Steven’s love of reading about the Ancient World dates back to the Classics Illustrated comic books of his childhood. Graphic novels have changed a lot since then...
CALIGULA by David Lapham & German Nobile Junius is taken into the court of the mad emperor as pet, confidante, lover, and tell-all biographer.
GOD OF WAR by Marv Wolfman is based on the bestselling video game.
The Stories From History series is aimed at younger readers: Gladiators & The Story of the Colosseum • The Life of Julius Caesar • The Life of Alexander the Great • The Building of the Great Pyramid
The Ray Harryhausen Presents imprint gives us JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: THE KINGDOM OF HADES #1 and #2. The same imprint offers WRATH OF THE TITANS, a sequel to the original 1981 movie Clash of the Titans; there’s also a motion-comic DVD version.
The GREEK STREET series by Peter Milligan & Davide Gianfelice transports the ancient myths to the streets of modern London: Vol. 1: Blood Calls for Blood
ZEUS: King of the Gods by George O’Connor First volume in a new series, Olympians. Followed by ATHENA: Grey-Eyed Goddess.
300 by Frank Miller started the current craze by inspiring the hit movie about the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae.
More movie tie-ins: Look for a screen version of the graphic novel HERCULES: The Thracian Wars by Steve Moore and Admira Jiwaya. SPARTACUS: Blood and Sand ties in with the TV series on Starz.
In OLYMPUS by Johns, Grimminger & Guice, archaeology grad students trapped on Mount Olympus confront the deadliest monsters of Greek myth.
SWORDS OF ROME: The Conquerors by Dufaux & Delaby vividly depicts the decadence and debauchery of Nero’s bloody reign.
For an antidote to all that lurid violence, turn to EPICURUS THE SAGE by William Messner-Loebs & Sam Keith, which spoofs ancient Greek philosophers and myth, featuring 8-year-old Alexander the not-yet-Great.
The AGE OF BRONZE Series by Eric Shanower recounts the saga of the Trojan war: A Thousand Ships • Sacrifice • Betrayal
The Marvel Illustrated series pays homage to Homer on an epic scale in two hardback volumes adapted by Roy Thomas: THE ODYSSEY (art by Greg Tocchini) and THE ILIAD (art by Miguel Angel Sepulveda). Thomas and Sepulveda team up again to recount the epic tales of THE TROJAN WAR.
Franco Navarro offers another take on THE ODYSSEY, from Heavy Metal classics.
Ostensibly aimed at readers 9-12, but beautifully rendered with glossaries and indexes, are the volumes in the Graphic Myths & Legends series:
JASON: Quest for the Golden Fleece
ATALANTA: Race Against Destiny
DEMETER & PERSEPHONE: Spring Held Hostage PSYCHE & EROS: The Lady & the Monster
PERSEUS: The Hunt for Medusa’s Head
HERCULES: The 12 Labors
THE TROJAN HORSE: The Fall of Troy
ODYSSEUS: Escaping Poseidon’s Curse
THESEUS: Battling the Minotaur
ISIS & OSIRIS: To the Ends of the Earth
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