Epic Journey, Anyone?

Homer and Tim Mucci.  All-Action Classics No. 3: The Odyssey.  Illustrated by Ben Caldwell and Emanuel Tenderini.  Sterling, 2010.  128 pages.  Fiction.

Odysseus may be history’s first action hero: battling monsters, resisting temptations, and preserving his honor.  This is a fast-paced rendition of the Greek Odyssey, retold in a modern day action-adventure graphic novel.

Landmann, Bimba.  The Incredible Voyage of Ulysses.  Getty Publications, 2010.  60 pages.  Nonfiction.

A bold graphic novel recounts Ulysses’ classic journey to return home ... and the unimaginable obstacles he encounters along the way.  How many trials and tribulations can one person take?

Athena's Wisdom:  Why am I recommending two graphic novels about about the same character?  Answer: Each book has a unique style.  The Odyssey--where Greek epic meets Marvel comic--is part of the All-Action Classics series which adapts well-known classics into graphic novels for the middle school audience.  (Check out the All-Action Classics website.)  Journey through this book if you are looking to learn about a Greek character in a fast-paced, action-packed manner.

Compared to Tim Mucci’s The Odyssey, The Incredible Voyage of Ulysses takes a bolder, more artistic approach.  Landmann’s oversized work also illuminates how Ulysses’ expedition relates to mythology by outlining other key figures.  If you are wondering why a book called The Incredible Voyage of Ulysses is about Odysseus, author Bimba Landmann explains: “This story comes down to us from ancient Greece, through the great poet Homer. … It tells of the adventures of Odysseus, better known as Ulysses.” 

Either of these books could inform a project about Odysseus.  Or, consider combining both resources to see two versions of the same story.