Stickman Odyssey, Book 1: An Epic Doodle

Stickman Odyssey #1

by Christopher Ford

When Zozimos is banished by an evil witch (his stepmother!) from the kingdom of Sticatha-the kingdom he was next in line to rule-he trains at battle (if you call chasing after butterflies training), travels across stormy seas (thanks for that, Poseidon), slays golems and monsters (with a lot of help), charms beautiful women (not really), and somehow (despite his own ineptitude) survives quest after quest. By the love of Zeus, though, none of it brings him any closer to home!

It does, however, make for one quirky, original, giggle-provoking graphic novel sure to appeal to any kid interested in Greek mythology, or merely looking for an entertaining read.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Humor, Comics, Fiction, Middle Grade, Mythology, Fantasy

208 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2011

About the author

Christopher Ford lives in Brooklyn, New York, which is also home to his film production company, Waverly Films.

Reviews

[Julie]

I picked this up because I collect modern reinterpretations of classical literature, and in particular reworkings of the Odyssey. (Yes, I have a novelization of the episode in which Wishbone plays Odysseus.) It depicts an Odyssey-like story in a graphic novel with black-and-white stick-figure drawings. It is a very clever pastiche of Odyssean narrative (Zozimos washes ashore and narrates his journey as Odysseus does) with mythological tropes (the royal child raised far away; the impossible quest; the damsel in distress) and some familiar types (a Herculean strong man, the wise warrior who raises him, the barbarian king). Very entertaining, not least because of the name of Zozimos’ island: Sticatha.

[Allison Parker]

Gross-out humor and Greek myths unite in this comic adventure. Don't let the word "doodle" fool you; artist Christopher Ford works his deceptively simple line drawings to their fullest, weaving hilarious potty humor ("This mud tastes like day-old farts,") with witty details in this story's retelling. With a nod to Ford's chosen medium and artistic license, he depicts the gods' chief tool (weapon?) as a giant ink pen, quick to draw in either storm clouds or a rescue raft, depending on their notoriously turbulent mood swings. Looking forward to Book 2.

[Courtney]

No classic story is complete until you've read it in stickman form. Just sayin'.
Really, this is a hilarious volume that makes the Odyssey entertaining for any age. Follow Zozimos on his adventures after he is banished from Sticatha. You'll meet golems, smart ladies, sailors and so much more. All in stickman form! Now I need to track down the next volume (aaaaand...ordered).

[Brenda Lower]

So, fairly random book. Made me snort and giggle a time or two. I'll find the next one and read that too.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023)]

Funny. I like these modern takes on old classics.

[Brenda Kahn]

Cute, clever, appealing. My book fell apart on its first reading though. Ugh. And it's signed.

[Lydia]

I was very entertained - there are many laugh out loud moments in this book. Please take 30 minutes to try this book out and I promise you won't regret it.

[Kevin Hodgson]

funny ... fun ... odd (all the things I like in a graphic novel on a lazy day)

[Samantha's]

call me lame for reading stickman odyssey because i can’t understand the actual book. this ones really good because i can understand it really good. i PROMISE i’m gonna read the actual book, not just stickman version😍

[randi-]

Just a funny and entertaining read that gave me a break from all the heavy books I’ve been reading. Served its purpose 👏🏼

[Amalia Dillin]

This is a really interesting mash-up/reinvention of mythic tropes and moments in an approximation of an Odyssey.

[Tomas]

Stickman Odyssey by Cristopher Ford is a adventure comic book about a man named Zozimos that get lost in a island named Marinos and he want to return to his island that is Sticatha. For this he need to tell how he (Zozimos) arrived there for clues about how to get back to Sticatha. The author writes in a way that it is not so slow and it's not redundant. When you least expected it, something amazing can happened.
This book was really fun to read because it attract you and have parts in the book that are funny. One thing I enjoyed about this book was that Zozimos do really dumb things with Alexa that are really funny! I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars because the book is really good and funny. I would recommend this book to anyone who want to laugh and have a great time reading (also you need to like comics).
I hope you enjoyed!

[Katie]

I'm not sure where I read about this book in order to put it on my "to read" shelf, but I found it pretty disappointing and silly. Which probably means middle grade boys everywhere will love it :) It is an epic parody of The Odyssey and follows a literal "stick man" named Zozimos on his quest to return home to Stithica and take the throne as rightful heir. I just didn't get it y'all. I much prefer Rick Riordan's modern take on Greek and Roman mythology to whatever it was this author was trying to do. Gross out potty humor and a whiny protagonist abound.

[Liz]

This book was amazing! It was funny and happy and exciting. It wasn't just a retelling of Homer's Odyssey, it was the completely different story of a hero on his quests. He meets friends that help him and new enemies that oppose him. It wasn't just funny, though. It had serious moments as well. Overall it was a great adventurous read!

Cover: The cover is interesting and displays the main ideas of the book. It also looks funny and the colors work well.

[Tracey]

So, if you know The Odyssey, this is freakin' hysterical. The dry wit that runs throughout the entire text made me LOL during quiet reading time and had my students thinking I was a crazy person. This is not meant to be a replacement for reading the original text in the way that some graphic novels can be. BUT, I would highly recommend having students read it AFTER they've read the original. OMG. So funny.

