The Quest for the Golden Fleece

Graphic Novels

The third volume in George O' Connor's popular Olympians graphic novel series is dedicated to Hera. The author/artist admits that Hera is his favorite and his favor shines bright in this collection of tales about Heaven's Queen.

It opens with an admission of Zeus' fear, then flashbacks to his wooing of Hera and then their wedding day. That lasted for three hundred years and led to several children, none of them the apple of Zeus' eye. And then we learn exactly why Zeus' eye wanders.

The fierce enmity of Hera for Zeus' other children is introduced, with plenty of examples, and finally this theme is further explored through the life of Heracles.

Re-named 'Glory of Hera' in an attempt to appease the Goddess' wrath, Alcides the Perseid more than lives up to his new name. Between his tenth and eleventh Labors, Heracles joins Jason and his crew on the Argo and comes to see another aspect of his Divine Father's lawful wife. Though he does not complete the quest she helped launch and clearly supports, Heracles is eventually welcomed into Olympus by Hera and married to her daughter Hebe.

The book ends as it begins, with Hera youthful and innocent (if only for a while).

This was a fun graphic novel and part of a continuing series, which I now plan on exploring. There is a lightness, a feeling of playfulness and whimsy in George O'Connor's portrayal of the Olympians that elevates their actions (some of which are objectionable to humans) to a loftier, airy realm that inspires awe and art. Very well done!

Onwards!