The most accessible gateway to Norse mythology you could ever want! Norse mythology is the mythology of the famous Vikings and the foundation of the modern fantasy genre. It is well-known for its unique and mythic cosmology, which consists of nine Asgard, the home of gods; Midgard, the land of men; Jotunheim, the domain of fierce giants; and Hel, the realm of dead, to name a few. Do you know the full list and how they were created? There is an enticing tale behind it! Oh, and don't forget the world tree Yggdrasil that binds all these nine worlds together. You'll be introduced to all of them here in this issue! If you are a fantasy fan or a newcomer to mythologies, try diving into one of the most iconic mythic worlds presented with cute art and humor!
- Recommended Reading 14 years or older(This series did not dilute mythology and is not intended for children) * This issue is 51 pages long and included in the hard copy of Volume 1
I really enjoyed this comic. The illustration style was fantastic and there was a nice mixture of humour and information. I know very little about Norse Mythology and I think this comic series will be a great introduction to the topic without being too overwhelming. I will definitely be on the lookout for subsequent issues.
I was provided with a free ARC to review via NetGalley.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This comic claims to be "the most accessible door to mythic worlds you could ever want", and that's probably a pretty close summary. DongGoolTroll (SooCheol Choi) has created a visual Norse mythology resource using a webcomic-style aesthetic to tell some of the myths and legends.
This is the first issue of six, and as such, it really lays the foundation. The first chapter tells the story of the creation of the world. The second tells the myths of Day and Night and the Sun and Moon. The third chapter is less direct myth and more underlying lore, and it gives and overview of the nine worlds. The fourth and final chapter explains Yggdrasil, the World Tree, and is again more about underlying lore than general stories and myths.
The art is consistent, and the humor is up my alley. The information appears to be well-researched. With something like Norse mythology, there are bound to be disagreements in interpretations, and those will follow into this work, but the author is not disrespectful or flippantly incorrect. There are sources listed at the end of the issue for many specific claims, ranging form the Eddas to scholarly texts about Norse mythology.
All-in-all, if you want a top-level overview, this seems to be it. At the very least, this issue is setting the precedent that each issue will have good information in a digestible, top-level fashion, meaning it's not nearly as dense as academic literature or the source material itself.
I picked up this book because I’ve always loved Norse Mythology and the cover was absolutely adorable, and I was surprised by how much my academic soul liked it.
With a cute and fun art style, the author created a series that explains Norse myths with quoted sources. I loved the academic feel of it and those parts were my favorite. This first book lays the groundwork for the origins and beginning of the myths; I had a lot of fun learning more about the parts I had already read about and deeply appreciated the constant caution and warnings when there were several existing versions or when the author had to take liberties to make it more understandable.
This book was a short one, but I’m looking forward the the next ones.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Read on September 19th, 2023. Written on September 20th, 2023.
This was such a good laugh! What an interesting idea and really great drawings!
This comic actually taught me a lot about Norse mythology in a fun and colourful way! I was actually sad when it ended because I was really invested. Genuinely one of the best comics I have ever read, I cannot wait for the next volumes! Hope to get another ARC so I can give my most honest opinion and, once more, enjoy a good read!
What an amazing publication from an indie publisher! Great talent lies hidden!
(Free ARC from NetGalley and DongGoolTroll Studio that I chose to review after reading)
I have thought that mythology was interesting, but that there were too many stories (& a lot of unhappy endings), and that’s still pretty much true, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a fun thing to learn about.
When I went into reading this, I barely knew anything about mythology, only pretty much stuff I’ve seen from the marvel universe, and even that was barely much since it took its creative liberties. But I was excited to learn some new stuff, especially about a new world full of so much creativity.
I’ve got to say that I learned a lot, and the story was a great read (even with some morbid scenes and some not so happy endings), and I would read more from this author. They described everything in a more understandable way, and the illustrations definitely helped. Illustrations are definitely one of the best and most fun ways to learn, that I can say with certainty.
Positives:
• Fun way to learn about mythology
• Understandable
• Illustrations
• Humor included (very much appreciated)
• The references to things like restaurants (Netherway), Star Wars (a long time ago in realms far, far away…), and more!
• The ending page including sources of where the information came from.
Neutrals:
• Wasn’t a big fan of the square comic format (used to the different sized boxes), but I got used to it.
• Not really into viking stories, but this type of story might be an outlier for me (most stories can be entertaining as long as they're done right, and this one was with the humor).
