This is a new style of art for an old story. I enjoy Greek Mythology and like when new things come out to see how it's been interpreted. This was good but not my favorite.

DNF @ 75%
Not bad but not the best. The writing was kind of chunky and had some spelling errors. I just didn't love this book even if I normally adore mythological retellings.

This graphic novel retells the Herakles Myth. Instead of a larger than life hero this Herakles is a bit of a bumpkin. A basic knowledge of the myth is helpful before reading this. The artwork is OK. I did not find this story or artwork really engaging it was just OK.

How intriguing is that cover? I knew I just had to read it.

It also illustrated to me how little I knew of Greek mythology because even though Herakles is someone from those myths I didn’t even register that until I started reading.

(Hi yes I don’t read blurbs either)

It took me a little bit to get into the story as the art work is wildly different to other graphic novels I’d pick up but it really grew on me. The use of colours and harsh lines really fit the story.

In the image above you can clearly see how Herakles feels after deciding to eat a Scorpion! (What a cute lil poisonous guy, he even gave a warning)

I believe we follow Herakles as he tackles 3 or 4 of the tasks set upon him and I was really fond how humour was incorporated in the story. This allowed the Myth to be told in a very accessible way.

I really liked seeing how Herakles tackled his problems, it illustrated his own strengths and weakness’ well. Whilst also letting you sympathise as neither Humans nor Gods fully accept and welcome him.

I was really impressed with this collection and felt very re-educated again in a way that wasn’t off putting. I’d happily pick up more of Cour’s work.

I love the story, it was great to read the Herakles story in a graphic novel. The way is written and the art in yellow is way different of what I was expecting, but it was amazing anyway. I recommend this graphic novel to everyone who loves the Herakles story or Greek myths.

I really wanted to like this and was looking forward to it, but I had such a hard time getting into it. I don't know if it was the art or the coloring but something just made it kind of a sleepy read for me. It took me so long to finish when it should've taken like, half hour.

I love greek mythology so I did enjoy the story aspect, but it didn't really stand out or pop to me. If you're familiar with the story, it's basically spot on. No changes, nothing new or exciting, so it is a little bit of an eh all around.

I love Greek mythology, but the story of Heracles is one that I never read.

I think this book is meant for fans of the story, rather than new readers. I know the general story, that he had to do tasks, but not specifics. I was confused through most of the story, especially by all of the different characters. There was a glossary of characters at the end of the book, but it would have been much more helpful at the beginning.

Herakles wasn’t a likeable character at all. He was a jerk most of the time, and pretty gross. He also passed most of his tests by fluke, and without using much skill.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me.

I thought this would be interesting in the beginning but I quickly lost passion in this book and felt that it would be better for a different reader.

I somewhat interesting look into the Herakles myth. It's overall engaging but entirely enjoyable. It has a few moments that could best be described as choppy. Hopefully the future books will be better.

Herakles: From Hero to Zero Just Like That

So what did you think of your time in Atlantis?
Yeah, I agree...never understood why everyone made such a big deal about it.

Just a little summary of the myth for those out of the Greek mythos loop:
After Hercules killed his wife and children, he went to the oracle at Delphi. He prayed to the god Apollo for guidance. Hercules was told to serve the king of Mycenae, Eurystheus, for 12 years. During these 12 years, Hercules is sent to perform twelve difficult feats, called labours.

And don't tell me that's a spoiler alert - that's mythology. Did I mention that Julius Caesar gets killed by conspirators? John Wilkes Booth offed Lincoln? Oops. If you didn't know, now you have some general knowledge going for ya.

Herakles must slay the mighty lion. And so our hero goes on a dangerous venture by starting his first trial.

"Here kitty kitty."

Alright. I can see where this is going.

Remember Hercules in the Disney Movie?

Well, Herakles is nothing like that. He also doesn't seem to have the brains, but boy does he have the humour. He looks more like Goliath than a pretty boy, which is a nice interpretation of his stature and mien.

Again, I'd like to emphasise that he's a total idiot of a caveman. And it's pretty freaking funny. He chucks himself into one situation and into the next. It really makes fun of the Greek myth without copying existing parodies too much.

