The Herakles Graphic Novel Plot: Part 1

How do you tell a story so many people have told over so many centuries?

You read and re-read earlier versions until you inhabit their spirit. And then magic happens. Ideas grow like weeds. With enough treading, the terrain of the text uncovers the story strengths and flaws. That's when you "own" the story. That's when you are ready to move the earth of the myth and landscape a new vision for your readers.

Everyone in class first studied public domain versions of the 12 Labors (see below). Our brainstorming, group discussions, and lectures on story design yielded a new and unique plot for Herakles' journey. Like many versions, ours starts with his birth and youth; however, we planted meaningful details and twists in the early chapters to give our burdened hero more depth and to shape a more connected plot that pays off over the length of the story.

How did we tackle the 12 Labors? That's for an upcoming post. Meanwhile, check out some of our sources:

. Herakles by Mary Elizabeth Burt, Zénaïde Alexeïevna Ragozin
. Greek and Roman Mythology By Jessie May Tatlock (pp. 210-227)
. A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography by William Smith, and more
. The Mythology of Greece and Rome by Otto Seemann
. Greek and Roman Mythology by William Sherwood Fox