Ablaze Announces Graphic Adaptation Of Foundational Sci-Fi Epic ‘Kalevala’’
by Brendan M. Allen
Comics and graphic novel publisher Ablaze has announced the release of Kalevala: The Graphic Novel, an adaptation by creator Sami Makkonen. This Finnish epic is a foundational epic of the fantasy genre and is credited with inspiring J.R.R. Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings.
In Letter 257, written in 1964, Tolkein said “…my attempt to write legends of my own to fit my private languages was the tragic tale of the hapless Kullerva in the Finnish Kalevala. It remains a major matter in the legends of the First age…”
Makkonen brings the Kalevala adaptation to a different level, emphasizing the elements of horror in the story, which are often left in the background when the main events of the Kalevala are discussed.
“The colours, the deeds, the marvels, the figures of the heroes are all splashed onto a clean bare canvas by sudden hand,” said Tolkein of the original. “Even the legends concerning the origin of the most ancient things in the world seem to come fresh from the singer’s hot imagination of the moment.”
Kalevala: The Graphic Novel will be available for $29.99 on September 24th, 2024.
