Overview
Famous for his superhuman strength, Hercules is the most popular hero in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus—king of the gods—and a mortal mother, Hercules faces the wrath of Zeus's wife Hera, who resents her illegitimate stepson and vows to bring him misery. With her magical powers, she tricks Hercules into performing a series of twelve seemingly impossible labors, each one a test of his strength, courage, cunning, and fighting skill. Is Hercules strong enough to foil her scheme? For this exciting retelling of the twelve labors, author Paul Storrie consulted the classic work The Age of Fable (1859), by American Thomas Bulfinch, and Edith Hamilton's Mythology (1942), both of which are considered the best resources about on ancient myths and legends. Artist Steve Kurth also relied on historical research to accurately bring to life the world of ancient Greece.Synopsis
Famous for his superhuman strength, Hercules is the most popular hero in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus—king of the gods—and a mortal mother, Hercules faces the wrath of Zeus's wife Hera, who resents her illegitimate stepson and vows to bring him misery. With her magical powers, she tricks Hercules into performing a series of twelve seemingly impossible labors, each one a test of his strength, courage, cunning, and fighting skill. Is Hercules strong enough to foil her scheme? For this exciting retelling of the twelve labors, author Paul Storrie consulted the classic work The Age of Fable (1859), by American Thomas Bulfinch, and Edith Hamilton's Mythology (1942), both of which are considered the best resources about on ancient myths and legends. Artist Steve Kurth also relied on historical research to accurately bring to life the world of ancient Greece.
Children's Literature
The classic "Classic Comics" of the 1950s get an upgrade and new life in Graphic Universe's series of myth retellings. Library binding, glossy paper, bold coloring, and most especially the use of veteran comic writers and artists propel these efforts to the forefront of the graphic novel genre for school use. A double-spread map of the ancient Mediterranean world, glossary, bibliography and website references, and index—as well as sample "before color" pencil sketches—add to the interest level of the material. And then there's the story. The muscle-bound Hercules/Herakles is a standby of Greek myth, but who can actually remember all twelve of his colossal labors—or the reasons he is compelled to perform them? Not to worry, it's all laid out, from the jealousy of Hera over her husband Zeus's adulteries to King Eurystheus, Hera's mortal pawn of choice in her plot to destroy Hercules. But Hercules proves indomitable. Boys will definitely enjoy the hero's bold onslaughts against monsters and monstrous humans alike. It's worth the price just to watch him clean the Augean stables and build the Pillars of Hercules!