Olympians: Zeus: King of the Gods

The story of the Greek gods is perfectly suited for adaptation to comics. They're all visually interesting--there's the Titans, all rocky and brown creatures that have sprung from the earth, and the Olympians, the fair-skinned and beautiful children of the Titans--and they possess powers and abilities that even the most powerful of superheroes would envy. Plus, the Greek Pantheon has been the inspiration for more than a few superheroes, some more obviously than others. Artist and writer George O'Connor, however, has gone back (way back) to the original source material for his Olympians series. Like all myths, the story has changed substantially in some places throughout the centuries. But O'Connor's painstaking research delves into the more authentic original versions. He begins his series, naturally, with Zeus, king of the gods and the one charged with bringing about the downfall of his own father. The hardest tasks always fall to the youngest chidren, don't they? Zeus is the only one of his siblings not swallowed whole by his father, Cronus. Instead, he is hiden away out of Cronus's sight until he reaches adulthood and begins to be spurred on to war against Cronus by his grandmother, Mother Earth herself. He does as she commands, and in doing so rescues the rest of Cronus's children, and the war between the Olympians and the Titans is waged in full, lasting years. It's a fantastic adventure story, and O'Connor illustrates it beautifully. He also includes several handy texts that help flush out his work here: lineage charts, a guide to the spelling of the names, a history and recommended reading. All of it is extremely useful, for both casual readers and students who wish to learn more. The book does have its share of violence, of course, and subsequent volumes focusing on the rest of the Pantheon no doubt will have much more. It's never too gory, though, and even matters of sexuality and romance are handled quite tamely. That is to say, younger readers will not see much at all to shock their sensibilities, and older readers will be able to take in the clues from the text in order to read between the lines. -- John Hogan

George O'Connor has done a marvelous job on "Zeus, King of the Gods." As a matter of fact, his interpretation of the story of Zeus is soo smooth...(how smooth is it?). It is so smooth that with all the Zeus/Posideon/Hades/Cyclops/Titans mythologies that this book presents it ultimately clear and makes sense of the twisted tales. Mr O'Connors' narration is simple, powerful, and pointed. The art, I assume by O'Connor, is very clear and cinematic. Some panels, all you need is the sound of thunder to make them complete. Coverwise, the lightening bolt held by Zeus shimmers with power! O'Connor presents not only the story of Zeus, but the stories surrounding the imprisonment of the Titans, his brothers and sisters and despise for his father. Truly, this book reads almost like Hercules except there is not comedic relief! There is no Phil, nor Meg, but there is duty, sacrifice, honor, and a cosmic style battle that truly cracks the skies! Did I mention the art is top notch? Being part I of 12, I look forward to the remaining books, Athena, Hera, and Hades. [...] Truly a stylish presentation of the story of Zeus. Long may he rule!

Reason for Reading: I am a huge fan of Greek mythology. This tells the tale of creation from the Greek mythological point of view up to the birth of Zeus. Then it follows Zeus's story, how he battles his father Kronos to become King of the Gods and the founding of the home for the Olympians on Mount Olympus. Fantastic first book in a new ongoing series retelling the Greek myths. The story here is very well represented going right back to the beginning with Gaea, The Cyclopes, The Hekatonchieres and the Titans even before the birth of Zeus. This part of Greek mythology is often confusing to children (I never could understand it as a kid) and the graphic representation, especially of the Titans and the Hekatonchieres with their fifty heads and one hundred hands, is the ideal format for telling this myth. This story is also hardly ever included in children's Greek Myth collections and I've read many such collections over the last 16 years to my children. I feel quite confident in saying the author has done a brilliant job of re-telling Zeus' story in an exciting format. The illustrations are dark and unusual as to fit the subject matter from Kronos and the eating of his children to Zeus' final battle with his father. The book ends with the final destinies of those who came before Zeus and looks forward with a frame of Zeus with his Queen, brothers and sisters, and his children preparing us for the next volume. There is also some extra info at the end with an Author's Note, Fact pages on four characters, a Notes section referenced to pages and panels and finally a further reading section both for younger and older readers. I'm very impressed. This is a keeper for me and I'd highly recommend it as a library purchase.

Greek mythology has long been a fertile ground for characters employed by comic book authors and contemporary writers of fantasy novels. So much so that their personal stories as detailed by those ancient Hellenic bards has been obscured for all but academics. Now the tale of the origins of the Greek pantheon and the creation of the earth and the heavens has been re-told in the form of a superbly illustrated graphic novel by artist and storyteller George O'Connor, who accurately draws from primary sources to reveal the same kind of riveting tale that engaged the total attention of appreciative audiences some four millennia past. The first title in what promises to be a four-volume series (subsequent titles will include the background stories of Zeus' wife Hera; his brother Hades, and his daughter Athena), "Olympians, Zeus: King Of The Gods" is enthusiastically recommended reading for its entertainment value alone. The fact that the mythology is so accurate and makes it ideal for community libraries and school (including home schooling) curriculums is a bonus!