Lore Olympus: Volume One

If you live romances? This is for you. If you love mythology? This is for you. If you love beautiful illustrations and a storyline that will have you fully invested? This is for you. Rachel Smythe does a fantastic job of retelling such a common and popular myth in a way that is modernized and endearing, especially for those of us that prefer the tellings where Hades and Persephone truly love eachother. The only time I would say this book may not be for you is it very much so discusses trauma, particularly SA trauma, that in my opinion is so realistic and so true for so many of us down to the self-gaslighting. If you've experienced trauma and need to avoid it for your mental health sake, this book may not be for you. But I can say the way it's been handled so far in the Webtoon (which is more advanced than this first volume chapters wise) the growth is wonderful and healing for many. All in all, a gorgeous book.**Amazon could have packaged it a little better as a 4x too large box with 3 air bubble packs still resulted in my hardcover book arriving with a small ding in the front cover and 3 dented corners, especially given that this would have 100% fit in one of their dedicated book mailers and since I pre-ordered it the first day I could, it was the ONLY item in the shipment**

Rebecca Smythe is a wonderful writer and made the best story about the pantheon I’ve seen, yet. Her character designs are so beautiful! The art is gorgeous, I love the texture of brushes she uses.The relationships and the history between characters are so interesting and follows the pantheon well. They live in modern times on Olympus and in the Underworld, so have smartphones and whatnot, but the human world is living in ancient times.I love the facial expressions the characters make in any given situation. Adds to the overall mood of the scenes. It’s highly relatable and does justice to how a character feels about her sexual assault by another Olympian. The character even goes to therapy, which is very healthy and sets a good example on what should be done after such a trauma. Her assault wasn’t violent or graphic so it isn’t traumatic to read, but her emotions about it are realistic. So far there hasn’t been much justice but a handful of people close to her know and support her. It’s tastefully done so it shouldn’t trigger anyone too badly. I think it’s important to have in the story, some people don’t think sexual assault should be added to stories. But it’s a part of many peoples lives and feels like it adds solidarity among the characters and with the readers.I very, very highly recommend this comic.

Rachel Smythe’s “Lore Olympus” retells the Greek myths, though with a modern twist. Cars, phones, and other modern technology exists in the gods’ realms, but they still face all the usual foibles as a result of their nature that they might try to escape even as the fates bind them. Smythe primarily focuses on Hades and Persephone, but she also features Zeus and Hera, Artemis, Aphrodite and her son Eros, Eros’ love for the mortal woman Psyche, and more. She draws out the essences of their stories and relationships, demonstrating the universality of these myths all these thousands of years after their creation. In addition to her writing, Smythe illustrates the comics, which originally appeared on WEBTOON. She creates vibrant, individual character designs in a style that suggests motion even on a printed page, recalling such popular animation designs as in the work of Rebecca Sugar and Dana Terrace. Beyond the linework, Smythe makes beautiful use of color, splashing bold hues and carefully watercoloring individual characters, using greyscale for dramatic effect or colorless line drawings for the same. Just as Ancient Greece had complex gender relationships, the use of bi-lighting suggests the possibility for greater complexity in future installments. This hardcover collection contains episodes 1-25 of “Lore Olympus” and is great for fans and newcomers to enjoy the comics offline.

I started reading this title on the Webtoons app, and I have loved following the author's vivid noir take on the classic tale of Hades and Persephone with every update. And the new hardcover print version is even more glorious. The colors are richly vibrant and translate the original vertical scrolling format beautifully.Rachel Smythe's art style reminded me of Al Hirschfeld initially, with her bold lines and elegant curves, but it is truly her own. It gives the reader a feast for the eyes while conveying such nuance that I see and learn something new about every character each time I read it. Her use of color is mind blowing, so I am grateful it is just as amazing in print as it is online.She also broaches difficult topics such as bullying, PTSD, depression, date rape, communication breakdowns, toxic relationships, and gaslighting through the story in a way that brings awareness to them in a pointed way without making them the sole focus of the story. The characters are incredibly fleshed out people, with many facets to their lives. They are more than their traumas. And I love them for it.I am looking forward to having vol 2 and the rest of the Lore Olympus story in my personal collection. It will hold a place of honor there.Recommend for fans of Linda Sejic, Brodi Ashton, Jacqueline Carey, and Rainbow Rowell.TW: strong language and those listed above

I’ll be honest, I had seen this comic book and decided against ordering it for myself. I later received it as a gift and became ungodly obsessed to the point I’d read the entire book straight through once I got it (I have bought the two after this one). I even read all the recent episodes on web toon and am even paying for newly released ones. Love the characters, it’s made me laugh a lot, love the story line and the love plot line, it’s just adorable and fun and makes me smile a lot. There is some triggering stuff in the story line though regarding consent/rape but I think it could be educational for younger people reading it to learn more about consent.

Hermoso la perfección

100% recommended. The draws are amazing, ,quality is good (books are heavy,but that’s ok) and the story: AMAZING.

The media could not be loaded. Preciso dizer que estou fascinada como o livro é lindo em tudo, a história eu acompanho fielmente e digo permitam-se apaixonar pela forma que autora guia toda a história, o romance, a trama, os problemas, além da empatia de tratar certas temáticas mais dolorosas com respeito. Eu só consigo dizer que é um caminho sem volta, você se ver ligada aos personagens, seus problemas e seus traumas e só deseja o melhor a todos e o pior a outros. Uma palavra resume tudo: apaixonante. Mas não espere só alegrias, pois para crescer tem suas dores, e são elas que vão te deixar super estressado no livro mas tudo bem rsrsrs.

I absolutely love this graphic novel, the story flows beautifully with amazing artwork. It is definitely a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. I have read it twice so I could revisit the characters. The themes are adult and brutally honest, so would only recommend for mature readers, but I would definitely recommend this for graphic novel fans, Greek God enthusiasts or anyone who fancies something different.

I've known this comic for a while, and it's beyond beautiful. I've read the digital version on webtoon and decided to buy the hardcover books for collection purposes. It's beautiful and my favorite retelling of Hades and Persephone