The art of Michael Maikowsky

Today I would like to speak a little about an artist whose inspirations and tastes reflect my own.
While I am not on the skill level this fella is we both share a love for the same HERO...a man who really existed. A man whose face should be on the COMIC BOOK ART Equivalent of MOUNT RUSHMORE. Just exactly who should be on this monument with him would be tough to determine , Other than KIRBY. But JOHN BUSCEMA is in my estimation the GREATEST comic book artist/illustrator who ever lived. While I do love the art of COMICS and many artists are masters...I and Mr. Michael Maikowsky share the same feelings toward Mr. Buscema.
Here in this post you will find some highly skilled and very true renderings of famous illustrations created by John Buscema. Michael Maikowsky's perfect execution of Big John's CONAN , Ka-Zar and THOR kind of inspired me to post this today.
I have seen his work over the last couple of years and not only was I impressed but I was inspired as well. Mike inspired me to pick up the pencil once again and draw. I did not draw for years. Sure I doodled and made little scribble cartoons here and there but...I never really REALLY drew anything. Not for a long time.
After contacting Michael he allowed me to post some of his works here on my COVERS blog.
I would like to share with you...just in a case you may want an expertly crafted recreation OR original in the style of Big John Buscema. You can contact Michael Maikowsky through the info provided. In the copy below...taken from Comic art fans.com you'll find the links to contact Mr. Maikowsky yourself.
See below.....
" Michael is bringing us comic art fans a gift. Everything he does is inspired by John Buscema, a truly loved man and artist. Although Big John can no longer create new images or recreate old ones, through Michael, Mr. Buscema's magic can still grace the page. Please check out his whole gallery here on CAF or go to: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=7456 If you would like to commission Michael his rates are as follows: 11 by 17 single figure with no background: $150. 11 by 17 recreation or reinterpretation: $300. All prices include shipping. A note from Michael: Fellow CAF member Michel Maillot triggered my interest for those John Buscema recreations. Michel saw my tribute portrait of Big John in issue # 21 of TwoMorrows ´Comic Book Artist Magazine´ and asked me for a copy of my drawing which I sent him along with a cover recreation I had finished just for fun. As a result of that, Michel ordered some more recreations in exchange for photocopies of his huge J.B. original art collection (the ´French Collection´, as I use to call it). Inspired by Michel's compliments, I got hooked and developed the nutty idea to recreate every one of Johnny B.´s penciled and inked covers, which I guess was my desperate expression of how much I miss the Big Man and his exceptional artistry. A big thank you goes out to artist supreme Joe Jusko who encouraged, promoted and honored me by presenting some of my artwork in his breathtaking gallery. As you can see, I definitely enjoy reproducing those magic images of John Buscema. It's something I find very inspirational and a valuable learning experience! It taught me more about anatomy, composition, dynamics, lighting, spotting of blacks, etc. than any how-to art book out there. (Btw, my recreations are 11x17 and done on quality two ply bristol board, solely inked with a brush. The title logos are hand lettered. No stats, no whiteout. To prevent confusion and misunderstandings, the artwork is signed with the usual "...after J. Buscema" remark.) Hope I can share some of the love I feel for Big John. I miss him terribly. Nuff said! Best, Michael "
" And here is the cut and paste of my correspondance with Mike. "
Michael MaikowskyNovember 30, 2010 at 3:42amRe: infoHey Michael, wow, I feel flattered and honored getting featured on your "Favorite Cover Blog", thanks, mate! Basically, some infos about me and my hobby can be found on the Comicartfans Gallery Room of my art rep Kirk Dilbeck: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccVJOyVTuMXrDrS6H7YMeiQw;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=76312Also, our mutual friend Joe Jusko was instrumental in getting some attention for me and my stuff. Here´s Joe´s gallery featuring some of my recreations: http://www.facebook.com/l/405ccsWZa98stIBz14-eDEyHfLg;www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?Order=Date&Page=1&GSub=54837If you still need additional info, don´t hesitate to ask.Best,Michael

20,000 visitors of HERCULES

The Mighty blog of HERCULES gets a lot of traffic...I was going to delete the blog because I was given the opportunity to do Blog posts on CROM the ultimate CONAN fan blog...and I can only divey my time so much. BUT...because of the traffic and the fun I have while posting on HERC I am going to keep it up and running.

