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heartsib's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
luana420's review against another edition
5.0
This really strikes the best possible balance between educational and entertaining; Shanower's meticulously researched takes on clothing, architecture, even the people themselves... it's a real treasure trove for an amateur archaeologist comme moi!
Let me also put up a very personal reading of a particular storyline here: Achilles' uhh "seduction"* of the princess Deidamia of Skyros when he is hidden as the handmaiden Pyrrha. They are together for years, even going so far as to having a baby which they name... Pyrrhus. Interestingly enough, Deidamia keeps calling Achilles Pyrrha, to the point that she even mentions at one point "oh I keep forgetting your boy name." I suppose this is supposed to make her... air-headed? But honestly, I read it as her making the best of a bad situation: Achilles truly does make for a beautiful girl, and this was just closeted Deidamia making a life for herself with a family and a wife, something in normal circumstances she never could have dreamed of.
I dunno, in a story that will probably end terribly for everyone, I feel like this is a reading that -- until contradicted -- injects a glimmer of hope.
*you know what this really means in mythology, but then again, Shanower shows her as turning kinda into it?
Let me also put up a very personal reading of a particular storyline here: Achilles' uhh "seduction"* of the princess Deidamia of Skyros when he is hidden as the handmaiden Pyrrha. They are together for years, even going so far as to having a baby which they name... Pyrrhus. Interestingly enough, Deidamia keeps calling Achilles Pyrrha, to the point that she even mentions at one point "oh I keep forgetting your boy name." I suppose this is supposed to make her... air-headed? But honestly, I read it as her making the best of a bad situation: Achilles truly does make for a beautiful girl, and this was just closeted Deidamia making a life for herself with a family and a wife, something in normal circumstances she never could have dreamed of.
I dunno, in a story that will probably end terribly for everyone, I feel like this is a reading that -- until contradicted -- injects a glimmer of hope.
*you know what this really means in mythology, but then again, Shanower shows her as turning kinda into it?
amyjoy's review against another edition
4.0
Man, I love just about everything about the Trojan War, and this is a great GN about all the lead up to it. The art is detailed and interesting, and the story is really well-told.
maria_zoulia's review against another edition
5.0
Since ancient history and classical mythology are two of my favourite subjects, it was easy to engage to the story.
This is, as you probably have guessed, a retelling of the Iliad, but without the gods. It may feel blunt for some readers, but I didn't really mind it, since their presence was always there (like the dream that Paris and the vision Thetis had).
The facial expressions were nice, the character design distinctive (with the exception of women, seriously, I couldn't guess which one was who) and the story well-handled.
I will surely read the other volumes as well!
This is, as you probably have guessed, a retelling of the Iliad, but without the gods. It may feel blunt for some readers, but I didn't really mind it, since their presence was always there (like the dream that Paris and the vision Thetis had).
The facial expressions were nice, the character design distinctive (with the exception of women, seriously, I couldn't guess which one was who) and the story well-handled.
I will surely read the other volumes as well!
pkadams's review against another edition
3.0
A graphic novel about the Trojan War. The format really makes the story much more exciting and accessible than the translations of my childhood. I wish this book had been around when I was reading this material. The book is perfect as an introduction to the Trojan War. There are a lot of details covered (e.g., Paris as the long-lost prince of Troy) that are often overlooked by some of the drier texts.
lukeisthename34's review against another edition
4.0
Well done. Giving some real ease of access to new generations of readers.
calistareads's review against another edition
4.0
This is the graphic novel of the Trojan War and the Iliad. There are 4 volumes to this series. The story goes up to the point that the armies have assembled and they are heading out for Troy. They even know that it will take 9 years of fighting and on the 10th year they win.
I think most people know the gist of this story and most people have heard of Helen, the Face that launched a thousand ships and Paris, the man who stole her away and started a war.
This story tells things that I either forgot or didn't know. Paris was raised by a sheepherder. He was the son of a King, but there was a terrible prophesy about him and so he was sent away to be killed and the sheepherder couldn't kill him. He raised him and he made his way back to the king to win a tournament.
The other thing I don't remember hearing is that Achilles mother knew he was fated to die young if he fought, so she begged him to go hide on an island of women, dressed as a woman to be safe. He did this. This is some serious drag. He has a baby with one of the daughters of the king. The movie about Achilles with Brad Pitt certainly didn't show that. The whole army has to wait for Achilles to be found. They search 2 years for him.
It sure is a long time to be away from fields and family.
The art is great for this book and alot happens, so it is long and wordy. It's a great way to experience the Trojan War saga really. I do recommend it.
I think most people know the gist of this story and most people have heard of Helen, the Face that launched a thousand ships and Paris, the man who stole her away and started a war.
This story tells things that I either forgot or didn't know. Paris was raised by a sheepherder. He was the son of a King, but there was a terrible prophesy about him and so he was sent away to be killed and the sheepherder couldn't kill him. He raised him and he made his way back to the king to win a tournament.
The other thing I don't remember hearing is that Achilles mother knew he was fated to die young if he fought, so she begged him to go hide on an island of women, dressed as a woman to be safe. He did this. This is some serious drag. He has a baby with one of the daughters of the king. The movie about Achilles with Brad Pitt certainly didn't show that. The whole army has to wait for Achilles to be found. They search 2 years for him.
