Captain's Library & Theatre: HERCULES Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Well, that covers most of it.
And, luckily, the comics' own expositional dialogue will explain the rest...

Be here tomorrow as the saga of Hercules continues with
Hercules Unchained!

This adaptation was published as Dell's Four Color Comics #1006 with script by Paul S Newman and art by John Buscema.
Here's a kool bonus from the same issue...a one-page feature by Newman and Buscema about the mythological Hercules' "Twelve Labors" (though it only shows five)...

Note: Pelias' daughter is named "Iole" in the movie, but is called "Jole" in the comic, and the city-state Pelias rules is named "Iolcos" in the film, but called "Jolco" in the adaptation.
Whether these were the names from an earlier draft of the script or changed for the comic because they would be too hard for a casual reader to pronounce is unknown.

Since Hercules was both a well-known myth and a public domain character, anybody could use him in movies, tv, and comics, as long as their version didn't look like a previous version or use story elements created specifically for any of the earlier renditions.

Due to the popularity of Mighty Thor and the other Norse gods, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby decided to incorporate the Greek pantheon into the Marvel universe, introducing them in (where else) Thor's series in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)...

...but the response, while good, was not at the popularity level of Thor, so Hercules became a wandering guest-star, appearing in other characters' strips before finally settling down for a year in The Avengers as of issue #38 (1966), where he served as Thor's replacement.

A new penciler took over The Avengers as of #41; John Buscema...

Model sheet by John Buscema

...and suddenly, the relatively-minimal likeness of the Marvel version to Steve Reeves suddenly became a helluva lot more obvious!

So obvious, that the Steve Reeves movies' producers objected!

(Both Hercules movies were still being re-released to theaters in kiddie matinees as well as playing on tv)

So, in Avengers #46 (1967) Marvel's Hercules got a razor and...

Art by John Buscema and Vince Colletta

...and clean-shaven Herc became the Marvel version for a couple of years!

By 1970, Herc's beard grew back, and has remained ever since.

And now, a special treat...the complete movie!

Captain's Library: HERCULES Part 2

When Last We Left Our DemiGod...

King Pelias of Jolco asks Hercules to aid his son, Iphitus.

However, the arrogant and impulsive prince of Jolco accidentally dies while in the demi-god's charge.

To atone, Hercules gives up his immortality and invulnerability while battling the Cretan Bull, which he barely defeats.

After the battle, Hercules discovers his old friend Chiron, gored by the bull and near death, and Jason, son of the true king of Jolco (whom Pelias deposed)...

Be here tomorrow as Hercules brings down the house...literally!

This adaptation was published as Dell's Four Color Comics #1006 with script by Paul S Newman and art by John Buscema.

Captain's Library & Theatre: STAGECOACH

Nobody personified Western movies like John Wayne.

Stagecoach (1939) was his breakout film, after a series of roles in b-movies and serials.

This landmark flick was immortalized in print with a unique fumetti-style adaptation in DC Comics' Movie Comics #2 (1939).

Stagecoach was even the cover feature with a picture of star...

 ...Andy Devine???
 (Who also got top billing in the adaptation)

Movie Comics ran for six issues, adapting everything from Westerns to romances to science fiction.

Using photographs was certainly one way around the problem of getting an exact likeness of the actors (as we showed you HERE with Movie Comics' adaptation of Phantom Creeps which used the same fumetti-format)!

The design/compositing/additional art was done by Jack Adler, a production artist/illustrator who rose thru the ranks and eventually became DC Comics' Production Manager/Vice President of Production, innovating a number of techniques that became standard comics practices.
The writer of the adaptation is unknown.

Here's a fascinating piece called Screen Scoops featuring tidbits about the actors from the various movies adapted in that issue of Movie Comics...

Art and script by Walter Galli

Remember, there was no Internet, DVDs, VCRs, or even TV, so the only way to see these movies was in the theater, and once they finished their runs, they were gone! until they were re-released, usually every 4-5 years after their premiere showings.

Adaptations in other media, including radio and comic books were used to promote the movies and were released either just before the movie opened for its' initial run, or when it was re-issued to second-run theaters.

Besides this comic, there was a radio adaptation done for the Screen Directors Playhouse in 1949, during the movie's re-release.

Reprising their roles on radio were John Wayne (Ringo Kid) and Claire Trevor (Dallas), along with Ward Bond (Doc Boone, played in the movie by Thomas Mitchell)

You can play that radio show by clicking HERE!

Plus, you can compare the adaptations with the film itself...

Catch the flick on TCM, August 1st at 9:15 am (ET)!

There's lots more John Wayne (and other stars) stuff during the  

2012 TCM Summer Under the Stars Blogathon!

For a plethora of posts (and info on how you can participate) check out ScribeHard on Film and/or Sitting on a Backyard Fence for details!

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Captain's Library: HERCULES Part 1

In the late 1950s, "peplum" aka "sword and sandal" flicks were a hot genre...

...starting with La fatiche de Ercole aka Hercules (1957) starring Steve Reeves, an expatriate American bodybuilder/actor seeking work in Europe.

Be here tomorrow as the demi-god undertakes the task!

This adaptation was published as Dell's Four Color Comics #1006 with script by Paul S Newman and art by John Buscema.
And a special bonus...the original trailer for the movie...