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El Héroe #1

The Hero, Book 1

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In ancient Greece the first superhero was born. Heracles, the son of Zeus, came into the world with strength, charm, and a fighting spirit.

Groundbreaking storyteller David Rubín (Illustrator on Paul Pope's The Rise of Aurora West) reexamines the life of the world's greatest champion in The Hero, chronicling Heracles's incredible adventures, from his innocent boyhood to his meteoric rise to popularity as he tackles the Twelve Labors. It is a journey tempered by a steady decay that never relieves him of his heroic burden. And it is this burden that becomes his only grip on reality as Heracles edges toward his fateful end.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 2011

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273 people want to read

About the author

David Rubín

161 books114 followers
Uno de los historietistas españoles más reconocidos en los últimos años (en España, pero también internacionalmente). Es co-fundador del colectivo Polaqia, formado por historietistas de Galicia. Durante sus primeros años como historietista,

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5 stars
158 (21%)
4 stars
298 (40%)
3 stars
206 (28%)
2 stars
56 (7%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
Profile Image for Raquel Estebaran.
299 reviews294 followers
March 12, 2022
Revisión de la vida y leyenda de Hércules durante su infancia y juventud aportando al mito clásico una mirada moderna y mediática, con unas ilustraciones dinámicas y coloridas.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.4k reviews1,061 followers
June 3, 2020
A retelling of the labors of Hercules, mashing up ancient Greece with the modern world. The book is a riot, non-stop action with dynamic art. Fans of Jeff Smith or Paul Pope will love this.
Profile Image for Cristina Bracho Carrillo.
Author 144 books71 followers
April 28, 2020
¡Una revisión del personaje de Hércules muy chula! Llegué a ciegas a este título y me ha gustado bastante, sobre todo la mezcla de elementos modernos con la historia y la mitología. En general me ha parecido muy divertida la narración de su infancia y adolescencia, a ver qué tal el siguiente.
Profile Image for Resi.
214 reviews29 followers
June 15, 2020
Hoy os dejo la reseña de una novela gráfica que descargué de forma gratuita gracias al autor. He tardado un poquito en leerlo por la acumulación que tenía pero por fin pude darle el tiempo que requiere y lo he terminado.

El autor de este cómic, David Rubín, repasa la historia de Heracles, el semidiós griego hijo de Zeus que tuvo que completar doce pruebas que parecían imposibles, impuestas estas por su hermanastro y madrastra que esperaban que muriera en alguna de ellas.

En este primer tomo, Heracles es joven y como tal imperfecto, no diría inocente pero si que está aún aprendiendo cual es su papel en la historia. Parece que no tiene del todo claro que es un héroe y debe actuar como lo que es. A pesar de salir indemne de todo, sus amigos le tienen que recordar que es el más fuerte y que no debería seguir obedeciendo a su hermanastro, el rey. 

Una vez terminemos con la historia aquí contada, lo suyo es hacerse con el segundo tomo, donde entiendo, donde entiendo que veremos lo que ocurre cuando termina los 12 trabajos hasta el final de sus días, pero vamos, no tengo ni idea ni buscaré información sobre ello porque prefiero encontrármelo cuando lo lea. 

De de momento estas 280 páginas me han gustado, aunque siempre me ha encantado la mitología, así que lo difícil es que no me enganchara. 

Me gusta especialmente la mezcla entre lo clásico y la concepción que a día de hoy se tendría de alguien así, su dimensión mediática, lo que lleva ser conocido, aclamado y como no, envidiado. 

Y respecto a las ilustraciones, me han gustado mucho. Están llenas de color, de acción pero también de momentos más tranquilos pero igual de coloridos. Mucho naranja, rojo, verdes y azules y mira, después de haber leído últimamente bastante en blanco y negro, ha sido una novedad agradable. 

Poco más os puedo decir, es una lectura que me ha gustado. Ya sabéis que de vez en cuando me gusta mezclar la novela gráfica entre mis lecturas más densas. Es una revisión de un mito clásico desde una perspectiva fresca y moderna. 

Para leer mi reseña completa podéis visitar mi blog: https://www.resibooks.com/2020/06/dav...