HOWEVER....it's going to be a long time in between postings. So if you are waiting for the next HERC post? My apologies...it's going to be a few weeks or perhaps a month. Maybe in JANUARY sometime. I have something I am working on and want to complete it. ( an E-comic )....but in the meantime. HERCULES' LEGEND will prevail...for he is timeless.

CHAOS WAR / HERCULES the SUPER GOD

Well as I said it would happen it did. They killed off HERC and then they brought him back. This time they brought him back more powerful than ever. Now HERC could go toe to toe with the HULK and get up after a HULK pounding and say " C'MON! Gimmie some MORE!" and then deliver his own brand of a pounding righteously known as "THE GIFT". But with HERC being all SUPER with a cape and all..who could stop him now? Is he too powerful...do they need to power him down?

Looking every bit the SUPER POWERFUL super being he is flying through the air like he's an old Wayne Boring or Curt Swan drawing HERC kind of owns the cape. BUT I don't like it..lose the cape.

HERCULES should be one of if not THE strongest being in COMICS but he always took a back seat to the HULK in the battle department as they always had the HULK come out the victor.

But I always loved the time HERC dropped from the sky and landed right on the HULKS head and it took a dozen Super powerful super heroes to take him out and Doc Samson knocked him out with one all purpose perfectly placed power house punch. ( But I DIGRESS )

If the HULK and our new improved version of HERCULES ever meet on a field of battle and it's no holds barred....I feel sorry for the big green guy. BUT...I don't think they're going to keep him that powerful. After CHAOS WAR has ended they'll power him down. That's my prediction.

Hercules 1983 Trailer

The Incredible Hulk fights a Grizzly Bear

        Watch as Lou ( the HULK ) hurls the great big stuffed Teddy bear across...the lake. BTW some of the close up shots are actually 7'4" Richard Kiel who was originally supposed to play the HULK in the show...but they went with LOU....he had Bigger biceps. ( A bit of useless trivia )

Hercules vs. The Great Bear

     Lou likes to wrestle bears. This movie is so bad....I had to share...I liked Lou as the HULK wrestling a bear better.  Too bad too because given the right director and script...Lou had what it takes to be HERCULES.  But this flick was a stinker.

BRIAN THOMPSON aka HERCULES

Thompson (b. 1959) is an actor who played Hercules in the Creature Shop TV movie Jason and the Argonauts.

Thompson made his film debut with a small role as a punk in The Terminator. The towering, muscular actor has often been cast as imposing villains, especially on television, playing the Alien Bounty Hunter on The X-Files and two different adversaries on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Luke in the first season and the Judge in the second season). Other genre TV credits include Werewolf (second season regular as the evil Nicholas Remy), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise (as Romulan Admiral Valdore on the latter), Superboy (as a golem), Birds of Prey (as the Crawler), Charmed, Knight Rider, and Hercules: the Legendary Journeys (as a barbarian), plus non-genre shows like the soap operas Falcon Crest, the short-lived comedy-drama Key West (a regular as the sheriff), Moonlighting, and NYPD Blue.



Film credits include Star Trek: Generations (as a Klingon helmsman), Life Stinks, Joe Dirt, The Order and the Three Amigos!

NEWS : In the works...a New HERCULES movie?

Well lets hope it goes down like this. : A Hercules Movie is Coming…

Hercules (Remake) Movie.
It’s a mystery why someone hasn’t shelled out the big bucks to make a gritty version of the Hercules mythos yet. Oh sure, there have been a ton of movies and even a TV series that were more camp and schlock than anything. But let’s face it, a Hercules movies, if done right, could be so cool. Apparently the folks over at Millennium Films agrees, because Variety reports they are already moving forward on a Hercules feature film, and a script has even been written. That’s the good news; the bad news is that the script is by Sean Hood, who has worked on “Hypercube” (a pretty good movie), “Halloween: Resurrection” (not so much), and “The Crow: Wicked Prayer” (horrid). So am I optimistic this thing is going to turn out good? Um, not really.
~ More about Hercules via Wikipedia:



Hercules is the Roman name for the mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. He was made to perform twelve great tasks, because he became temporarily insane, and killed his brother. He had to perform these tasks The Twelve Labours of Hercules, to cleanse himself.

