Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly good read!,
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This review is from: Hercules: The Thracian Wars Volume 1 (Hercules (Radical)) (v. 1) (Hardcover)
Saw this hardcover at Books Kinokuniya in Bangkok. Dont usually read material from Radical, and this book was shrinkwrapped so I couldnt preview. But cover art looked good, so I thought what the heck.It was a rather good read! Pretty simple story by Steve Moore (and thats a plus - no continuity problems as with most other titles out there), great art by Wijaya. Dark humor/ violence abounds (Tydeus made me crack up). Nice twist to the Hercules myth (after years of hearing about versions of the character from Marvel and DC) - made him more, well, human (though towards the end...well, that would spoil the fun). Get this, if you're a fan of "group of great warriors against hordes of enemies"-type movies/stories like 7 Samurai, 13th Warrior etc. Plus sword and sorcery fans who love Conan, Red Sonja, etc. Worth the investments. Cant wait for the next Hercules: Knives of Kush installment
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Production,
This review is from: Hercules: The Thracian Wars Volume 1 (Hercules (Radical)) (v. 1) (Hardcover)
When Radical Comics debuted last year I looked at their books and said, "Wow! This is beautiful stuff...there's no way these guys will last!" That wasn't meant as a slight against them but the Comic Biz is tough. Would they be able to maintain this level of quality and still deliver a product for a good price and be competitive? Well so far Radical has done just that. Hercules the Thracian Wars collects the entire mini series into a gorgeous hardcover edition, which features a cover and other designs by none other than the legendary Jim Steranko. In the tale, Hercules and several other Greek mercenaries are hired by the King of Thrace to train his troops for an upcoming battle. Now this isn't your Kevin Sorbo or Marvel Comics Hercules. This is a Demi-God who has lived an arduous life as the whipping boy of the Gods. He's ruthless and often barbaric and not the heroic figure of myth.The battle scenes are savagely gory and well constructed. The characters are very brutal but lively and entertaining. Admira Wijaya's art is magnificent! Where did they find this guy! I'm down with anything involving Steranko. This was a darker look at Greek Mythology. We need to keep an eye on Radical!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Well Written, Bruttaly Accurate Hercules Story,
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This review is from: Hercules: The Thracian Wars Volume 1 (Hercules (Radical)) (v. 1) (Hardcover)
If you like gritty, thoughtful, real-world stuff, this is the Hercules story you've been waiting for. Steve Moore's been writing comics since most of the current comic readership's parents were born, and he's not a guy who spent those years not figuring out what makes good writing. He's created the most real-life look at Hercules yet. Instead of DC's once-upon-a-time Planet Apes meets Kamandi series in the late sixties & early seventies or Marvel's formers purely superhero Hercules (1970s - 80s) or their now ultra-cool Big Jim-Hip Godster Herc (2004 & beyond), you get a look at what Hercules might have been had he been real and dominating the Greek Bronze Age. Thus stories circulate about his legendary birth including the bawdy tale of Alcmene's three-day heavenly (not) rape at the hands of Zeus and Herc's infant snake-killing feats (laughably apocryphal to the average Thracian on the street in the time of this comic); tales abound about his murderous, mindless rages in which he supposedly kills his own children, but when he gets to town he says not a word about them, merely finding the best deal for a professional mercenary bent on doing his job and doing it well. That's the background to a story in which Hercules's seemingly simple desire to make lots of money training and serving in the Thracian army turns into a king's devious plot to undermine if not utterly destroy Greece. I don't want to say more in fear of destroying the story, so suffice it to say that it's a grand tale that is 100% all-out action, intrigue, suspense, and plot reversals. You get an amazing group of characters alongside Hercules: Iolaus (the young but worldly wise narrator), Meneus (the youngest of the group; perhaps Hercules's male lover), Autolycus (supposed son of Hermes, thief extraordinaire), Atalanta (a raging woman with a suicide wish that no man can fulfill), Tydeus (an absolute psychotic nut of a killer who, in some bizarre ways, provides lots and lots of bloody comic relief throughout the series), Amphiaraus (a hawkeye archer of a prophetic seer). As to the trade and hardback edition, everything is reproduced here: all the covers, the complete series, all the advertising and prototype art. You also get a rather nice interview with Steve Moore explaining why he chose the Bronze Age for this tale and why, even though the comparisons will be inevitable, he didn't and won't see or read Frank Miller's 300. This tale reflects Moore's desire to make this as historically accurate as possible, so all the details are true: the pictures of shields reflect real, Bronze Age shields, as do the crowns, cups, belts, weapons, etc. But that doesn't touch the absolute beauty of the artwork. The art here is astounding. Every single artist used for the covers seemed absolutely inspired at the prospect of drawing a realistic Hercules and crew. And for the series, Admira Wijaya did such an unbelievably fine job, he'd be "Admirable" Admira Wijaya were he in Stan Lee's bullpen instead of Nic Simmons's. This is truly one of the best comic series of the year, and if it's an indication of where Radical Comics is going, be ready for that comic to shoot off like a rocket. This tale has already been optioned for a movie, so get your first editions while you can.
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