Profile Image for Valéria..
1,028 reviews38 followers
October 27, 2020
Nič moc nové, ale moderné prvky to spravili zaujímavejšie a kresba je naozaj skvelá.
Profile Image for Stewart Tame.
2,480 reviews121 followers
October 11, 2015
I loved this book! Why have I not heard of David Rubin before? He draws like a cross between Mark Hempel and Paul Pope. It's gorgeous! He has a wonderfully expressive line that makes his characters look cartoony, but not too much so. And the story! So what we have is a loose adaptation of the story of Hercules, set more or less in a fantasy riff on the present day. It's interesting to compare this to O-DY-C (or however it's spelled), the series that Matt Fraction did adapting the Odyssey into a SciFi epic. Suffice to say that Rubin gets right what Fraction gets wrong. This series sweeps and sings; Fraction's just kind of sits there. To be fair, Rubin has the advantage of being his own artist, so Rubin the writer is guaranteed to play to Rubin the artist's strengths. This series does an excellent job of telling its story in a way that's fresh, funny, and just plain fun. Highly, highly recommended!
Profile Image for Don Witzel.
66 reviews9 followers
February 13, 2016
Very good take on Heracles. Artwork is amazing. Story is nothing new but well executed.I had trouble putting book down. Some surprise cameos. I ordered Vol 2 already. *Mature readers*
Profile Image for Jakub Kvíz.
345 reviews40 followers
October 18, 2019
David Rubín is reimagining the legend about Hercules and the Twelve Labors with a modern twist. While the story is still set in ancient Greece there is modern stuff like phones, iPods and motorbikes. And surprisingly it's working very well.

As a kid, I really loved the old Greek tales and I am enjoying the "post-modern" twist. My favorite part was Hercules putting David Bowie's Hero on his iPod before fighting one of the monsters.

Rubín's art is flawless as always. Dynamic sequences, vivid colors and great work with panels.
Profile Image for Peter Derk.
Author 32 books408 followers
February 24, 2017
Holy shit, what a blast!

Picked it up because the artwork is so good. Very alive, colorful, and when you've got a book with action like this, you need something that feels like it's moving. This book totally fits the bill.

And it's a really successful mash-up of an old story with some modern technology thrown in. Take the story of Heracles, add a Wonder Woman, toss in a couple motorcycles, and you've got something pretty sweet.

What I like about the mash-up is that it's not something like a real figure from history hunting mummies or some shit. That's never made sense to me. Here you've got this person, who's already pretty interesting, and then you throw in this mummy shit for why? And what difference does it make that it's, I don't know, John Hancock doing it as opposed to just any jerkoff in a powdered wig?

Why is it more compelling if Ben Franklin is hunting werewolves than it would be for just some guy?

Why is it necessary to bring George Washington in to fight zombies? What does George Washington add to the story?

Why does it have to be Hitler versus Dracula?

Okay, scratch that last one. Hitler versus anything is interesting. Hellboy has confirmed this over and over. As has Bionic Commando. If your story ends with Hitler's head in a jar, and if both the head and the jar explode in graphic fashion, then I don't really need to know anything else.

In The Hero, the mash-up works because it's subtle, and it's not about changing the core of the story. It just adds some interesting visuals, and makes it feel a bit more mythical, a bit less real. Which serves the story rather than distracting from it.

Looking forward to book 2, if it's ever translated, and to the possible confrontation between Hitler and Heracles.
Profile Image for Relstuart.
1,248 reviews112 followers
February 16, 2017
A retelling of the myth. Interesting in that it's almost a what if Loki were the favored son and Thor was always trying to earn Loki's favor, something he could never give? Here Hera hates Hercules and tries the get the older son to make him do harder and harder tasks until one of them kills him. Hercules keeps on doing good and becoming more and more the hero because of this dynamic.

Not for kids. I like the art, it's a little cartoonish but the layouts are great.
Profile Image for Samantha Beard.
336 reviews17 followers
October 1, 2018
3.5 stars for The Hero. I really like this examination of Heracles' motivation. The inclusion of DC characters is interesting. It gives the reader a framework for how to view those characters and plot points. Looking forward to book 2!
Profile Image for Elle Kay.
383 reviews5 followers
August 4, 2015
I really wanted to like this book more but I'm thinking it has too many flaws to raise it above an average read at best. The artwork is some of the best in this genre that I have seen and the mash-up of ancient Greece and modern living is highly original and enjoyable. I just felt that it allowed the story to become confused in places and the background of Heracles, Eurystheus and some of the other minor characters was left open and I guess the author expected the reader to already know this tale, instead of guiding us through the intricacies of ancient Greece myths and politics. A brilliant attempt but could have been so much better.
Profile Image for Unai.
975 reviews56 followers
January 21, 2013
Revisión de las pruebas de Heracles, con una forma inusual de situarlo, pasado clásico con elementos modernos y el concepto de superheroe. Casi 300 paginas que se leen casi sin darte cuenta, con muchos guiños, personajes conocidos en otros ámbitos y atrevido en muchas viñetas, lo mismo sea para tener a Teseo y Heracles en moto, que a la hora de usar el lazo de wondar woman para un poco de bondage con la amazona.
Profile Image for Robin Stevens.
Author 52 books2,612 followers
May 9, 2016
Just when you thought there was nothing new to do to myths ... This is a simply incredible reinterpretation of the legend of Hercules. It's extremely gory (I'm still reeling from some choice panels) and incredibly smart in its use of modern technology and superhero culture to tell a very old story. 16+ at least.