Yeah, killing your brother is never a good thing, half-God or not.

Of course it’s mentioned in the Variety article that ancient epics are in with the success of “300″, paving the way for Hercules. Basically nowadays all you have to do to get a movie greenlit is to compare it to “300″.
Drawing by M.L. Peters

The Mighty Thor -P1- Enter Hercules Intro 1968 Cartoon Cartoons

The Mighty Thor -P2- Enter Hercules Intro 1968 Cartoon Cartoons

Hercules

Jayne and Mickey

I've been trying to find a good shot ot Mickey holding Jayne over his head...but I can't seem to find a decent one...but here is a shot of them just before one of their famous photo op shots.

WICKED AWESOME HERCULES DRAWING

lol...that's the phrase I put in the search engine and this thing came up.  What the hell kind of gloves are those?  This drawing by Charlie Wen is just that...WICKED AWESOME!  Any more stuff by Charlie Wen?

A brief history of the Mighty films of HERCULES!

HERCULES (ERCOLE):

The very first film with HERCULES, or ERCOLE, in the title was released in 1957. LE FATICHE DI ERCOLE (1957) stands today as one of the best examples of the genre. The film was so successful, it proved to be the starting point for a whole new genre. The movie's original director, Pietro Francisci, was supported and finally replaced by the Italian cult figure Mario Bava, best known for his horror thrillers of the 1960s and 1970s. LE FATICHE was followed by ERCOLE E LA REGINA DI LIDIA (1959), also starring Steve Reeves, an American actor, who did not appear in other movies as Hercules, but made a respectable career in many European B-movie productions (usually playing a heroic strongman).

In 1960, two Hercules movies were released: GLI AMORI DI ERCOLE (starring Jayne Mansfield and Mickey Hargitay as the title character) and LA VENDETTA DI ERCOLE (directed by Vittorio Cottafavi), the first film that featured Mark Forest as the super-hero.

1961 was a big year for Hercules. No less than five movies were released: ULISSE CONTRO ERCOLE (featuring Mike Lane and directed by Mario Caiano), MACISTE CONTRO ERCOLE NELLA VALLE DEI GUAI (featuring Kirk Morris and framed by an odd story set in the present), LA FURIA DI ERCOLE (featuring Brad Harris, directed by Gianfranco Parolini), ERCOLE AL CENTRO DELLA TERRA (featuring Reg Park, directed by the great Mario Bava) and ERCOLE ALLA CONQUISTA DI ATLANTIDE (featuring Reg Park, directed by Vittorio Cottafavi).

Strangely enough, there are no Hercules films on record that were released in 1962. However, the following year, 1963, saw the release of three peplum epics: ERCOLE CONTRO MOLOCK (featuring the well-known Tarzan actor Gordon Scott and directed by Giorgio Ferroni), ERCOLE L'INVINCIBILE (featuring Dan Vadis) and ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE (starring Kirk Morris). ERCOLE SFIDA SANSONE was made by the director of the original ERCOLE movie, Pietro Francisci and featured not only Hercules but also Samson and Ulysses.

1964 was the last year Hercules movies were produced: ERCOLE CONTRO I FIGLI DEL SOLE (featuring Mark Forest in a South American setting this time), ERCOLE CONTRO I TIRANNI DI BABILONIA (featuring Peter Lupus, directed by Domenico Paolella), ERCOLE CONTRO ROMA (featuring Alan Steel), ERCOLE, SANSONE, MACISTE E URSUS GLI INVICIBILI (featuring Alan Steel as Hercules, directed by Giorgio Capitani) and finally IL TRIONFO DI ERCOLE (featuring Dan Vadis and directed by Alberto de Martino).

