I recently finished reading Hercules Unbound, a 12 issue series of comics published by DC from 1975 to 1977.

This title started off very strong, with writing by Gerry Conway, pencils by José Luis García-López, and inks by Wally Wood. That is an incredible team! This was some of García-López’s first work with DC. He is one of my favorite artists (I fell in love with his work when I first read Atari Force years ago). From what I’ve been able to read online, it seems he started in comics very young after he moved to Argentina from Spain, and eventually began pencilling for Charlton Comics in the late ‘60s. He moved to New York in 1974 and began a long working relationship with DC.

Hercules Unbound is a refreshing take on the oft-chronicled demigod, placing him in the near-future (well, the near-future of 1975!), shortly after the outbreak of WW3. Earth has become a post-apocalyptic, ravaged land of monstrous mutations and pockets of humans struggling to survive.

Into this reality steps the Olympian man-god Hercules, befriended by Kevin, a blind boy fleeing the carnage of war, and his faithful dog, Basil. Before long, their small group enlarges with the addition of Jennifer Monroe, Dave Riggs, and Simon St. Charles, an eclectic group of survivors that have banded together in the rubble of a ruined Paris.

The first six issues retain the excellent artistic team and the book really shines. The plot, with a few nice meanderings (we even get to meet Orpheus on an adventure into the Underworld), primarily follows Hercules’ struggle against the war-god Ares who, it seems, is at least partially responsible for the hellish war that has consumed humanity.

After the culmination of this chapter of the adventures of Hercules and his human companions, the book has a change in its creative department. The legendary Wally Wood is still on inks, but David Michelinie takes over writing and Walt Simonson picks up the pencils. Both do a fantastic job and the story rolls along splendidly.

With issue #9, a more noticeable shake-up happens with the departure of Wally Wood. Bob Layton steps in and, while he is a wonderful artist I really enjoy (I especially like his work, coincidentally, on the two Marvel Hercules mini-series from the ‘80s), it feels like something doesn’t mesh with the combination on this issue. I think it improves a bit with the next issue, an issue that also brings in a new writer, Cary Bates.

I’m unfamiliar with Bates as a writer. He did a lot of DC superhero titles, but nothing I recall checking out. The change in writers feels noticeable and the book’s pacing seems a little more jumpy. By issue #10, we find Herc and company in North America, where they encounter some of the Atomic Knights, DC characters that date back to the early 60s. I don’t think I’ve read anything about them before, and I found their giant Dalmatian mounts fantastic!

The next issue sees the art change quite a bit. It is still Simonson on pencils; he must apparently ink as well and contrasting this issue with the two previous reveals just how much an inker can influence the final product; looking back at the previous two issues, one struggles to see evidence of Simonson. The art very much resembles Simonson’s run on Thor. This issue concludes the Atomic Knights subplot and begins what proves to be the final plotline of the series: the Anti-Gods.

The last issue strikes an epic tone as the evil aspects of the pantheon of Greek gods coalesce into a multi-headed, wild-looking conglomeration called the Anti-God. The story is wrapped up but I was left a little downcast. I was disappointed in the fates of a couple of the characters and wanted more of the companions adventuring in the post-war future world.

All in all, this was a very fun series to read, although I preferred the first half and lamented a few of the ways in which it was brought to an end. I love finding previously unknown-to-me series that I end up really getting into and enjoying. This was one of them.