Member Reviews
'Telemachus 1: In Search of Ulysses' by Kid Toussaint with art by Kenny Ruiz is a graphic novel for younger readers about the son of Ulysses.
Ulysses is a great warrior, but not the best father. Now he is off on the Odyssey and his son Telemachus thinks he is in danger, plus things at home are getting weird with suitors showing up to woo his mom, so he decides to go find his father. Along the way, he picks up some interesting companions to help him out.
This is a fun, adventurous story and has some good art. A young reader might even accidentally learn some things about the Trojan War along the way.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
At a certain age, many male readers stop being interested in books. That age is between 3rd and 6th grade. It can be hard to keep these boys reading, but books such as this one help. Introducing them to graphic novels and then pairing them with read-a-likes that are more verbose has been a winning strategy at my library. This is a perfect graphic novel that I could pair with Rick Riordan books! It would certainly grab a young boy's attention!
I loved the art and I really enjoyed the story. I have no idea how accurate this is to the 'original' story but it's an enjoyable story anyway!
It's a really cute adaptation of the Odyssey as told from the point of view of Odysseus's son - BUT it bugs the everlasting crap out of me that they use Greek names for EVERYONE except for Odysseus who they keep referring to as Ulysses.
I really enjoyed this book! I love the Greek mythology retelling, but of a lesser known story; great for Percy Jackson fans. The art style of very manga-influenced and Telemachus gave me Naruto vibes, which could be a great sell for a reluctant reader. I enjoyed the ragtag group dynamic and the balance between slapstick and seriousness. n My only compliant was that it was too short/ended abruptly, so I do hope a sequel comes out soon! Feels like a great middle school graphic novel!
I thought this was a rather fun retelling of Telemachus's search for his father Odysseus. (Yes, he is referred to as Ulysses in the comic which is the Roman equivalent. I'm hoping it was just messed up in the translation from French to English.) Odysseus has been missing for years after leaving Troy and Telemachus has never even met his father. Telemachus runs away to find out what happened to his father, making friends and taking on crew as he goes. The art is very bright and Manga influenced. I quite liked it and am looking forward to the next volume.
The art style was expressive and overall enjoyable, though there is something to be noted about how revealing the clothing choices for the female characters are. Otherwise, I can see that this would be pretty engaging to read for a younger audience. The panels flow well visually, and the colorist does a very good job with the variety in the panels' backgrounds.
I can't quite decide what to make of this one. The art style is cute and there's some fun engagement with Greek myths, while subverting them (Nobody the cyclops and Polycaste refusing to settle for being forcibly being betrothed being my main ones). The mixing up of Roman and Greek names for the protagonists was a bit confusing and the wider cast of characters is quite large, so much so that it really helps to know the original stories to keep track of who is who. Not totally sold on Polycaste's outfit either, kind of undersells the feminist aspects of her story.
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free comic.*
The Trojan War has been over for a while now, but Ulysses still hasn't come home to his wife Penelope and his now teenage son Telemachus. The latter is growing more impatient by the day and decides to find his missing father.
He is accompanied by Polycaste (daughter of Nestor) who runs away from her arranged marriage with a changing of important sons of more important fathers.
The comic does not cover the entire story as it is only Volume 1 and more is yet to come.
This was a very short and fun read but I like re-tellings. The feminist undertone was also quite fun. I also liked how the comic was drawn.
I would have enjoyed some more detail and story tbh. And does Polycaste always right in her underwear?
3 Stars. Entertaining.
Hmmm… Greek myth (a sequel of sorts to The Odyssey), but done with garish and frankly ugly cartoonish imagery. The visualisations of Poseidon and the Sirens are fine, but the rest is really poor. Plus the narrative leaves a lot to be desired. And how can you trust a book about a Greek bloke that is constantly called by his Roman equivalent name? One and a half stars.
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
I do have to wonder why a Greek girl would be wearing something like Polycaste does, but over all this is a pretty interesting re-imagining of the story of Odysseus. It focuses on Telemachus and his quest to find out what happened to his father. The driving impulse seems to be the idea that his mother is thinking about remarrying, which is actually a refreshing change from the original.
Telemachus is somewhat like an ancient version of Captain America, but he gets together a pretty interesting group of Aveneg. . . er companions – including a son of enemy of Odysseus.
The art is cute, almost like anime, but it works and fits the story. Readers should play attention because they are some really nice lines that minor characters have. While not entirely true to the works of Homer, this is a really fun read and would be a good introduction to the Matter of Troy for a child.
I would like to start of by thanking Netgalley and Europe comics for the chance of reading this books!
As someone who loves comics, graphic novels and all the like, as well as ADORE the greek mythology and the like, Telemachus was a great read!
It follows up after The Iliad, around the time of The Odyssey, but not on the tale of Odysseus and yes his son, Telemachus, who goes on a adventure to go and find his dad before his mom is made to marry again.
With funny dialogue and writting, Kid Toussaint and Kenny Ruiz bring a new fun light on our old tale of The Odyssey, with a Telemachus who really isn't as smart as his dad, and doesn't actually believe in the Gods only to have it all thrown at him is his rescue mission! Together with him we have the lovely lady Poly as she runs from her arranged marriage, and lots of mythological creatures as a Wind Godling, Cyclops who idolize Odysseus.
It's a fun, easy and fast read that I recommend and can't wait for the next volumes!
A fun, fast action episode of Telemachus, who is looking for his dad, Ulysses, and gets caught up in international and godlike affairs. There is teen comedy, quick wit and adventures all around. Highly recommended.
I really liked the idea behind this graphic novel. It tells a story based on Greek mythology about Telemachus who is the son of Ulysses. When Ulysses doesn't return from the Trojan war, Telemachus decides to go and look for him. Along the way he is joined by others who will help him in his quest but there are people who want to thwart him and he has adventures and narrow escapes as his quest progresses.
This is book one of the series and I thought it was entertaining. It is aimed at a young audience but I think adults will enjoy it as well. It was not a strong favorite with me because I didn't like the graphics. Of course that is simply a matter of personal taste. I think other readers and particularly young people and children will enjoy this story from Greek mythology told from the perspective of the children of the heroes of legend.
Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Enjoyed quickly reading this book. I loved the art style it's so pretty to look at.
This comic is based on Greek mythology, but instead of what people already know (the battle of troy, the trojan horse, etc) it looks at the children of the warriors. I liked how the females are portrayed, and although they can't choose their own future in most cases they still tried to say something, and how it acknowledges the bisexual nature of ancient Greeks.
Only downside of reading this is the fact that it is quite short and their is too many things going on with the story quickly flitting from one part to the other. It can get quite confusing while reading.
Comic provided by Netgalley for a review
As a teacher of the Odyssey, I would definitely recommend this to complement our study. It would provide info about of Odysseus's son's parallel journey.