Arnold Schwarzenegger's film debut in 1970 had him play Hercules in HERCULES IN NEW YORK (1970), an ultra-cheesy action comedy. Hercules also returned to the screen in the mid-eighties, starring the "Incredible Hulk" Lou Ferrigno (HERCULES and HERCULES II). Excluding these three imitations, our hero ERCOLE graced the screen with 18 appearances.



MACISTE:



The name Maciste (more or less a synonym for Hercules) appears in almost 50 film titles. The early Maciste films (24 in total) were made between 1915 and 1926. The first Maciste film of the sound era, MACISTE NELLA VALLE DI REI, was produced in 1960. This Maciste trend lasted, like the Hercules phenomenon, until 1964.



URSUS:



Ursus was another synonym for Hercules. All in all, there were 8 URSUS films (from 1961-1964).



SAMSON (SANSONE):



Five or six movies about the Hercules-substitute Samson (Sansone) were made in the years 1961-1964.



GOLIATH (GOLIA):



Only three or four Goliath movies were made, all between 1962 and 1964.



Periphernalia:



Roger Corman directed a movie called ATLAS in 1961, in which a Hercules-like superhero must fight against an evil king.

Sergio Leone directed the costumer IL COLOSSO DI RODE in 1961, but there is no superhero in this story.

Steve Reeves, the original Hercules, made a return to sword-and-sandal in 1961 for the historical epic LA GUERRA DI TROIA (1961), in which he plays hero Aeneas.

In 1963, a cartoon series called "The Mighty Hercules" was produced in the United States.

The first Hercules comedy was made in 1960. LE PILLOLE DI ERCOLE (HERCULES' PILLS)



The legacy:



The muscle-men of the early 1960s lost popularity rather quickly. After 1964, hardly any sword-and-sandal epics were produced anymore. Italian cinema (and its audiences) became more interested in westerns (Sergio Leone's PER UN PUGNO DI DOLLARI is one of the earliest), sci-fi movies (really hokey ones!) and spy action (as a result of the success with the Bond movies).

A notable revival of peplum movies occurred in the early eighties with the production (and success) of CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982) and CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984), both starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Looking at the action movies of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, the super-heroes characterized by Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger do not necessarily rely exclusively on their brains to beat the villains (which goes to show the stagnant development of the supermen).

COVER RECREATION

This sweet cover recreation inked by Angel Gabrielle I lifted from Comicart fans...is primo...It contains all the dynamic drama in the poses you'd expect from a Kirby drawing....I miss Kirby.

HERCULES THE CHAMPION - JULY 1975

In the same year during the same month 2 competing comic book companies put out 2 seperate comic books containing one mytholgical famous strong man -  That'd be HERCULES !!!!
     Now honestly I was never a big fan of the Champions...and I don't know why....it had Herc and Ghost Rider on the same team...I like GHOSTIE!  

     But I do indeed remember purchasing HERCULES unbound and following the book to it's end....Now it's time to see if I can get me a good ebay deal on a CHAMPIONS lot.

HERCULES UNBOUNDED AGAIN JULY 1975

RUDE the DUDE!!!

Steve Rude has always been one of my favorite artists.  His Super Man vs Hulk one shot was a classic.  That is why I like him.  His work is classic comic art.  He exudes the qualities of Kirby, Wood and Ayers one would find reading comics in the 1960's.
    I would like to see Steve do a Herc mini - retro 60's story...even a classic ancient Herc story.  His stuff is great and he is in good company with his artistic genius

The Mighty art of John Buscema !

I really don't have much to say about this...it's John Buscema. What is there to say. John was a hero to me. Here in this unused cover for an AVENGERS issue you can see the power coming from both Herc and Tyr as they get ready to do battle as the others look on. Only Hercules has a chance against the Asgardian god of war. Of course as in times past Herc triumphed.




I borrowed this image from Michael Maikowsky and his John Buscema Facebook profile. I miss John Buscema...but I have much of his work in my comics. I marvel at it from time to time and think back to when I actually got to meet him in 1986. He never understood the fanfare or even got why comic books meant so much to so many...but for the love of art he kept on going.

