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.

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.

So, I went into this with low expectations, because I saw so many bad reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised. I don't like the art style, but I think it fits perfectly with the tone of the book. What I enjoyed the most though, was the fact that we see Herakles in a different light. He's dumb, impulsive and basically a dick, and I love it lol. I will definitely be reading the other two volumes.

This was an interesting take on the tale of Herakles (Hercules) but was not really in a style that I loved. I did enjoy how Herakles was not glamorized in this graphic novel but it was a bit darker than I had expected. If you enjoy Greek Mythology and a grittier story this might just be right up your alley. Also, this is an adult story.

This is probably more of a 2.5 but I rounded down because it just could not keep my attention. It was an interesting enough concept and I did enjoy the manifestation of Herakles' 'demons' as it were, but there was definitely just something missing for me. Also while the art style is definitely interesting and unique, it is not a style that I really like and also was a bit dark and hard to follow at times. I'm sure this will be a great read for some people but it was a miss for me.

This, well, to be honest this wasn't my cup of tea. I thought the drawings lacked something, and I didn't find myself relating to any of the characters. Knowing the book was written in French, I wonder if this version is simply missing something that made it feel more grounded in its original publication. Being a fan of some Marvel and most DC comics, this just didn't feel up to par to me.

Several stories of Herakles where he has to prove his worth. Artwork rather plain and hard to see since many pages were dark. Frontal nudity gives it an adult rating. Would like more detail in artwork and abetter story.

I was looking forward to reading Herakles Book 1, but I really struggled to get through this. I thought the premise of Heracles being painted as a doofus-y jerk had a lot of potential, and I did see a bit of the humour I'd expected peeking through here and there. But I could not get past the overly dark artwork and teeny tiny print. Some of the panels might as well have been blank for all I could tell what was going on.

In the end, there was just not enough of the humour I was expecting to make it worth having slogged through so many confusing pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a free electronic ARC of this book.

In Herakles, Cour puts a new spin on the well-known myth of the labors of Hercules.

First off, I absolutely loved the art style. Cour's art has so much movement and emotion, it tied in perfectly to the tale of Hercules. There isn't much needed to be said about the story, since it is already very familiar. The twist that sets this graphic novel off from other retellings is that Hercules (or Herakles) is actually quite a jerk, although he is continuously haunted by his past and the people he has killed. I liked how this story gave me a new perspective on the myth of Hercules since I never really thought of him as a lonely, bitter man. He is half human after all.

Although it did shed some new light while I read, I couldn't really give it a full five stars because it didn't pull any strong emotions out of me. Even though I felt bad for Hercules, and the story was fun to read, it didn't have a lasting impression on me like a full 5 star novel would have.

Herakles is a fun retelling of the Hercules myth, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who love myths and graphic novels smashed awesomely together.

This is an interesting take on the mythology of Hercules. The art style is not for me and the story was a little boring.