Four Color #1121

Part of Dell's Movie Classic line, this 1960 adaptation brings the sword-and-sandal spectacle of Hercules Unchained to the comics page with a cover that says it all — a massively built Hercules bursting free of his chains while war chariots, cavalry, and a burning warship rage around him in pure mythological chaos. The tagline promises Hercules battling man-eating tigers and an enemy army to save a besieged kingdom, and that cover image makes every word of it feel entirely believable. With interior art from the accomplished Reed Crandall and George Evans and writing by Paul S. Newman, this ten-cent Dell is a fine slice of early-'60s adventure comics.