An Epic Poem Retold As An Epic Comic Book: Reviewing ‘The Odyssey: In Defiance Of The Gods’

To adapt such a huge epic as The Odyssey is a Herculean task in itself. Yet, that’s exactly what writer Lawrence Alison chose to do, along with artist Vu Danh, originally as a four-part miniseries and now as a collected edition, currently funding on Kickstarter. And done so very successfully, I can add. Alison and Danh wisely stick to the hits in The Odyssey: In Defiance of the Gods, including the tales involving the Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens and more, while weaving a story exploring free will versus predestination, with our hero, Odysseus, battling against the gods in his determination to reach home and his beloved wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus. And true to the original, it doesn’t sugarcoat this ancient world full of brotherly betrayals and bloody deaths. As such, Odysseus is portrayed as a leader of that era. A man who will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way, including framing his own men, if he feels they are working against him. A very flawed hero, then, as so many are. But here, his pragmatic mind does not shirk away from his one true goal: retiring to Ithaca and his family. No matter the cost to him, or his fleet of ships. Although, to be fair, some of his men are asking for it when they happily disobey orders that, time and again, lead them into troubled waters. 

In taking on such an epic narrative poem, pacing is everything. And on the whole, Alison must be applauded for this. However, now and again, it feels there is too much of a lurch in the telling of the tale, with little in the way of explanation, leaving the reader momentarily unmoored and adrift. But soon, we are out on the right path again and back in familiar territory. Overall, the story flows like the waters of the River Styx, with one adventure after another neatly dealt with, and staying true to its source material. Even depicting the sexism of the time, wherein Odysseus can take up with Circe but Penelope must stay chaste.  

Of course, a saga this large will have its fair share of tragedy, with many of Odysseus’ men never reaching Ithaca. Some barely last the first issue, while others almost reach their end goal, only to be mown down. But then, that’s the way of the gods in such ancient myths. As the blinded Earl of Gloucester in King Lear would aptly put it, centuries later, “As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; / They kill us for their sport”. Free will and destiny are themes played out throughout the history of literature, but here, Alison makes it the cornerstone of this retelling. And in doing so, makes Odysseus’ struggles even more epic in scale. Not only is he fighting against monsters but also against the very will of the gods. And this eventually hardens him. Men die, and he seems not to flinch. A different kind of hero for a different era of humanity. 

What also makes this book stand out in a sea of independently produced comics is the art by Vu Danh, who sadly passed away one after the completion of this project. One could only imagine the artist he would have gone on to be, with flashes of the young Barry Windsor-Smith and Frank Frazetta clearly influencing his art style. Here, in glorious black and white, Danh depicts a highly detailed and textured world with creative and dynamic splash pages that do away with the need for panel borders to better tell the story when needed. At other times, he knows well when to stick with the more formal six-to-nine panel pages that help such a large story flow. His recreation of this ancient world is magnificent to take in as a reader, with the sea forever changing. And there’s a lot of action set at sea, as you would expect from The Odyssey.

Overall, this was a gripping, entertaining read from cover to cover with polished, detailed art from an artist who we lost too soon.

The Odyssey: In Defiance of the Gods is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter here.

You can read my interview with Lawrence Alison and PSY Comics’ Neil Roche, publisher, here.