I’m sure the script would have helped but reallly good art often doesn’t need a script to convey the whole story. Alas, that was not the case here.

This review was not shared online due to the incompleteness of the ARC. I thought it would not be fair.

Honestly I was not blown away by this book. I was able to follow it mainly because I already knew the myths. I was a bit thrown by the language usage. I got where the author was going with it, trying to make the stories more accessible to younger, more modern readers. It just wasn't what I expected. The artwork was sometimes confusing, so dark that I couldn't really tell what was going on. Not completely sure that I would read the next book in the series.

This was a 'Read Now' graphic novel at Net Galley and a reviewer takes their chances with works in that category! I frequent it because there is a gem in there often enough to make it worthwhile. This was not such a read, unfortunately. The artwork was monotonous, indifferent, and dull, and the story was lacking in anything compelling, although I did finish it, since it's only 160 pages. Had it been longer I would probably have DNF'd it.

The story is of Herakles (more popularly known as Hercules in the same way that nuclear is too often known as nu-cue-ler in our illiterate society unfortunately). Legend has it that Herakles murdered his entire family and to atone for it, he had to live with his cousin, King Eurystheus, for twelve years, during which time, he could have his indentured servant do whatever tasks he saw fit to lay on Herakles.

Herakles was famously tasked with completing ten labors nearly all of which involved animals. I don't know what that says about ancient Greek society (maybe that it was agricultural back then?). In two of these tasks, he was disqualified because he had help, so he ended up doing the dirty dozen (so to speak!):
Slay the Nemean lion, which was a shapeshifter
Slay the Lernaean Hydra which had been created for the express purpose of slaying Herakles
Capture the Ceryneian deer, which was faster than a speeding arrow
Bring back the fearsome Erymanthian Boar alive
Clean the stables of King Augeas which hadn't been cleaned in three decades and which held 1,000 cattle
Defeat the carnivorous Stymphalian birds which had beaks of bronze
Capture the Cretan Bull
Capture the carnivorous Mares of Diomedes
Retrieve the belt of Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons
Rustle the cattle of Geryon
Retrieve some of the golden apples of the Hesperides
Capture Kerberos, the multi-headed hound of Hades
Clearly these tasks are based on constellations!
The author tries to inject humor into the story but it fell flat for me, and I did not enjoy these adventures at all. I wish the author all the best in his endeavors, but I have no intention of reading any more volumes in this series.

I love mythology, always have. Ever since the 5th grade when the school library got in a book on Gods and Monsters. I was hooked. I love all the different types of pantheons out there, but one of my favorite characters has to be the demigod, Hercules. Half human, half God, all hero- his story is one of tragedy and redemption and is a testament to the human spirit. With Herakles, we get a new take on a familiar hero's journey, with an art style all it's own.

By Edouard Cour with an English translation from Jeremy Melloul, this book comes to the states thanks to Lion Forge and The Magnetic Collection. The book follows the legendary labors of Herakles, world-renowned and retold countless times. Cour's vibrant art and colors, with a very disproportionate and fable vibe to it, not to mention Greek graphic elements, make for a perfect fit for the hero. This mature readers book takes the reader down a number of Herakles' challenges, from killing the Nemea Lion to catching the Ceryneian Hind to defeating the menacing Hydra.

We see familiar faces from the fabled stories throughout the years, like Iolaus, who for many made a name for himself in the celebrated TV series. Hercules The Legendary Journeys. The book looks and feels legendary: the color palette shifts from bright and sunny to stark and dark, depending on the mood of the scene. I got a kick out of seeing this version of Herakles try to tackle this impossible tasks, and the vibe of the book is playful, enjoyable, yet deadly serious. Which makes sense as that is how myths are most of the time.

I am thoroughly impressed with book one of Herakles. Lion Forge and The Magnetic Collection do the world a great service by bringing this book to the states. Cour is a creative juggernaut, delivering a fresh new take on a story we have heard of since we were kids. The Gods are strong with this book: I highly recommend this iteration of Herakles to fans of mythology and even those that are just seeking a good story.

This really wasn’t the book for me. I found the drawings rather dull, and I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted to. But despite all this, I appreciated the unique premise and it’s Interesting spin on the tale of Herakles.