It sure is a long time to be away from fields and family.
The art is great for this book and alot happens, so it is long and wordy. It's a great way to experience the Trojan War saga really. I do recommend it.
loveinpanels's review against another edition
3.0
If you read this as a faithful graphic retelling of the first bit of The Iliad, you'll be satisfied. I think this book could be a helpful complement for teens reading the epic. It's illustrated in what I've come to think of as "classic comics" style, with vivid colors and not much nuance.
However, this adaptation is, like the classic, focused almost entirely on the male experience. We see the rape of Phthia, complete with tears and screaming, then suddenly she's defending Achilles to her father and begging him not to leave. And then she's gone, because she's served her purpose for the narrative and Pyrrhus can pop up again in a later volume of this series, I assume. The book was originally released in 2001, so I guess it's perhaps a product of its time, but as a female reader on my third telling of The Iliad this year, I'm tired of reading the ways the women were raped and sold and given as property.
After all, the war wasn't fought over a woman. It was fought over the pride of one man and the greed of another.
The book is fine, it's not spectacular, but as a faithful retelling, it's adequate. I don't need to continue with the series.
However, this adaptation is, like the classic, focused almost entirely on the male experience. We see the rape of Phthia, complete with tears and screaming, then suddenly she's defending Achilles to her father and begging him not to leave. And then she's gone, because she's served her purpose for the narrative and Pyrrhus can pop up again in a later volume of this series, I assume. The book was originally released in 2001, so I guess it's perhaps a product of its time, but as a female reader on my third telling of The Iliad this year, I'm tired of reading the ways the women were raped and sold and given as property.
After all, the war wasn't fought over a woman. It was fought over the pride of one man and the greed of another.
The book is fine, it's not spectacular, but as a faithful retelling, it's adequate. I don't need to continue with the series.
foxwrapped's review against another edition
4.0
Yay! Comics to feed my current mini-obsession with Achilles and Patroclus and the Trojan war, etc. etc. As you may know, all the gods have been taken out of this retelling, leaving something more historical-fictiony seeming. BUT DID ANY OF IT ACTUALLY REALLY HAPPEN?
i dunno, maybe some of it, a little?
Anyway, I am so grateful to learn a little bit about this era and the epic Trojan war in such an easy-to-digest form. Yeah, Shanower removed the gods but the drama (OMG, such drama! drama I don't think even think a modern TV soap would touch... hmm... except maybe Game of Thrones) still remains. I was reading this thinking, OMG, this should be a TV show, like, right now. I like the art, as well, though I could not tell many of the characters apart because their faces and clothes look the same, which well... if you are trying for realistic historical accuracy might be a little hard to work around, admittedly.
i dunno, maybe some of it, a little?
Anyway, I am so grateful to learn a little bit about this era and the epic Trojan war in such an easy-to-digest form. Yeah, Shanower removed the gods but the drama (OMG, such drama! drama I don't think even think a modern TV soap would touch... hmm... except maybe Game of Thrones) still remains. I was reading this thinking, OMG, this should be a TV show, like, right now. I like the art, as well, though I could not tell many of the characters apart because their faces and clothes look the same, which well... if you are trying for realistic historical accuracy might be a little hard to work around, admittedly.
grauspitz's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think this series is for me. I expected something as epic as the Iliad and I found myself presented with a graphic novel that I felt was the opposite of what I expected.
Some perhaps might enjoy a more 'accurate' re-telling of the Trojan war, one filled with politics and a character driven plot in place of any divine intervention that was present in the Iliad. But I couldn't bring myself to like it, despite the fact that those sorts of things are what I normally enjoy.
It certainly didn't help that I didn't enjoy the art style either. Looking back on it, the only characters I could recognize immediately were Patroclus and Menelaus, purely because they were some of the only light-haired characters within the entire book. Everyone else unfortunately suffered from sameface, to the point where I struggled to remember who was speaking and who I should be picking out in a crowd.
As for positives? Like I said, some might enjoy the more 'authentic' re-telling that removes any divine presence. I say that and yet Thetis is still a daughter of the sea so perhaps not all of it was removed.
Would I recommend it? Not really no, not unless you enjoyed the 2004 movie Troy.
Some perhaps might enjoy a more 'accurate' re-telling of the Trojan war, one filled with politics and a character driven plot in place of any divine intervention that was present in the Iliad. But I couldn't bring myself to like it, despite the fact that those sorts of things are what I normally enjoy.
It certainly didn't help that I didn't enjoy the art style either. Looking back on it, the only characters I could recognize immediately were Patroclus and Menelaus, purely because they were some of the only light-haired characters within the entire book. Everyone else unfortunately suffered from sameface, to the point where I struggled to remember who was speaking and who I should be picking out in a crowd.
As for positives? Like I said, some might enjoy the more 'authentic' re-telling that removes any divine presence. I say that and yet Thetis is still a daughter of the sea so perhaps not all of it was removed.
Would I recommend it? Not really no, not unless you enjoyed the 2004 movie Troy.