The Odyssey (All-Action Classics)

By Homer and Alfred J. Church

Book Overview

Welcome the next entry in the fabulously received and brilliantly created ALL-ACTION CLASSICS series. The brainchild of former Marvel Comics artist Ben Caldwell, these graphic novels are the freshest, coolest approach to the classics ever. Each one takes a famous work of fiction and translates it into a kid-friendly comic book narrative-with full-color illustrations and a fast-paced tone that will have even reluctant readers flying through. Shipwrecks, angry gods, magical lands, beautiful nymphs, and siren songs: this vivid retelling of Homer's legendary Greek epic follows Odysseus on his long, arduous journey home from Ithaca after the fall of Troy. Done in comic-book style, it features the highest-energy kid-grabbing details and plot twists, all dramatized in brilliant, action-packed images. It's the perfect way to introduce kids and fans of graphic novels to one of literature's great works. ? ?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402731558
• ISBN13: 9781402731556
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Union Square Kids
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

“I long to be homeward bound,” Simon and Garfunkel

The Trojan War is over, and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father’s fate. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors who are eating them out of house and home. If he ever makes it home, Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just desserts? We look to Bright-Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true. Interestingly, all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage were told by Odysseus. Notice that no one else survives to tell the tale. Therefore, we have to rely on Odysseus’s word. Many movies took sections of The Odyssey and expanded them into interesting stories in their own right. Not just the story but also how it is told will keep you up late at night reading. It is a tear-jerker when Odysseus returns, 20 years later, and the only one to recognize him is Argos, his faithful dog, who lived long enough to see him. Upon seeing his master return home, Argos dies. You will, of course, want to buy the various translations to see the differences in reading style and content.