David Rubin’s ‘The Hero’ – The Best Superman Comic You’ve Never Read

With the worldwide success of the new Superman movie, a whole new audience is hyped for the last son of Krypton. At Comicon we’ve already given recommendations for Superman comics to read before and after seeing the film. However, there is a graphic novel duology that I would highly recommend for adult fans of Superman. I would even go so far as saying that this is the best Superman story ever told that doesn’t star Superman.

The Hero by David Rubin is a post-modern reinvention of the myth of Heracles. We follow Heracles during various chapters in his life as he performs his iconic heroic labors. The monsters and challenges he faces are more than video game-styled “Boss Fights.” Each labor represents an essential stage of development as Heracles navigates his adolescence, adulthood, and eventual mortality.

Rubin’s take on Heracles isn’t a superhero deconstruction like Invincible or The Boys. All of the sex, violence, and graphic material are rooted in the original Greek myths which were already brutal to begin with. The world of The Hero is infused with Pop-culture references and homages that range from DC comics to Mech vs Kaiju films. The Hero isn’t a derivative Pop Art pastiche but a multi-layered meditation on the mythological Heroic narratives and the many forms they take.

Rubin is a master visual-storyteller who utilizes innovative techniques with cinematic pacing and creative paneling. I wish more superhero comics had even a fraction of the action and wordless storytelling as seen in The Hero’s opening chapter. Rubin’s versatile artwork is able to capture the beauty, horror, and humor of this classic mythological narrative and supercharge the story for a new readership.

While I want as many people as possible to read The Hero, I would be remiss if I failed to give a content warning for the final chapters of Book 2. The depictions of sexual violence, though mythologically accurate, may be disturbing or a dealbreaker for certain readers.

I had the pleasure of discovering The Hero back when it debuted in 2015. Now that it’s been ten years, I can confidently say that The Hero is the best Superman comic I’ve ever read and one of the best stories I’ve every read in comic book form. The Hero is a two-volume epic that deserves rediscovery and wider readership amongst fans and comic professionals. David Rubin was clearly influenced by innovative comic books like Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Berserk by Kentaro Miura. The Hero is in the same league and will inspire artists for generations to come.

The Hero Book 1  and Book 2 are now available from Dark Horse. You can also read the first chapter online via Google Books.