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DescriptionI was 7 and 9 nice when the two Hercules mini-series were released in French albums and they hit JUST the right spot for me. I was heavily into Mythologies of the world at this age, more especially the more accessible Greco-Roman ones (basically, the first super heroes in History). Needless to say, blending that familiar aspect with a more Science-Fiction setting within the cosmic Marvel Universe was pitch perfect to captivate my young mind.The first mini is often more highly regarded than the second one for its fun & humour but for me, the much more dark tones of the second one made a stronger impact. I mean Hercules facing the decimation of Olympus, how more dramatic than that can it be? On this page of issue 4, Hercules has seen better days, clearly. The first panel tells you everything you need to know. Olympus is burning and he is on the ground, bleeding and trying to get up. Then a close up on his face which tells you how rough the fight he’s been in was. He’s lost the use of an eye. This was shockingly violent to my young mind. Then a set of two panels from which you can’t quite tell if Hercules is mixing a fight induced dream and reality. The pearl amongst the flames in panel 4 is a strangely calming image, surrounded by other panels showing signs of violence. A nice visual device to slow down the rhythm of the visual flow of the whole page. Then in the fifth, the hero goes down. By his body position, you can tell that his right arm is in a dire state. He’s probably lost its use. Both his eyes are closed, it’s finished. And in the sixth panel, an extreme close up on his face tells you he IS NOT! And this probably appealed to my young mind a lot as well as I was bathed in Japanese Animation and its constant use of the concept of Nekketsu in Shonen productions. The hero goes down, overwhelmed by impossible odds but when everything seems lost, he gets the F… up back on his feet to kick the villain’s ass. Kuddos on Mr Layton for using a very cinematic layout on this page, varying the angles and shots to keep it interesting from top to bottom. And for the usual superb figure work and inking. So I’m very pleased (as you can tell) to add yet another page from this great set of series. A (let’s be honest, too rare?) occurrence when nostalgia meets quality on the page. Social/Sharing |
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Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005
3 - Posted on 4/30/2022
Out here Bob Layton wrote
His pencils add the inker stroke
Olympians and only Zeus knows
Read mini Roman Science series
The art has come
The pearl is there
It won't prevent
The one eyed stare
The Olympian
Looks real jacked
It's the Godhood's End
Let's give pay back
Hercules chance
When Olympus burning
Hercules weeps
While one eye is missing
Pearl of great price
When his body's hurting
Playing for keeps
While he keeps on fighting
The art has come
The pencil's there
It won't prevent
The one eyed stare
Dan P
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
A nostalgic favorite of mine, as well. I really enjoy it when nice examples like this show up.
And an impressive comment by Marcus, too. Weird Al couldn't have done better!
Rick W
Member Since 2017
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
This hits home for me too. Congrats on picking up such a great Herc page!
Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
When I was a somewhat older kid than you were, I bought the first Hercules mini-series and loved it. But the nwhen the 2nd mini came out, I refused to buy it because I HATED that they had changed his costume, which is the main reason he looked so cool in the first place. These days, I just love seeing pages from either mini because the art and character are so fun and this costume has grown on me somewhat in the intervening years. This is a pretty nice page, too!
André .
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
Great page layout, and Layton does a beautiful job conveying the emotion.
Mark V
Member Since 2021
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
Layton really cut loose on this series, both in the art and writing. Great addition.
Michael McIsaac
Member Since 2020
1 - Posted on 4/30/2022
I didn't read Layton's Hercules minis until the late 1990s, but I loved them when I finally did. Congrats on getting this page from a true classic of the 1980s.
J H
Member Since 2019
1 - Posted on 5/4/2022
Nayyyy! The scene on the next page is Peak Hercules, imo, with this lead-in. LOVED this series as a kid, and very much preferred the second, darker one, too. I was just a little bit too young to enjoy the carousing and lighter tone of the first one as much. I have a page from this scene, too. Huge nostalgia meets beautiful art, as you said. Big congrats!
K Gearon
Member Since 2011
1 - Posted on 5/12/2022
Really digging the storytelling as you move down the page! A strong cinematic feel with that horizontal panel layout! Great page, F. Congrats!
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