In five illustrated chapters, Bradman tells the story of Hercules the Hero. In Chapter One, Trouble with a goddess, we learn of Hercules’ unusual powers and Hera’s enmity towards him. In Chapter Two, Some interesting little jobs, Hercules tackles the Nemean Lion and the Hydra. In Chapter Three, A few busy weeks, Hercules captures the Deer with the Golden Horns and the Brutal Board and cleanses the Augean stables. He shoots down the Bronze Birds of Stymphalos, wrestles with the Great Bull of Crete and rounds up the Man-eating Horses of King Diomedes. Chapter Four, A battle…and some apples, has Hercules grabbing a belt from the queen of the Amazons, stealing the White Cattle from the ogre Geryon and fetching the Golden Apples of Paradise. 

At Hera’s increasing fuming over Hercules’ unexpected success, Chapter Five, To hell and back, has Hercules challenged to bring King Eurystheus the Hound of Hades. Hercules’ labours end whimsically with a tickled Hera laughing at the image of King Eurystheus running around his palace chased by Cerberus and conceding to Hercules, “becoming the best of friends”. 

Bradman’s retelling of the Hercules myth is breezy and lighthearted. This accessibility of mythological life brings the reader into the world of Hercules. Admittedly, the tense clip through the book means that though the action is vivid, it is not rich. However, given the target audience of this book is ages 7–8, the sparsity of description and plot depth is sufficient. The text is in large-sized font which invites the reader to use this as a chapter book for practising reading skills. The line-drawing illustrations are comical and cartoon style. They show no reverence or dignity for the characters, which makes the reading an amusing one. The content does not presuppose any prior knowledge of the classical world for reading and the proper nouns used in the narrative are few so that the flow of the story is not interrupted by needing to look up any names. There is no glossary for reference as this is not a reference book but a story book.

The tone is jolly and jovial, e.g. “Eurystheus nearly choked on his supper when Hercules returned” (p. 22), “stop looking so smug” (p. 37), calling Cerberus, Eurystheus’ “new pet” (p. 41). There is no point at which we are concerned for Hercules or any other characters. Instead, the reader learns of the Hera-Hercules enmity as a little intra-family bickering, which Hercules takes on in a good-natured manner. E.g. “Everybody liked him [Hercules] and thought he was terrific. Everybody, that is, except one of the Immortal Gods” (pp. 8–9); “Hercules was still feeling confused. But then he sighed. Hera was an Immortal Goddess, so it was his duty to obey her” (p. 16). There’s no angst or heartache over Hera’s petulance.

Unlike other retellings, this story never has us on the edge of our seats, tremulously waiting to see what will happen. Instead, the story unfurls with the sense of it being a school-boy adventure. 

For example, when Hercules meets Cerberus, the dog guarding Hades, he is not put into a state of dread at the “three heads all barking at once, drool dripping from its pointed fangs, its six eyes burning red” (p. 39). Without batting an eyelid, Hercules merely “gulped”, had a “brilliant idea” and asks Cerberus, “Would you like to go… walkies?” (p. 40). This somewhat tongue-in-cheek reading takes some potentially hair-raising myths and lightens the tone so that anyone can read them as an adventure story.

The Amazonian queen is presented as “the toughest” of the “incredibly fierce women warriors” (p. 30). The gender presentation, together with the illustrations, shows the Amazonian women as strong and feisty women. “There was a terrific battle that lasted for hours, and Hercules just managed to hold them off. Finally, he grabbed the belt…and ran” (p. 31). The depiction here of Hercules only just able to fulfil this task, with his utmost being, stands in contrast to the other tasks where Hercules is presented as on top of his game. There is an educative aspect for the young readers of how to ask for something which is not yours – Hercules first “asked her [the Amazonian queen] nicely if he could have her belt” (p. 30) and after stealing it, he says “Sorry!” (p. 31). 

Hera herself is given more space than we might have expected in a retelling of Hercules’ labours, such that the two main protagonists end up being herself and Hercules, with Hera pitting her frustrations against Heracles. The pleasant coda of Hercules’ begging Hera’s forgiveness – “Forgive me, mighty Hera, I beg you,” (p. 43) – for letting the dog Cerberus loose around Eurystheus’ palace for larks, (“He let Cerberus off the leash, and the dog barked with joy…and chases the screaming king round and round the hall” (p. 42)), is met with an amiable response. Hera is shown to have more than the one side of jealousy and snobbery that we saw on p. 9 – “She didn’t like to see a mere human having all that fame and success”. Hera is presented as having a sense of humour that was tickled by Hercules’ boyish antics, leading her to forgiveness herself – “That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages. Maybe you’re not such a bad lad after all!” (p. 43). 

Indeed, the last words of the story are given to questioning the moral calibre of the gods and not to focussing on Hercules. “…the Immortal Gods couldn’t possibly be that cruel, could they?” (p. 44). This ending shows the spotlight of the book as having been on machinations of the Immortal Gods and not necessarily just on Hercules.

Hoena, Blake, The 12 Labors of Hercules: A Graphic Retelling. Ancient Myths, North Mankato: Capstone Press, 2015.

Powell, Martin, The Adventures of Hercules: A Graphic Novel. Graphic Resolve, North Mankato: Stone Arch Books, 2014.

Van Lente, Fred, Hercules. Heroes and Legends, New York: Rosen Publishing, 2015.