He kept on going.

JACK "KING" KIRBY ! HERCULES from the Heroes and Villains sketchbook

Jack Kirby was thre godfather of the Marvel style. His dynamic poses and fantastical landscapes and scenic shots were what kept you involved in the drawing and with the story. If it were not for him hooking you with his classy and unique style.....you probably would not like comics today. You were hooked.

ERNIE CHAN does HERCULES

HERCULES Marvel mania

Back in the day..( I hate that phrase ) Marvel used to have a line of stickers it was paste up images of characters and they had some corny word balloon caption.  I F'N LOVED THESE THINGS!

Thanks to Reis from over at CROM the Ultimate Conan fan blog and his other popular blog I found this way cool HERKY sticker...you likey?

The passing of a legend "Frazetta"

Frank Frazetta has passed away - His Legacy will continue on forever.  Rest in peace Sir.

He walks among us....

I go to motorcycle shows and rallies and sometimes I see some pretty cool stuff...I myself am not an OUTLAW BIKER , I am a mere Motorcyclist.  A lot of times I see some beautiful women walking around in their cut off denim shorts and bikini tops some who should not be wearing such outfits and some you wish you could see more of.

One show I was walking around and I saw the biggest sunnava bitch I'd ever seen he was maybe 6'7" and about 290 lbs and he was wearing nothing but jeans and biker boots ( the kind that look like black cowboy boots with the big buckle on the side )  His hair was long past his shoulders and the wind was blowing it around his face his physique was perfect he looked like Denny Miller the actor who played Tarzan in 1959 and who later became the Gortons fisherman...but this guy his beard was as full and gray as his hair his skin looked like he'd been in the sun his entire life...oh he had  a tan alright but his skin was that kind of dark reddish pink tan and was even darker in some areas like his chest and shoulders.  I could not really tell exactly how old the guy was but walking by me I noticed a tattoo on his right forearm.  It said US NAVY

KOREA and there was a year and a picture of a battle ship framed by chain and an anchor hanging down to where his hand met his wrist. So this guy had to be at the time 67 or 68 years old.  I was impressed that his build was so perfect and he walked with a spring in his step as if he were a 20 year old.

Folks I swear to you this guy is HERCULES walking around right here with us on the planet earth as we speak. He must have seen me looking at him and I was trying not to be too obvious about it but I was fascinated by him.  At one point he turned and winked at me as he picked up a pair of sunglasses off of a vendors table.  To this day I wonder about that guy..is he still around?  Is he still as healthy as he seemed when I saw him 7 years ago?  I know there is no such thing as HERCULES and I know there are no real MAN GODS and all that...but if you'd seen this big ass sum bitch then you too'd be impressed...I know to this day I think about that guy and the adventures he's had in his life.

They killed him! They killed Hercules! Those sons of Bitches!

The following review is from COMICS BULLETIN.COM  (  I did not write this article )

HERCULES FALL OF AN AVENGER.

I've been kind of down on Incredible Hercules since the end of the Amazons arc, and try as I might, I just haven't been able to get back into the series. I've kept up though, and was almost won back by the Amadeus solo chapters over the past nine months, but I just felt like the humor had overpowered the character work that really made that first year or so shine. Hercules became more of a joke than he was at first, it seemed to me.



Especially when he started dressing like Thor and bedding Elf Queens. It was fun and entertaining, but it felt like fluff. Once we finally started focusing on the threat of Hera, and the even subtler threat of Athena, things started looking up again.



And now Hercules is dead, betrayed by Athena, and his friends and allies have gathered at the Parthenon in Athens to celebrate his memory. It's still a little too campy and silly at times for me, but it's a nice that we're not bogged down by sad recollections and emo posing.



Instead, Pak and Van Lente provide a very entertaining--and at times, touching--tribute to the history of Hercules, complete with footnotes signaling where the adventures the heroes share were first published. There's a lot of good stuff here, even if we do still have moments where characterization and plot are given over to just telling a joke.