Negatives:
• None actually, was a good read.
Would I recommend? Yes, I would recommend this story to all the ones clueless (or not very informed) about mythology that want to learn about it! Mythology junkies might even get a kick out of it for the humor and illustrations!
Rating: 4.5/5 giants 🔵
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. *
Tiny Myths Comics: Norse Edition is the first of a series of proposed books on different mythologies and pantheons. Written/illustrated/curated by DongGoolTroll, it's 254 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback/graphic novel, and ebook formats. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is an appealing manga style graphic novel full of well researched and annotated mythology introducing the Norse gods and goddesses, giants, monsters, and more. There's a surprising amount of real history included concerning the ways that early Nordic people recorded and passed on their myths and legends, and how they interacted with their neighbors and each other. Make no mistake, this is not superhero comics. This is actual mythology and sociology/anthropology.
The layout is in continual single panels throughout. It's in four color print with eye catching and appealing art (see cover). It will definitely appeal to all ages, although it might be a bit deeper/too complex for very young kids. It's not graphically violent and the author has done a masterful job of rendering the parts of the story which might have been too violent or sexual into all-ages appropriate language.
The book is annotated, and the source materials and references will provide readers with lots of further reading and learning opportunities.The writing is functional, utilitarian, and direct. It would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, more formal classroom instruction, or home use.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
I chose to read this graphic novel because I’m not very familiar with Norse mythology and wanted to learn more about it. The illustrations are very cute. The colors are bright and vibrant. I liked the style of the graphics; it reminded me of cartoons from the 80s. They also helped to tell the stories of these myths. There is also quite a bit of humor added in, which made me laugh.
This felt really academic as if the author took a Norse mythology book from school and turned it into a graphic novel. You can tell there was definitely a lot of research done. Being new to this mythology, it was a little confusing and a lot of information to digest. But it was still a fun, enjoyable read. I may consider continuing in this series in the future.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.
‘Tiny Myths Comics - Norse Edition #1: Norse Mythology for Beginners’ with story and art by DongGoolTroll is a graphic novel which ambitious lays out the beginning of Norse Mythology.
Norse Mythology is complex and can be confusing. The myths have been interpreted from handed down stories and foreign languages and have contradictions. This graphic novel attempts to sort this out over a series of volumes. In Volume 1, we basically get the creation and beginning framework for the nine worlds of Norse mythology told in fairly simple drawings. Discussion is made about where the nine worlds might lie in relation to each other.
This succeeds more than I thought it might. By not taking on everything in one volume, I feel like an intelligent framework is revealed. The art is simple, but concise and explains the text very well. I liked this and would like to read more in the series.
A very odd graphic novel guide to some of the basic Norse myths, that is allegedly for fourteens and up (because they "did not dilute" the myth so now it's still ooh scary and ooh all rude all of a sudden – NOT). The oddest thing is the aesthetic is really childish sub-manga trappings with many people having less facial detail and expression than a Lego human figurine. A lot of it is just names, names, something, names, a lot is annoyingly quippy – smaller-font asides, et al – and a lot gets bogged down in the difference between the prose and poetic eddas, because we're interested in that – NOT. So it's very flawed and not really suited for purpose, in my mind, but if you think you or someone else can only learn this kind of stuff through an incoherent comic where visually anything goes except a break in the 2x3 grid pattern, then you might just want to give this a look.
I know very little about Norse Mythology, but that doesn't include its history. "Tiny Myths Comics" is the first book in the six-book series. It talks about the root of Norse Mythology and delivers it humorously.
The illustrations are so cute. I loved the style of the art in this book. This short comic book is 51 pages long and filled with much information. Even though many new terms and concepts were introduced, I didn't feel overwhelmed by the author's approach to the story.
There were funny comments included now and then, which made the story less boring. I'm looking forward to reading the 2nd book in the series.
*I was given compensation for sharing my honest thoughts in a book review.*
I grew up enjoying classic comics my father had kept from when he was a boy in the 1930s and 1940s, so I've always enjoyed comics based on classic stories. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. I didn't like how each page was rigidly six panels. Most comic books have a variety of page/panel formats, usually to fit the story at the given point. I also felt like the illustrations were too simplistic, as was the way of telling the story. I liked how the book started at the beginning, so to speak, of the Norse mythos. But that's about all I liked. I believe the author/publisher was well intended, but this just didn't quite work for me.