*Please note: this review is meant as a recommendation only. Please do not use it in any marketing material, online or in print, without asking permission from me first. Thank you!*
Profile Image for Camilo Guerra.
1,227 reviews20 followers
January 19, 2015
Es como tomar coca-cola en un día de mucha calor...sientes que te estalla, que te refresca, que la bendices.

Una historia solida,rápida y sin permisos, con un dibujo sumamente dinámico que nos muestra los mitos de Hercules con un prisma cargado de modernidad y promete una segunda parte mas oscura. Gran,Gran lectura. Lo pueden encontrar en LIBRERIA NACIONAL .
Profile Image for M. Carmen C. González.
379 reviews24 followers
June 2, 2017
Es una versión con ciertos elementos actuales de las hazañas del semidios Hércules, del que ya estoy algo cansada... No percibo que sobresalga nada de su historia, ni del dibujo, ni nada. He disfrutado leyéndolo, porque para pasar el rato es bastante aceptable. Pero no lo considero nada del otro mundo...
Profile Image for Dax.
1,955 reviews45 followers
October 8, 2015
Are we the masters of our own universe or merely puppets of destiny? Fight, toil, and give them Hell! This is what I call a page turner full of remembered ideas revisited from a clever point of view. Truly beautiful.
Profile Image for Peter Longden.
708 reviews2 followers
February 5, 2021
'The Hero' is a postmodern retelling of the myth of Heracles, perhaps the first and ultimate superhero. It is a reimagining of the 12 labours of Hercules, the 'bastard' son of Zeus and is unlike any interpretation that has come before. Rubin combines elements from superheroes, science-fiction, and pop-culture into one epic mono-myth. The action scenes are epic in their scale with clever use of panels and gives a sense of pace to match each tale depicted.
The colours are rich but in a more subdued way, not the classic primary hues of Marvel and DC. There is more emphasis on the growth of Heracles (or Hercules as he is sometimes better known) with a sprinkling of more adult activity alongside the violence and gore. 'The Hero' emphasises that heroism is not always wonderful, portrays it as a burden Hercules must constantly bear, questioning where true courage turns into foolhardiness, or a selfish desire for glory; what separates trust in a higher power from blind loyalty?
These are relatively heavy themes to be explored by Rubin and he dos it quite whimsically, the drama moving from the splendour of ancient Greek myths into a fantastical, quasi-modern setting. These are thrilling exploits for the legendary hero retained yet combined with a healthy dose of humour, satire and surrealism to form a fabulous, entertaining monster of an adventure!

Profile Image for RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez.
Author 8 books32 followers
December 25, 2023
Si vas a acudir a un monomito tan primordial como es el de Hércules, sí que vas a necesitar darle más vueltas e inventiva a la función de reinvención de tu historia. Y así es el caso de este El Héroe por parte de David Rubín, quien ha sabido echar toda la carne en el asador de su propuesta de indagación de la figura primigenia del héroe clásico extrapolándolo a toda dinámica y narración popular de tantas décadas de nuevas ficciones. Lanzando a este semidios y el panteón griego a un ecléctico universo de fantaciencia que enlaza este cómic a lo que hizo en su día Akira Toriyama con el mito de Sun Wukong de Viaje al Oeste de Wu Cheng en la reconocida Dragon Ball. Este Hércules se sumergirá en sus reconocidas tareas legendarias, pero la forma de desempeñarlas, los personajes y eventos bien conocidos, pillarán al lector de sorpresa con la forma en la que Rubín los reinventa con una gracia y liberación total para que su "Viaje del Héroe" no reniegue de cualquier aspecto que se le pueda otorgar a un vistazo total del crecimiento personal del individuo desde su naturaleza mortal.

El Héroe por lo tanto se embarca desde este primer ciclo a una reflexión bastante interesante desde lo narrativo y lo visual, estando el autor completo totalmente desmelenado en este conjunto de aventuras que ya dejan entrever los mimbres más convulsos de su 2º ciclo más dedicado a hacer enfrentar al arquetipo heroico a unas consecuencias y heridas fuera de lo físico.
Profile Image for Andrea.
692 reviews20 followers
August 8, 2018
"¿Qué engendro liberarás sobre el mundo el día que oda la basura que guardas en el corazón rompa los muros del héroe? ¿Quién va a salvar el mundo de ti, Heracles?"

Un repaso por la historia de Heracles mezclada con ciertos toques modernistas y hasta futuristas que aunque no deberían funcionar, acaban creando un producto final muy interesante. En cuanto al diseño, me gustó mucho el uso del color y la organización de los paneles. Sin embargo, si es cierto que al utilizar planos tan cortos en paneles pequeños, en ocasiones, me resultaba complicado seguir la acción. Eso sí, esa técnica funcionaba maravillosamente para dar velocidad y movimiento a las escenas de lucha.