And that's really what keeps me from fully engaging with the story, just like it's done for the past year or so. I guess I'm just taking it too seriously, and I know that the women's tribute to Hercules in this issue is supposed to be funny, but I thought it fell flat. Again, it was just so silly. And ultimately, that's what most of Pak and Van Lente's run has become for me. Just silly fluff, to be read and forgotten. Disposable.



The back-up feature by Tobin, on the other hand, shows a very nice balance between humor and sadness, as Venus and Namora travel around the world settling Hercules' financial affairs. There are plenty of jokes, but there are also many moments where the characters feel real. They feel and think and act like real people would in these situations and never are sacrificed to the almighty joke.



There's actual character development going on as these two characters spend time together. It's not as goofy or funny as the main story, but it's better crafted from start to finish.



Visually, both stories are quite nice, as Ariel Olivetti provides what might be his best work yet and Brown and Paz provide a slightly rough-around-the-edges take on Venus and Namora. The two stories couldn't look more different from one another, but both are excellent pieces of work. Olivetti has reined in his urge to grotesquely over-muscle everyone on the page, providing a very nice variety of body types and excellent facial expressions. His visual storytelling is getting better and better, although the lack of backgrounds continues to bug me a little.



Yes, it allows the reader to really focus on the expressions and the body language, which is a good thing. But it still seems like the work is practically unfinished, waiting for the scenery and sets to be filled in later.



Brown and Paz fully ground each panel in their story in the settings, whether those settings are a board room, a city street, or a small apartment. And then, when the scenes need to open and provide some breathing room, sparser backgrounds are suited to the situation.



They also provide very meaty versions of both Venus and Namora. These women look powerful and realistic. Neither is a wispy, frail-looking thing, instead having thick legs and strong arms. They look like heroes. They have weight and really feel like part of their environments, rather than decorations or cheese-cake. But don't get me wrong. They look good.



All in all, this is another mixed bag. I really want to like Pak and Van Lente's story as much as I used to (and as much as I like their other work), but it all just feels so inconsequential that it's hard to justify continuing to spend money on it. On the other hand, the Agents of Atlas back-up provides a little more depth of emotion and characterization, pulling the overall rating up. Thanks to Venus and Namora, I'm giving this one four bullets.
   I guess the reviewer uses a rating system that consists of bullets - as in BULLETIN?  I guess, good review though.

Look @ this MIGHTY desk top!

I was going to use it as the main pic for the blog but it was too large.  So lookie here!

Nigel Green as HERCULES

The Mighty NIGEL GREEN!

Hercules confronts Talos in JASON & THE ARGONAUTS (1963)


In 1963 American producers tried their hand at a sword & sandal adventure with emphasis on fantasy. And what better technician than the master of fantasy filmmaking himself, Ray Harryhausen to undertake the task. Generously laced with monsters and fantastical elements, JASON & THE ARGONAUTS (1963) became one of the most enduring fantasy films of all time. Portions of this film had been the source for a number of Italian entries but here, instead of hydraulically controlled creations, Harryhausen relied on the then popular method of stop motion animation to bring his monsters to life.

All but the giant, Poseidon, were created using this process. One of the most famous characters from the Italian made features, Hercules, also has a role here. Nigel Green portrayed the Greek demi-God. However, Green was not a bodybuilder and although stout, he in no way resembled the standard muscleman inherent in the European mythological movies. Furthermore, this was the intention on the part of producer Charles H. Schneer and Harryhausen to avoid a musclebound performer in the role of Hercules for fear it may steer attention away from the main character of the film, Jason.

Green's performance as Hercules is an older and irresponsible interpretation. His penchant to cause havoc is the one conceit borrowed from the Hercules of mythology. The "real" Hercules was quite violent and displayed murderous tendencies. A fair number of the Italian epics featuring Hercules subtly touched upon the darker side of the mythical man

The Mighty SAMSON.

