The Odyssey Hardcover – 1 Nov 2005

'The Odyssey' (64 pp) was published in hardback by 'Heavy Metal' magazine; the book is undated, but apparently was published in 2006. It compiles all the comics originally published in serial form in 1983 in 'Heavy Metal'.The story of Odysseus needs no introduction, but Navarro's adaptation is a serviceable treatment of the legend. It's the intricate pen-and-ink artwork of artist Jose Sauri that really makes this graphic novel impressive.Since all we know visually about ancient Greece is what has come down to us as illustrations on vases, urns, tiles, and other items, Sauri adopts the same illustrative style. The result is artwork with an emphasis on contrasting blacks and whites and linework; graytones are absent.In a sense, Sauri's artwork is as 'authentic' a depiction of ancient Grecian culture as any (and the Frank Miller comic and film '300' come to mind here, but in my opinion, Sauri's draftsmanship is much more accurate, and visually pleasing).As the other reviewers have noted, this is a Eurocomic, published in 'Heavy Metal' and thus contains nudity and depictions of R-rated sexual encounters between Odysseus and nubile young women. As such, it probably isn't suitable for use as a teaching tool in a (US) high school class; but then again, given the ubiquity of internet porn, I suspect 99% of highschoolers will find its content quaint, rather than titillating.

This B&W graphic novel does a fair job with Homer's classic story - one that's been told and retold for the last two thousand years or so. This version, by Franco Navarro and Jose Saliri do a respectable job of bringing the tale to a generation less oriented towards text. The visual style starts with the drama of broad, saturated blacks and stark whites, then uses that to present the many moods of The Odyssey: passionate, violent, heroic, vengeful, and finally loving.This is a Heavy Metal production, so anyone shy about the unclad form can just stroll on by - but it's not a central theme, either, and appears only where it makes narrative sense. The drawing style works well, with varied and expressive characters, monsters, and scenes. For some reason, though, the artwork never wholly grabbed me. You might enjoy it, but you might not go very far out of your way to do so.-- wiredweirdPS: Amazon's ISBN for this book does not match the one printed on the cover: 192341343X.

I ordered this book hoping to use it in a teaching unit on classical mythology. If you are thinking about using it in a classroom setting don't order. I had to return the book because it was filled with a lot of nudity. Buyer beware.