I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This is a cute little comic book. A simplistic yet engaging way to tell the Norse Myths. I would say this could be used for higher middle grade kids and above as there are some jokes that could go over the younger kids heads. It made me think of a few kid shows or movies where there are jokes thrown in for the adults witch makes it enjoyable for a whole family. The stories are well done and accurate according to The Poetic and Prose Edda. Super adorable read with some hidden Easter eggs in the art work that I found to be amusing.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to access an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This graphic novel is an introduction to Norse mythology for teens. It's obvious that the author took great care with their research, and they present the information in an accessible and easy to digest manner. The illustrations are very vibrant, and very cute! I didn't love the narrator, but I believe that most other readers will! Overall, this is a solid choice for teens who are looking to have a primer on mythology.
I’m a huge fan of Norse mythology and indeed mythology in general and I thought this looked adorable so I picked it up. It’s very short so it’s a very quick read (it couldn’t have taken me more than 20 minutes). I’m glad I ended up finding this because I really like it.
This talks about the myths in a very easy and accessible way. The art is absolutely adorable. I can see this being very good for young readers
Overall I highly recommend this and I look forward to reading more in the series.
This is an interesting presentation of Norse mythology in a comic book fashion. It’s very helpful in learnig all the names and places significant to Norse history. The comic gives the opportunity to give a picture in relation to each place and name. Is not the whole story and only involves some of the mythic history. I would recommend for the uninitiate as a nice start.
Although not quite what I expected, I found this graphic novel to be informative and absolutely adorable. The information was given in a fun and hilarious manner with honesty about what is known as myth and what is not explained. This graphic novel is about the creation for the realms and of midguard (where we are), so do not expect to learn stories of Loki and Thor just yet. I look forward to the next volume!
This is so charming and informative! I'm only vaguely versed on norse mythology and this was SO cute and easy to understand. It's short but contains a surprising amount of information for 50-ish pages and the comic style is delightful. Lots of little nods to pop culture that underscore the importance of the myths in modern storytelling.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Nice introduction to the mostly unknown and ambiguous Norse Mythology of creation and its universe. Clearly explained, I'm waiting for the adventures of the Gods and of course Ragnarok. Great and funny drawing.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was so confusing that I don’t think any teen would understand what was going on. I addition to this the mix of different type of art in this was annoying and disconcerting. There was no flow to this and it didn’t make me want to keep going and finish. I pushed through and was really disappointed in this one. I love comics and manga and Norse mythology,, but this was such a let down.
It's cute. I...didn't really find it all that informative, but I do know a little bit about Norse myth already so I'm definitely not the intended audience. There just didn't seem to be enough there to really feel like you learned anything. Probably useful if you really want an absolutely basic intro without the possibility of being overwhelmed.
I loved how informative and creative this comic was!!! I loved how the author included all their notes and resources at the end of the comic too!!! It was extremely fun and wonderful to have comics depicting Norse Mythology!!! It made it a whole lot easier to visualize!!!
I just love it. I've been always curious about Norse mythology but I find hard and boring to read those books. But with this one, Norse mythology is fun, cute and so easy to read and understand. I will love to read more about it!
Thanks to NetGalley and to the Editor. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is the cutest and most adorable graphic novel about Norse mythology. Sure, I don't have read a lot of them (okay, okay, this may be the first one) but still... it is adorable! And so cute! And the way in which the author decided to narrate the story is brilliant. I had an amazing time with it! This is just the first chapter, as to speak, because it is only about the creation of the World, so there are more to come, but I think that the tiny size can also help here, because you take a bite today, a bite another time and so on, and you keep enjoying yourself with this. I highly recommend it!
This is a great and enjoyably illustrated background for Norse mythology. It provides a great foundation for understanding how it came about, how the history was recorded and where everything is set up on.
A brief introduction to the world of Norse mythology leaving mixed feelings: Add a star for acknowledgment of the history of how the myths were recorded but then subtract a star for recommending Wikipedia as a source of information.
I am not teaching Norse mythology and hence I am not going to use it in my courses. It is an absolutely adorable book on Norse mythology. The illustration is super cute. I somehow think it is too "authentic" instead of being a spin-off. So, there is not enough "humour" in it to make it the kind of comics that my students would read in their own time.
I think it's a nice way to learn about Norse Myths, it's simple, quick read and very cute! I definitely would recommend this if you like Norse Myths or want to learn more about them