Strong men and mythical heroes have been a part of our culture for thousands of years.
Which hero of myth and legend came first? Samson? Hercules? Their stories are remarkably similar in that they both are imbued with God like strength and have performed feats and deeds that no ordinary mortal man could. Samson's power came from the length of his hair. Herky's came from his heritage and lineage being that his father was Father to the Gods of Olympus. Whenever someone refers to the Jedeo Christian God they refer to him as Father.
Both legends fought and killed a lion with their bare hands. I know that many legends are based on some story right out of some theological belief's whether they be Roman , Greek ,Catholic and so on.
When in fact many of these different religious theories are so basely similar it is tough to tell.
How many Apostles did Jesus have? How many labors did Hercules perform? How many miracles, feats of strength beyond human capability are there revolving around Samson , Hercules , Thor , Jesus , Conan , Tarzan, Superman , Luke Skywalker and on and on. One day be they fictitious or religious figures or comic book super people one day because of legends and myths all of them will be viewed as religion one day.
In fact...Star Wars does have it's own religion. You know what? I believe!

CONAN the freaking barbarian!!!

Ya ' know...the absolute greatest fantasy character of all time has got to be the ULTIMATE son of HERCULES !!!
His feats of strength ,heroic deeds and tales of high adventure put him entirely in a class all his own.
The fellas over @ the Crom! the ultimate CONAN fan blog have amassed an enormous cache of CONAN factoids and art the speaks volumes! Need I say more?

Killing HERC.

The killing of HERCULES.

Marvel is going in a new direction with the Herc mythos. They're killing him off and the kid side kick is going to procure his mace and it's going to give him HERC powers and ablities. Eventually there'll be a story line where the kid has to tap a caine on the ground and become HERCULES ala SHAZAM and Don Blake/ THOR....what'll they think of next?

HERCULES editorial cartoon.

Get it? LOL!

the Marvel of HERCULES.

I had these images in my documents and figured to just post them at random.
I love that Don Heck Avengers pic.

" You three headed dog! "

UNBOUND revisited.

I can't say enough about Walter Simonson. He produced my favorite run ( many others agree ) of the Mighty THOR for Marvel ent. and he also had a hand in producing one of my all time favorite comic book runs of the 1970's HERCULES. for DC comics.
From time to time he posts some old artwork on Facebook and I in turn take the liberty of posting it here on my HERCULES blog. ( for review purposes of course ) This blog is basically dedicated to any and all things ( Mostly ) that pertain to HERCULES in some form or fashion. I clearly state that these posts are for my enjoyment. I love art and I love adventure stories. But many of these copied and pasted pieces of art are used without the permissions of the artists who drew them. I would like to say in all fairness. " If it is not to your liking I will remove whatever you wish me to " but line delineation and the use of blacks and the talent and skill that goes into many of these drawings found here on the blog is what I enjoy mostly. So if you're just joining me for the first time...enjoy and get lost in the LEGEND like I do.

"BUFORD" a real life Son of HERCULES.

At 6'6" Buford Pusser was an imposing figure a former U.S. Marine and trained in hand to hand combat the MARINES way he was one TUFF MOTHER !
After trying his hand at pro wrestling for a few years he decided to leave wrestling because he was just too honest of a guy to put up with the territorial B.S. and life on the road. He went home to stay in his old hometown only to find local corruption in the county courthouse and police department. He ran for Sherriff and won! The local stooges working for the corrupt government did not like it one bit.
They tried several times to kill BUFORD but the big man could not be stopped. He was shot in the face,stabbed,run off the road and fired upon with machine guns. He survived every single time they tried. IN the process he lost his beloved wife to the evil bastards. But this only served to strengthen his resolve. There was no way he would allow these dishonest evil people get away with their tresspasses.
In a final showdown and in self defense he drove his Police cruiser straight through the front doors of the local night spot "The Lucky Spot" and killed the last 2 goons who were firing shot guns at him. Ending the feud between the local honest lawman and the goons of the corrupt local government.
His story was local legend in Mcnairy Tennessee. HOLLYWOOD got wind of this story and made the film "WALKING TALL" starring Joe Don Baker. This film is one of my all time favorite movies. A new version was made a few years ago starring Dwayne "the ROCK" Johnson. He did not portray Buford Pusser but the idea was on the same premise. Based on reality this film solidifies the Legend of one local law man who would see justice is served. He carried a big stick , talked softly and walked tall.