Parents of superhero drenched comic book fans interested in
introducing their children to something a little more culturally substantial
may want to take a look at the latest volume from Campfire Graphic's Mythology
series, Zeus and the Rise of the Olympians. Much like the Classic Comics of old,
Campfire's publications—novels, biographies, myths—hopefully build upon
youngsters' interest in comic books to get them excited about more important
literature. Graphic versions of
"the best that has been known and thought in the world" certainly can
be one way to motivate interest in the original, and if they don't, well
getting the story of Eros and Psyche or The Merchant of
Venice from a graphic book, is clearly better than not getting it at
all.
Taking the form of a teacher in ancient Greece telling her
class the story of Zeus, Ryan Foley's version begins with the legend of the
conquest of Ouranos by his son Chronus and the curse that Chronus will in turn
be overthrown by his own child. It describes
how Zeus escapes the fate of his five siblings through the guile of Rhea and
Gaea, and his eventual fulfilling the curse and imprisoning Chronus in
Tartarus. It is a story filled with
fighting, treachery and monsters—much the kind of thing that should easily attract
the imagination of any youngster enamored with the likes of Spiderman or the
Green Goblin. In fact, some parents may
find it a bit too violent for their taste, so it would make sense to preview
the material. Violence is, of course,
endemic to Greek mythology; still, this is not a book for young children.
Jayakrishnan's illustrations are in the best traditions of
the superhero genre. Comic readers will
find themselves quite at home with his work.
His vision of the monsters in Pandemonium and Chaos at the very
beginning is nightmarish, and his depictions of Brontes the Cyclops, the Hecatonchires (Hundred-handers), and
Kampe (a she-dragon) are equally horrifying.
Truly it would be necessary to be a god like figure, if not a god
yourself to defeat creatures of this sort.
The art work, often dark and grainy in some of the other Campfire
editions, avoids the garish quality of some comics in favor of a grittier
vision, a grit eminently suitable to the subject matter.
Like others
in the Campfire series, Zeus and the Rise of the
Olympiansbegins with a page introducing each of the major characters
and ends with a page or two of general information on some topic that should be
of interest to the young reader and perhaps spark further study. In this case, there is some discussion of the
Olympic Games, a bit about Greek architecture with examples from around the
world, and some information about words derived from the Greek gods.
Other books
in the Campfire Mythology series that could be of interest are Stolen
Hearts: The Love of Eros and Psyche. The Legend of
Heracles, and Jason and the Argonauts. While there
are some adaptations of mythological materials from other cultures in their
catalogue I haven't yet seen them, but if they are as well done as the Greek
myths, I would imagine they would warrant some attention.
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