Lo que único que no me gustó es que, a pesar de todos sus aciertos, tanto el volumen 1 como el 2, me dejaron con una sensación de que no aportaban nada nuevo a nivel de la trama o en la interpretación de Heracles. Hay mucho espacio en esta historia para profundizar y aportar algo nuevo pero parece que se queda desaprovechado. Así, El héroe se convierte en un precioso retelling que no es capaz de transmitir al lector porque la historia de Heracles puede ser todavía relevante en 2018.
Profile Image for Adriana.
3,557 reviews42 followers
September 8, 2018
I love the art. It's colorful and dynamic and just cartoonish enough to add to the fun bits and keep the tragedies from being too dark.
The story is enjoyable but I worry that it got a little too summarized for those not wholly familiar with the myths. There are things behind the scenes and even in what's happening that need to be a little better explained to help make sense of things. Almost no character gets an introduction and some of them are major players in Heracles' story, enough that even a tiny footnote would have been deserved to explain how they come into the plot.
I will say that the mixing of timelines between the ancient Greeks and modern day conveniences is a twist that adds a great element to the story. It's like adding a little bit of sci-fi sprinkles to the mix.
Profile Image for Vittorio Rainone.
2,082 reviews33 followers
September 28, 2017
E' la storia di Ercole ed Euristeo: uno destinato ad essere eroe, l'altro destinato ad essere sovrano malvagio perennemente in contrapposizione col primo. Il volume (e il successivo in preparazione) racconta le gesta dell'Eroe per antonomasia del mondo antico. Adottando un ritmo, una terminologia e immagini che attingono a piene mani a suggestioni moderne. Il risultato è una specie di manga / disney molto piacevole, con disegni che pur nella loro essenzialità sanno essere (grazie anche a un bell'uso dei colori) molto piacevoli.
Profile Image for Chad Cunningham.
484 reviews6 followers
August 10, 2019
Sometimes I wonder if I'm just jaded. So many books are a three star experience for me.

This book is a retelling of the myths of Heracles in a modern setting. As a retelling it is mostly successful. The various labors are retold with a minor exploration of fate and celebrity. Heracles is a sympathetic if not overly engaging character.

The art is fun. Rubin draws in the style of Paul Pope and his artwork is well paced and his linework is assured.

There's a second volume that I will most likely check out at some point. I am not dying to see how the story ends, tho.
Profile Image for Soobie has fog in her brain.
7,212 reviews136 followers
July 6, 2022
L'ho letto solo perché era al posto sbagliato in archivio, prima di rimetterlo al suo posto.

Bah! Di solito adoro i rifacimenti dei miti greci ma questo proprio non mi è piaciuto. Soprattutto per il miscuglio di modernità e mito. Tutta l'idea di Eracle come modello, idolo delle folle ma, soprattutto, come schiavo del fratello. Senza dimenticare i walkie talkie che i due hanno per parlarsi. O le macchine da corso ultimo modello. O i modellini di Superman...

Neanche i disegni mi son piaciuti.

Leggerei il secondo solo se lo trovassi in Archivio. O se qualcuno me lo prestasse.
Profile Image for Ana Pérez.
619 reviews5 followers
April 14, 2023
Tras haber leído esta novela gráfica me he sentido ligeramente decepcionada. Por una parte, me parece valiente tratar de dar un giro a los 12 trabajos de Hércules y el aspecto gráfico me ha encantado: trazos, viñetas, elección del color, expresividad y diseño de los personajes... Sin embargo, creo que hay aspectos de la "modernización" que no terminan de estar bien definidos: echo en falta ver un poco más del autor en las páginas y de innovación en su planteamiento, más allá de lo visual. Leeré la segunda parte para poder valorar el conjunto.
Profile Image for Litos.
43 reviews2 followers
February 13, 2018
David Rubín usa la mitología griega clásica para hilar una pelea tras otra entre el protagonista y un montón de monstruos de curioso diseño, con un resultado un pelín plano y repetitivo. Aunque las secuencias de acción están bien planteadas, y el arte es indiscutiblemente bueno (y verlo en lápiz le da una calidad más cercana que en el resultado final), no dejo de pensar que funcionaría mejor con un buen guionista detrás.
Profile Image for Scott Schmidt.
181 reviews2 followers
May 19, 2019
I loved every panel of this. From Rubin's art style, to the amazing colors and his killer character design for Heracles and the monsters. And using each labor as a chapter lends itself so well to the flow of the story. What I really love is the setting which is some sort of futuristic/modern ancient Greece. So strange to have iPods, motorcycles and future tech mixed with fishing villages, mud huts and spears. Can't wait to get Book 2.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews

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