Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians #1) by George O'Connor

Zeus: King of the GodsOlympians #1
by George O’Connor

Synopsis from Goodreads:

George O'Connor is a Greek mythology buff and a classic superhero comics fan, and he's out to remind us how much our pantheon of superheroes (Superman, Batman, the X-Men, etc) owes to mankind's ORIGINAL superheroes: the Greek pantheon.




In OLYMPIANS, O'Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren't sedate, scholarly works. They're action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures, with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. O'Connor's vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology.




Volume 1 of OLYMPIANS, ZEUS: King OF THE GODS, introduces readers to the ruler of the Olympian Pantheon, telling his story from his boyhood to his ascendance to supreme power.

My Review:

5/5 Stars

I adore mythology. All mythology, but I am usually pulled in by Greek Mythology. Since my kids were young I’ve read them many books and a lot of the books have to do with Mythology. My oldest has adopted my love for it so when I saw this graphic novel I new he’d like it. As soon as he was finished he handed it to me and said “ You HAVE to read this! and I NEED the next one.” So I sat down while they had their TV time and read this wonderful graphic novel.




First thing I opened the book and get the Olympian family tree. Dude! How great is that for a kid! ( and me! I thought it was awesome that it was in there as well) . Then you get the story from the beginning ( you know where stories usually start) with mother earth ( Gaea) and Father sky ( Ouranos). Everything from the defeat of Ouranos, Who the Titans are, What Kronos did to his children, how Zeus came to be, how he rescued his siblings and the overthrowing of Kronos. Its all in this kid friendly ( at least for my kids) format. It has great action scenes and my son and I enjoyed the artwork and the depiction of the characters.




Now the back of the book after you finish the story ( especially if you read it with a kid or if your kid read it) The author includes pictures of Zeus, Metis, Kronos and the Cyclops with interesting facts, G(r)eek notes explaining certain things in the panels from the graphic novel ( they have page number and panel number so you can flip back and check it out), a For Discussion page ( which I actually like those because it helps me make sure my son is understanding what he is reading and it gives us something to talk about when we are in the car or just sitting at dinner) also a bibliography and recommended reading ( for young and old).




I personally find graphic novels a fun way to introduce kids into reading especially if the kid is against reading because some books look like they have too many words or not enough pictures. This one introduces the Greeks Gods in a kid friendly manner with great pictures and a great story. We look forward to reading the rest and I look forward to rereading them with my youngest.






All in all, Great retelling for kids who are interested in mythology or even superheroes , Nice introduction to the Greek Gods and the story of how Zeus came to be who he is, I thought the artwork was wonderful. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series!