Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess

Publishers Weekly

Following the first book in the Olympians series, Zeus: King of the Gods, this volume begins with a quick summary of the previous tale, before moving on to the story of the goddess of wisdom. O’Connor does a nice job of using the three Fates to do the serious storytelling of the myth, while incorporating casual, fun dialogue between characters and making the portrayal of the difficult friendship between Athena and her best friend, Pallas, daughter of Triton, relatable to modern readers. In the emotional scenes in which the two fight in a tournament and Athena accidentally stabs her friend, the two girls’ faces are expressive and clear, showing all the love, fear, and guilt they feel. The necessarily episodic story moves lightly from one narrative to another, with endnotes that give concise and clear explanations of the myths and their characters. O’Connor also gives some information about the lives of women in ancient Greece, noting, “I’m glad I live in a time when girls can be more like Athena,” thus bringing the story into the here-and-now for its readers. Ages 9-up. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

Review in 3/15 Kirkus

Following the series opener that chronicled Zeus’s origin story, O’Connor’s next relates the details of his daughter Athena’s birth and some of the stories about her. The three Fates narrate in stately language, briefly recapping the rise of the Olympians before turning to Zeus’s relationship with Metis, which ends when he eats her to avoid his prophesied overthrow by their child. Following Athena’s miraculous emergence from his head, fully grown, she struggles to find her place in the world and among the gods. The Fates go on to recount how she adopted the first name Pallas and acquired the components of her Aegis, which includes the story of Perseus and Andromeda, and Athena’s confrontation with Arachne. While less unified in narrative structure than the previous book, this nevertheless shares its strengths—a balance between heightened narration and colloquial dialogue, superb graphic storytelling with extended wordless action sequences, energetic backmatter and a palpable fondness for the subject matter. Up next? Hera. (author’s note, character profiles, “G[r]eek Notes,” discussion questions, bibliography) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)

Starred Review in 5/1 School Library Journal

Gr 5-9–Five myths featuring the Greek goddess are included in this volume. Dialogue is modern (“What’s gotten into you, Zeus?” “I wanna bite him!”), while narration, provided by the Fates, retains a more formal tone. A good balance is struck between exposition and action: readers familiar with these stories will enjoy seeing them brought to life with such vigor, while sufficient background is provided so that children reading about the Greek gods for the first time will not find themselves lost at sea. The family tree of the immortals is a useful tool even for the most experienced readers. O’Connor’s drawings, full of energetic diagonals and expressive faces, are nicely balanced by spare settings and minimalistic backgrounds. A sophisticated color palette, full of midtones and subtle contrasts, and panel layouts that vary from page to page further distinguish the art. The author’s affection for his subject is evident in a chatty note. Profiles of major characters, notes, and discussion questions appear in addition to the usual back matter. An exceptional graphic novel.–Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

Children's Literature - Michael Jung

Following his graphic novel Zeus: King of the Gods, which told stories of Greek god Zeus' birth, early childhood, and war with the Titans, comic book creator O'Connor now turns his attention to Zeus' daughter Athena. Narrated by the Fates, this graphic novel reveals how Zeus' fears that his child would overthrow him caused him to devour his first wife Metis, who gave birth to Athena within Zeus' head and enabled her to emerge full-grown from Zeus' skull. From there, readers find more stories about this unusual goddess—from her early years of training with the warrior women of Libya, to her epic battle with the Gigantes leader Pallas, to her role in the creation of the snake-haired monster Medusa. With each story Athena gains a new trophy for her aegis, a cape that symbolizes her power and relates the history of this wise but also terrible goddess. Fans of Greek mythology will be pleased at how well Athena's stories translate to the comic book form (no surprise since many of today's comic book superheroes, including Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Hulk, are largely based on earlier pantheons of gods and monsters). Yet credit must also go to O'Connor, whose excellent grasp of comic book pacing gives Athena's stories an almost cinematic feel. The book ends with several notes that provide more details about Athena's stories, as well as a handy bibliography for readers curious about other Greek myths. Highly recommended. Reviewer: Michael Jung

School Library Journal

Gr 5–9—Five myths featuring the Greek goddess are included in this volume. Dialogue is modern ("What's gotten into you, Zeus?" "I wanna bite him!"), while narration, provided by the Fates, retains a more formal tone. A good balance is struck between exposition and action: readers familiar with these stories will enjoy seeing them brought to life with such vigor, while sufficient background is provided so that children reading about the Greek gods for the first time will not find themselves lost at sea. The family tree of the immortals is a useful tool even for the most experienced readers. O'Connor's drawings, full of energetic diagonals and expressive faces, are nicely balanced by spare settings and minimalistic backgrounds. A sophisticated color palette, full of midtones and subtle contrasts, and panel layouts that vary from page to page further distinguish the art. The author's affection for his subject is evident in a chatty note. Profiles of major characters, notes, and discussion questions appear in addition to the usual back matter. An exceptional graphic novel.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

Kirkus Reviews

Following the series opener that chronicled Zeus's origin story, O'Connor's next relates the details of his daughter Athena's birth and some of the stories about her. The three Fates narrate in stately language, briefly recapping the rise of the Olympians before turning to Zeus's relationship with Metis, which ends when he eats her to avoid his prophesied overthrow by their child. Following Athena's miraculous emergence from his head, fully grown, she struggles to find her place in the world and among the gods. The Fates go on to recount how she adopted the first name Pallas and acquired the components of her Aegis, which includes the story of Perseus and Andromeda, and Athena's confrontation with Arachne. While less unified in narrative structure than the previous book, this nevertheless shares its strengths-a balance between heightened narration and colloquial dialogue, superb graphic storytelling with extended wordless action sequences, energetic backmatter and a palpable fondness for the subject matter. Up next? Hera. (author's note, character profiles, "G[r]eek Notes," discussion questions, bibliography) (Graphic mythology. 8-14)

VOYA - Karen Sykeny

This wonderful, full-color graphic novel highlights some of the best tales about the Greek goddess Athena and is the second volume in the Olympians series. The book takes sometimes complex and confusing Greek mythology and breaks it down into a fun, action-packed collection of stories about one of the most important Greek goddesses. The author accomplishes this feat without losing too much content by converting it into a graphic format and making it easier for younger readers to understand and learn. The illustrations are very well done and tell the mythological stories in a visually dramatic way. This volume and the series as a whole are an essential purchase for all graphic novel collections. It will be popular among fantasy readers and those looking for adventure reads. It could also be used as a teaching tool in the literature classroom. Handy author's "Greek" notes about significant panels, discussion questions, and fact pages on major characters are great extras. The quality and consistency of both artwork and storytelling make this one of the best graphic novel series in recent years. Thankfully, it stays away from the manga craze that so many classic literature graphic retellings fall into now. Even though it's not specifically written for an older audience, this series may appeal to older teens or adults who enjoy graphic novel format retellings of classic literature. Reviewer: Karen Sykeny