This review first appeared at Green Man Review.
George O’Connor’s The Olympians is a series projected at twelve volumes telling the stories of the gods of Olympus in graphic-novel form. The first two volumes, portraying Zeus and Athena, provide the stories (or at least parts of them) of two of the most important of the Greek gods in lively and accessible form for younger readers.
A large portion of Zeus, King of the Gods is taken up with the story of the origins of the universe, as Gaea appeared from the primordial Kaos and, being somewhat lonely, created Ouranos, the sky, to keep her company. Since Gaea, the Great Mother, was indubitably female, and Ouranos, the Lord of the Heavens, was male, nature took its course and the race of the Titans was born. The story goes on with the overthrow of Ouranos by Kronos, and, in turn, his overthrow, along with his brothers (the Titanesses didn’t participate in that particular war), by Zeus and his siblings.
The story of Athena, Grey-Eyed Goddess is likewise concerned largely with origins, although O’Connor includes other stories that focus on her adoption of the name “Pallas” and the provenance of the Aegis, her most potent symbol of power and a fearsome weapon in its own right. O’Connor even manages to find room to include the story of Perseus, Medusa, and Andromeda, in which Athena plays an important role.
Both volumes are supplemented by notes on the text, explanations and supplementary information on some of the characters and situations in the stories; bibliographies and recommended readings for both younger and older readers; and questions for discussion, pointing up the potential classroom use. O’Connor has managed to dig up some details for these stories that even I didn’t know. He also includes an “Author’s Note” that fills in some context on the gods portrayed and the social conditions in ancient Greece. Particularly in the volume on Athena, I think this would be highly instructive for readers for the contrast between the goddess, a fierce and independent warrior, and the status of women in ancient Greek society.
The stories are well-constructed, providing information on the Greek gods in the form of adventure stories, complemented by clear, lively graphic work that may serve to change our perceptions of some of these characters. (Zeus is a real cutie, as a number of nymphs are quick to point out — it’s easy to see why he got around as much as he did.)
These are delightful volumes — I almost wish I had an elementary school age kid to get them for. And it speaks well for O’Connor’s scholarly bent and storytelling ability that he not only kept me engaged, but I learned something new about Zeus and Athena.
(First Second Books, both 2010)
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