Once again you proved me right...your stupidity knows no limits.
I mean eating a scorpion stinger and all?

I'm enjoying the diversity of comic artstyles today immensely. This is a distorted style, but it suits the story and fleshes out the dialogue which I quite enjoy. The landscape and buildings drawn in such a way that it sucks you into a different time, which I quite enjoyed. It's almost as if the artist drew it in thin crayons, which brings out a crass quality that coincides with Herakles' person.

I also enjoyed the interference from all the gods, like Apollo and Athena who just give poor Herakles a hard time. Even Dionysus, who is usually quite laid back, is impossible towards poor Herakles when he just wants some Centaur wine.

Each labour that Herakles must complete is introduced by a little talk he has with some sort of demon, who is later identified as Linus, son of Apollo whom Herakles accidentally killed. But the way in which Linus got his shape...well, let's just say Linus is a pretty fun character.

What I find quite well-thought out of is that outline of Hercules' family that he murdered watches him from the sidelines; sometimes he sees them and is saddened tremendously. It's a nice little addition.

He goes for a swim when he should be hunting "the lion with impentrable skin"

Also, I really didn't need to see Herakles' junk. Especially from all these angles.

I enjoy that Herakles is a tenacious doofus, but other than being a humorous retelling of Herakles' adventures and feats, this comic doesn't bring much to the table. In fact, it's a light salad when it could have been a big, juicy veggie burger.

And so Eurystheus continues to send Herakles on journeys to kill all the creepers and monsters featured in the mythos where he must complete the ten labours as requested by the king.

Look, I might be in the minority here, but I quite enjoyed the jokes plastered throughout this comic. Some of them fell flatter than badly baked souffle, but others were very well executed. As a love of all things ancient, I enjoyed the references and how well they were incorporated into actions sequences and dialogue.

I also like Iolaus, Herakles' nephew who journeys with him to some of his labours. He's an awkward, gawky teenager. Stereotypical but fun.

I enjoy how the topic of the danger of being around Herakles' is touched upon. Everyone who gets too close to him becomes a spirit or dies, never to return.

Consensus:

A fun, light-hearted look at Herakles - he's still a total idiot with a lot of luck. I'd re-watch the Disney movie over this anyway.

3.2 stars

I'm always looking for books that are engaging or educating or hopefully both for YA students. Call this one "engaging."

This is not your golden-boy Disney Hercules! This version of the Classical character takes a decidedly darker bent, and in many ways is much closer to the original myths. Fans of graphic novels, the Classics, and dark retellings of well-known stories will be sure to find something to love here.

The artwork was amazing. While many of the characters (including Herakles himself) are a bit grotesque, the muted tones of gold, green, brown, and black create a stunning picture. And while we can't see Herakles mouth for much of the story (due to his thick beard), his sharp white eyes are so expressive, that you don't even need to!

All in all, a strange, but interesting book which I would definitely recommend for the right reader.

I really like Greek mythology. This graphic novel is lovely to read. I really enjoyed it. Color scheme and illustrations are amazing.

I received an ebook arc in return for an honest review.

This is a retelling of Herakles/Herclues. We are thrust straight into the story where Herakles is completing the twelves tasks. This is only part 1 and it is to be continued.

It's a little choppy in places and it was a little intense for me, not really my cup of tea at all...

There was no backstory or explanation for why he's completing these tasks or what happens when he finishes. There are no explanations of some of the characters so it gets a little confusing at times.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

In Volume 1, Herakles tackles the first half of the 10 labors given to him by King Eurystheus as penance for killing his wife and children.

The graphic novel is mostly pictures, without much text outside of some conversations. Therefore, I think it will most be enjoyed by those who already know the details of Heracles' labors. There is an appendix at the end of the book with a map of Greece and short descriptions of who the different characters in the book are. Some of the panels in the comic were a little too dark to make out much of what was happening in the scene, although I know that matched the tone of the book. I didn't dislike the graphic novel, but I think I would have preferred the story in its original word format.

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.