Between the PERCY JACKSON adaptation and the CLASH OF THE TITANS remake, I suspect the movies are going to turn a lot of kids on to mythology this season. One good place to start would be with First Second Books’ OLYMPIANS series of graphic novels, which retell the stories of the Greek gods.
First among the four is OLYMPIANS: ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS, written and illustrated by George O’Connor. After a little-too-lengthy prologue about the gods in general coming to be, it tells the story of Zeus beginning at birth, having been sired by Kronos, who’s eaten all his previous born children. (Creepier than that: His sister is who Kronos has been knocking up.)
The story follows Zeus as he grows up and does battle with a variety of forces in order to claim his birthright, land a queen, and rule happily ever after. O’Connor imbues the tale with lots of action scenes, which he scripts for speed and then draws accordingly, resulting in some very cool pages, all in appealing color.
Some supplemental material at the back qualifies the book as educational. I got a kick out of the sense of humor present in the reading guide, which begins with this question: “Zeus’s dad tries to eat him. Has your dad ever tried to eat you?” —Rod Lott
Related posts:
- King-Cat Classix: The Best of King-Cat Comics and Stories
- River of Gods
- The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King
- King Kong: The Island of the Skull
- BULLETS, BROADS, BLACKMAIL & BOMBS >> Hail to the King