[CrunchyMetroMom]

This was HYSTERICAL. imagine if Odysseus were a liar, a fraud, a narcissist and...a stick man. That'll get you this book -- a story of just such a (stick) man, as he tries to find his way back to claim his throne an the evil witch. It's hilariously funny, very clever, and amusing for kids and adults alike. I can't wait to get to book 2!

[Dolores]

What fun! Here's a new twist on the Odyssey. You definitely have to look hard to recognize some of the original elements under the twists and turns and zaniness of this graphic entry, but I saw a few things here. Zozimos is quite a character. I'm looking forward to the second book.

[Caroline]

This book is great!. The story is good. The language is amusing and the illustrations are entertaining. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

I read this aloud with a friend and we couldn't stop laughing.

[Tucker]

i thought this was an awesome book. from what Mrs. Outlaw (computer teacher) said it sounds like it matches the odyssey but in a fun doodle. i can't wait to read the second book because they leave you hanging at the very end in the middle of a story.

[Chris]

Not quite the straight graphic retelling of Homer's epic one might assume from the title, but a fun interpretation of it nevertheless. Just the right amount of silliness with pictures that are more expressive than one would expect.

[Janie]

this was a good book overall but it was a little confusing to me because I knew nothing about the Odyssey, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Greek Gods

[Patrick7]

I think it was a good book. It was kind of like the diary of a wimpy kid but in the times of ancient grease so if you likes diary of an wimpy kid and you like mythology you would like this story.

[Heather]

While this is geared for a young reader, I am thinking this will be enjoyed by anyone that read The Odyssey and has an irreverent sense of humor.

[Elia]

It's totally worth reading this just to see a stick figure crap his pants.

[Gabriel Perez Pacheco]

A comic adventure of a young fellow with the accomplishment of finding the lost city of SICATHA.
This book is full of comedy, danger and a lot of excitement. A humorous part of the story is when Zozimos shits out of fear of some ghosts.
This book is about a boy named Zozimos, that was the inheritor of the drone of the last city of Sicatha ,but a evil witch takes his throne and he gets lost of the city.He goes with his uncle to train him to defeat the evil witch and when Zozimos is ready he gets to an lost Island that he gets he becames prisioner,but then he escapes from that Island. At the end he fights with a colossal warrior to find the lost City of Sicatha. The author style is comic and benevolent because he gives you a very humorous feeling and kind about the main character..I feel that Zozimos is a family person, that just wants to kill the witch who killed his father.Also I think he is or acts like rude man because of his aunt that taught him that, but inside he cares about people and its for them indirectly.I think this book it was very good and hilarious, also very exiting, you should read it, I recommend to people who like comical books.

[Astin Kasper]

This was a pretty good book, because it started off with Zozimos getting sucked into a whirlpool and he has to try to find a way home to Sticatha before his evil step mom takes over the entire island. On the way trying to get back home he runs into some trouble with some mysterious creatures he’s never seen before. As he’s going from island to island one of the kings daughters fall in love and feels as Zozimos is her true love from her dreams. But as he goes through when he tries to get home he comes to a conclusion that he needs other people there with him to help because he can’t fight all these creatures by himself. I didn’t like the way author wrote the beginning he started off with him getting sucked into a whirlpool and then getting taught how to be a warrior by his uncle.

[John Driscoll]

A parody of Greek mythology, especially The Odyssey, in the form of a stick figure comic. It's not bad, but not amazing either.

I've read several other stick figure comics, and while this is the only one based on Greek mythology, in some ways it doesn't quite measure up to the others. The art's not as good and the emotional beats not as powerful as The Order of the Stick. It's not as clever as XKCD or as funny as Cyanide and Happiness. But Stickman Odyssey is still fun and enjoyable, and a pretty quick read. It's worth reading once, but I doubt I will remember much of the adventures of Zozimos or his friends Praxis, Atrukos, Asteria, and Alexa after a couple weeks.

[Ellen]

I am definitely not the target audience of this book, even though I like adventure and Greek mythology. I don't love the visual style, and hero Zozimos is way too self-absorbed. I can see why a certain type of kid might like it, though, and I had at least a few low-hanging chuckles from it. I'm wondering if Zozimos is going to grow up any in the second half; if this weren't a graphic novel I probably wouldn't bother with the end, but as such it's not that big of a commitment.

[Sarah]

I picked this up because the fam was going to see the Odyssey movie and I wanted a (real quick) review. My son thought this book (and its sequel) were so hilarious when he was a kid.
It technically is not Odysseus, but Zozimos who is on the journey. And he's not from Ithaca, but Sticatha. :)
Zozimos is just as self-centered as Odysseus, and has many adventures: sailing to far-off islands, meeting strange creatures, trying to get home.
It's a fun read.

[Dylan]

Another graphic novel for children, Stickman Odyssey was fun and funny. A playful story but not as powerful as many other graphic novels in this age range. A story better suited to those children looking for something fun and playful, something not quite as serious as Amulet or Doug TenNapel's books.