HERCULES ONE MO' TIME!

Seems like nobody really dug these too much... so i guess i'll just POST 'EM AGAIN!
....see... it can't be all stuff that you would hide from your folks as a kid......
some of this stuff is just good family entertainment.... and there's nothing wrong with that....
i think these books ROCK, and Sam Glanzman is at his Kubert-esque best. The art in these by Mr Glanzman is a very pleasant surprise, if you're not aquainted with his work. Mainly known by fandom for his war-comics ("Haunted Tank", "USS Stevens") at DC in the 70's, Mr G. was a mainstay at both Dell and Charlton in the 1960's, working on a wide variety of books. However, Sam was no slouch at depicting bare-chested adventurers such as Tarzan, Kona... and the gentleman in question, Hercules.

The concept of this book was also quite innovative as each issue covered one of the twelve labors of ol' Herc. Written mostly by Joe Gill (with an ish or two scripted by Denny O'Neill), the characters of the gods (Zeus, Hera, Mars and so on) are quite in keeping with the classical works..... Zeus is a bit of an arrogant jerk, Hera can be a totally bitchy nightmare most of the time.... really quite an enjoyable contrast to a lot of other contemporay material of the day.


OK, now things get REALLY interesting on these later issues. Sam Glanzman's art gets quite loose and the layouts start to get... well...kinda far out!



Sweet huh! A totally unique look that Sam pretty much only used on this book. Just look at that DESIGN! How 'bout the lettering! I'm not sure i've ever seen anything quite like it.

The series kinda ran out of steam after issue 12 when writer Joe Gill got done recounting ol' Herc's labors, and the last two issues are pretty much slug-fests with Mars, God of War, but still excellently executed by Mr Glanzman. Let's hear it for the total lack of editorial interference at Charlton!

As a BIG fan of Jack Kirby's "Thor", i must say that these books have an "earthy" feel that the Marvel Asgard stuff lacks. Don't get me wrong, the grandeur, scope and dynamism combined with The King at his artistic and design peak is an industry high-point, but the folksy tone of these Hercules books is not to be disparaged, and they still hold up very well today (try saying that about a lot of late '60's books). If you ain't checked one of these puppies out yet, i do advise you to give 'em a shot! They're good!


Hercules #6 or here - Hercules #6!
Hercules #7 or here - Hercules #7!
Hercules #8 or here - Hercules #8!
Hercules #9 or here - Hercules #9!
Hercules #11 or here - Hercules #11!
Hercules #12 or here - Hercules #12!
Hercules #13 or here - Hercules #13!