Olympus

by Nathan Edmondson, Christian Ward

3,000 years ago, the brothers Castor and Pollux were granted immortality by Zeus. Today they serve him on Earth. Sent to capture a messenger fallen from Olympus, the brothers accidentally release one of the fiercest prisoners of Hades, a cursed, ravaged soul with a millennia-old grudge! Now in an adventure that takes them across Europe and to an island off the coast of Greece, Castor and Pollux must track and capture this being before his rampant rage yields irreversible damage to the balance between Olympus and the Earth. Collects Olympus #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Comic book and screenwriter Nathan Edmondson is a native of Augusta, GA. His Eisner-nominated book Who Is Jake Ellis? will soon be a major motion picture from 20th Century Fox, and The Activity film will come soon from Paramount Pictures. NPR has listed his work among the “Top 6 Comics to Draw You In” and USA Today and CNN are among those who have listed him in their Top 10 lists.

Nathan currently lives near Los Angeles, USA.

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

This was okay, but the art was just too muddy for me to figure out what was happening. The text was mostly able to lead me through, but when I finished this I felt like I was still unsure of exactly how the story unfolded.

[Reza Qalandari · Rating 2 out of 5]

خوش نیومد :|

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gotta say Ward's art has come a LONG way since this comic!
Anyways I kind of wish there was more to this story.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun take on how the figures of Greek mythology continue to make their way in a modern world that has forgotten them. Castor and Pollux serve as a team of enforcers for Zeus, dragging back to Hades those who have escaped it, and their latest caper puts the fate of the world at risk. Great concept and a rich world, but Edmonson's writing is a little spare on the details and Christian Ward's watercolor artwork is amazing to behold but often doesn't quite synch with Edmondson's script. The result is something very pretty to look at but isn't always easy to follow. This would have been far better as a prose novella with ample illustration by Ward.

[Jon Curme · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting concept, but the illustrations were too chaotic to really connect with the story

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 but rounding up to 3. this was ok. the art was really a detriment to this. the style isn't bad and some panels and pages are beautiful....but as a comic book with action and fight scenes the art made it hard to follow and muddy.

i am a sucker for greek mythology though. also this book moves at warp speed.

overall not bad but not great either. the art is beautiful in some panels though.

[Damian Herde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had low expectations, but the story kept my interest. I was curious about which Greek mythological figures were being used, and how, and was entertained.

The art style didn’t grab me at first, but grew on me as I enjoyed the story.

[Von · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous artwork and color palette. I love the flow of the panels. The downside is that the pacing of the story felt rushed.

[47Time · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the artwork I don't know what's happening or who does what. The artist uses too many lines when drawing closeups and too few when doing full-body shots. I think you have to be high to enjoy this. Think of that sequence in 2001 A Space Odyssey, but without the cool story. It's a colorful mess with shaky lines. Then there's the characters. While most of them retain a bombastic manner of speech, the main two characters are the roguish types I always have difficulty enjoying. Think Indiana Jones with more curse words. The final battle should have been fun if not for completely incomprehensible artwork. This comic is difficult to recommend.

After Castor and Pollux apprehend Hermes and send him to Hades, Pelops escapes from the underworld and starts killing the demigods that represent the seasons. The two brothers must put off their yearly vacation for another mission to save the world.

The whole thing stems from a monstrous deed Tantalus committed - he served his own son to the gods. To eat. He was punished and his son Pelops was restored to life, but Demeter had unknowingly already eaten some of his flesh. Now Pelops wants to get revenge on her and recover his body. He targets her daughters to draw her out.

It later becomes apparent that in reality Pelops doesn't want revenge. Even though his body was restored, his blood kept on boiling. He is in perpetual agony, so he wants to kill the seasons, except winter whose cold dulls his pain.

After running around trying to save the seasons, the two brothers finally catch up to Pelops. The latter has Summer in his grasp, but the brothers work together to send him back to the underworld. The final battle is as boring as it sounds.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating play on Greek myths within modern times, though in a way I almost found there foreword the most detailed and engaging part. Drawn as to see "Earth from the view of an immortal" the book tends to have an odd wavy quality and the colors of the natural are muted while the supernatural is vivid. The relationship of the brothers feels like the true driving force of this book; there is a sense that without each other they would have long ago broken rules themselves. After all, what is immortality, even short bursts of it, without someone to spend it with? Castor and Pollux are truly loyal to each other and love each other in the way you do those that you most choose to call your family, and it shows through the book.
The other major concept here is of the balance of the world of the gods and that of men. The two worlds are so determined to be separate and yet are intrinsically connected and inseparable. It makes it fascinating to see what then some gods will break the rule for, and what will make the continued separation impossible.
Not as encompassing and fascinating as Jake Ellis, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully moody artwork and a bit of Greek myth gone modern. The art keeps you ooh-ing and ahh-ing even after re-reads. In the vein of Ben Templesmith and other multi-media illustrators. The story unfolds with mundane details like pint glasses, giggling gaggles of girls, and cell phone bleeps, the wild and vivid artwork helps to meld the Earthly locales and modern setting to the gods and their powers battling among us mortal civvies. See, the Gemini twins are on assignment, and between pints of beer they go bounty hunting for Hermes. He's been a bad boy. They mistakenly unleash a world destroyer (I'll let you read about it) and then they have to mop it up. I'll probably send this to my own brother, who will enjoy it as much as I did. Fits the mood of Boondock Saints, but without the excessive f-bombs (am I getting old or something?) and the silliness of grown men lighting each other's cigarettes. Of course, the Boondock comparison isn't a very nice one. Olympus has much more style, it is better written, and. . . well, its a comic book, duh!

[Amy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art in this is AMAZING. Not my usual style preference, but it works really well with the story. Beautiful.

I really liked the story, but, as a Classics major, I was kind of annoyed that the authors were writing about the Greek pantheon, yet used the Latin versions of Castor and Pollux, even though I do realize the Latin is the more familiar.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous retelling of the relationship between man and the Gods of the Greek pantheon, centering around Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Leda and Zeus, the brothers of Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra and the half-brothers of Timandra, Phoebe, Heracles and Philonoe

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointing. The story line was so brief that it was almost over before it began. The art work is terrible and I found it very difficult to follow the action. Half the time I couldn't even tell what was going on. Oh well.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ill stick with Norse mythology

[Chris Keeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork is fantastic, but I don't think it functions very well as a standalone piece or miniseries. The writing and conceptual framework was kind of lazy.