Review: ‘Olympians, vol. 9: Artemis’

It feels like yesterday that I was hearing about a new graphic novel series featuring the Greek gods in comic form, and now we’re up to number nine in a planned series of 12. And still it doesn’t disappoint! I admit, I’ve been negligent with this series and have missed a couple of titles—I keep saying I’ll go back and read them, but my to-read pile is always so big—so I was happy to pick up this newest volume, knowing that although the books are interconnected, each one stands alone.

Artemis: Wild Goddess of the Hunt
By George O’Connor. Illustrator
01 Second. 2017. ISBN 9781626725218PBK, $9.99. 80pp.
Grades 4 and up

Born under the most difficult of circumstances, Artemis knows what she wants from a very young age—and her father Zeus grants her the gift she’s asked for. She wants to be the queen of hunting but never to bear a child. Granted her wish, Artemis becomes a skilled huntress and a cunning one at that.

Told alternatively by her mother, her twin brother Apollo, and Hera, the short vignettes of Artemis’s adventures, told alternatively by her mother, her twin brother Apollo, and Hera, will engage readers, especially fans of the Percy Jackson series (which is still going strong at my library). There’s the story of how Artemis defeats the twin sons of Poseidon and the love story of Orion and Artemis.

The artwork and storytelling are symbiotic. The colors alternate between rich, deep tones for scenes like the storm during the birth of Apollo and Artemis and soft, muted hues as Artemis asks her father for the gifts. Each of the gods has unique characteristics, which O’Connor conveys through both the drawings and the storytelling.

If this isn’t already on your order list or to-order list, quickly add it on now!

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews