Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

[thehefner]

Question, my literate peeps:

What are some good and extensive books, documentaries, online resources, etc. on Hercules/Herakles/Alcides myths?

My brother has finally come up with a project on which we could collaborate. While THE HEFNER MONOLOGUES show/books--as well as the Harvey Dent novel*--have priority**, this Hercules project he has in mind could well be excellent. But I'm gonna need to do lots and lots of research on the various myths and how they differ.

The Sorbo and Disney versions are not to be mentioned, as should be obvious. Still, I may check them out when I've done all the "serious" research; they might ultimately provide some inspiration, when all's said and done. Besides, Sorbo has Bruce Campbell, and in a perfect world, all research should involve Bruce Campbell.



*My current Big Dream for this Two-Face manuscript is to have DC publish it as a novel, accompanied by full-page illustrations (ala STARDUST and pulp fiction), by one--or all--of the following, in order of preference: David Mazzucchelli, Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, Chris Sprouce, Matt Wagner, Michael Lark, and/or Tim Sale. The drawings should be in black, white, and gray washes... and maybe, just possibly, red. I'm totally serious in this ambition. Fingers crossed, pallies.

**BUB AND JOHNNY GO is still very much in mind, but I'm gonna slowly let that one percolate. I want to read way more about the Rat Pack, formulate exactly what my post-apocalyptic world is going to be like, and get some actual road-tripping under my belt.

Comments

[disc-sophist.livejournal.com]

This is very much as I'm walking out the door, but I quickly grabbed some amazon links to stuff I know, or that looks promising.

I usually start with Bulfinch, since his tellings are what most people read or had told to them in a similar form:
http://www.amazon.com/Bulfinchs-Mythology-Thomas-Bulfinch/dp/1419111094/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/002-8084355-7449608

For ancient texts, Seneca's Hercules:
http://www.amazon.com/VIII-Tragedies-Hercules-Hippolytus-Classical/dp/0674990692/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/002-8084355-7449608

and Euripides' Herakles:
http://www.amazon.com/Heracles-Euripides-Focus-Classical-Library/dp/0941051013/ref=sr_1_5/002-8084355-7449608?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190404307&sr=1-5

From the excerpts, this looks good to me, more like a reference for other works:
http://www.amazon.com/Hercules-Heroic-Life-Alastair-Blanshard/dp/1862078777/ref=sr_1_1/002-8084355-7449608?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190403814&sr=1-1

Aaaand. I'm out. Good luck!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, neato, thankee!

And yet sadly, there are no reviews for any of them! I'd like to get some insight into all these, but then, I guess I should just read 'em to do that. The last one looks less of a reference and more like what I'm sorta going for, which is a full fleshed-out telling of the myth. Of course, if/when I do it, I'm gonna have to figure out a different angle, something new to say with the myth.

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

BULFINCH ROCKS THE WORLD!

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Sooooooo that's a "maybe"?

What is this "maybe" of which you speak?

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

BULFINCH.
IS.

Re: What is this "maybe" of which you speak?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The Darkseid icon really sells the point home.

Marvelous, I shall go to him first, then.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I've see bits! I am intrigued. Even puffy and chunky with age, he's still Bruce, and therefore awesome.

[mirthical.livejournal.com]

One source I like for most of my mythology needs is "Mythology" by Edith Hamilton. She tells you her sources for the texts (Ovid, et al.) and indicates WHY she chose those sources for any particular myth.

She has all the labors of Hercules (Heracles, etc) in her book. I bet the library has it.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Grand, I'll add that to the reading list. Once I check out the RFK book and a couple books on the Chicago mob. They're much closer to the Gotham mobsters than the New York ones, from what I can tell. The New Yorkers were much more business-like, while the Chicago ones still had that brutal "take a baseball bat to a guy's head during a fancy dinner" mentality. From there, I can try to flesh Moroni out a bit as well. Maybe Fields too, if he needs it.

The Gilda stuff is coming along well, I think. I'm just focusing all my revisions right now expressly on their relationship and her character. If this makes sense, I'm almost worried I'm making her too interesting; while she was more bland before, I kind of liked how that sort of made her invisible.

But then, going back to THE LONG HALLOWEEN, that's exactly how Gilda was depicted there, and it ultimately didn't make a lick of sense for her to do what she did. I can't speak objectively right now, especially as I haven't read over what I've written, but so far, I think she's become a pretty damn neat character. I'm just now starting to really reach that tightrope area, and I'm trying to be patient.

Would you like to read over the revised chapters when I have 'em, or should I hold off for now and send you a full draft of the book once I've revised the WHOLE thing (after RFK and mob research)?

[mirthical.livejournal.com]

I'm happy to do both, if you like.

Heh, I'm looking to do some research into the Chicago mob myself, to see if I can figure out if the brutal influence had something to do with the brutality that eventually manifests in the Shadow.

I was so happy when I found a 1969 reprint of "The Death Tower" which was originally printed in the Shadow Magazine in 1932... my sister joked that I was working on a book report while I was home this weekend. Should be good stuff.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Grand, I'll send you a cobbling together of the Gilda pieces when I'm done! Like I alluded to above, I'm in total Gilda/relationship mode here, and don't want to shift gears back to any of the dozen other modes this story requires ("mob", "Batman", "going bugfuck crazy", etc) just yet.

The book that took my attention is this:

http://www.amazon.com/Outfit-Gus-Russo/dp/1582342792/ref=pd_sim_b_1_img/103-1463029-3031831?ie=UTF8&qid=1190649415&sr=1-2

Although it's probably later than you'd like. It's post-Capone Chicago, during which we saw the rise of Sam "Momo" Giancana, among others. Somewhere between Giancana and Capone, I'm betting I'll find Moroni, Falcone, Grissom, and Thorne.

Heh heh, oh us and our obsessive projects involving dark characters perpetually trapped in the noir world.

[mirthical.livejournal.com]

fuck trapped! The Shadow is in his noir world of his own choosing! No Batman angst here, bucko!

(ooh, another good point and way to differentiate the two!)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

You see? We are very good for inspiration in each other's writings!

Man, what would happen if they'd ever meet? "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... why aren't you laughing?"

[mirthical.livejournal.com]

I think Batman would be all Mr. Grumpy-pants hanging out with the Shadow. And the Shadow would totally have to be an ass about it.

Kind of like the Joker, except a vigilante instead of a villain.

hehehe...

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

They'd be the darkest buddy film ever!

And then the Shadow would meet the Joker, who would either be totally delighted to have a chuckle buddy... or totally fucking freaked the shit out.

[mirthical.livejournal.com]

You could really argue it either way. I mean, the Joker is terrifying in his own way, but his laugh is genuine, I think.

The Shadow's laugh is more a triumphant mockery of a laugh.

I'm leaning toward freaked the shit out.

But man, I would love to write crackfic with The Shadow and the Joker. And maybe Batman would make an appearance as well.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Batman would have to, if only for the "I. Don't. Like. GUNS." moment.

Oh man, I'm tempted. You may be on your own for that one, unless DC hires me to make it happen. In which case, I'll call you.