Herakles (2012), Book 1

Author Edouard Cour revisits one of the greatest Greek myths by painting the often-heroic Herakles as, well . . . somewhat of a jerk. Crude and stubborn at times, in little glimpses we meet a man—half-human, after all—with a psychology more complex than he appears, entangled in guilt over the ghosts who have haunted him since childhood. A mournful sadness seizes him as he crosses the fleeting silhouettes of a woman and her three children. "Friends or foe, all those who cross his path end up stiff and worm food," ​​comments Linos, the ghost of his childhood music teacher.
Brimming with pathos and dark humor, this portrait of Herakles is a graphic whirlwind leaving little respite and often revealing beautiful surprises. This first volume introduces us to the titular hero as he tackles a number of his earlier tasks, revealing the seeds of uncertainty and the drive for respect that will ultimately define him.