Hugo Hercules was an American weekly comic strip published in the Chicago Tribune, written and drawn by Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev Körner. It ran for five months, from September 7, 1902, to January 11, 1903, totaling seventeen strips. Despite its short run, it is considered the earliest superhero fiction comic.
Hugo was a man possessed of superhuman strength, speed and endurance. He used his amazing abilities to perform incredible feats, usually to win sports competitions or impress the ladies. However, he did fend off armed muggers, helped put out a house fire, and saved a number of lives. He was strong enough to lift an elephant with relative ease, and he was at least as fast as a locomotive, capable of pulling a train up to 20 miles. He outwrestled a bear and could not be stopped by an entire football team. His tag line was, "Just as easy..."
