2010
WISE Score
Amazon
Odysseus takes the 10-year scenic route home, stabs a giant in the eye, and Gareth Hinds makes the whole detour look absolutely stunning.
4.7
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This is the gold standard for graphic novel adaptations. If your kid thinks Greek mythology begins and ends with Percy Jackson, this is the necessary next step.
It’s gritty, beautiful, and way more engaging than a SparkNotes summary. It respects the reader's intelligence and the source material's intensity. If you have a kid who 'hates reading' but loves visual storytelling, this is a must-buy.
Best for ages 12 and up. Middle schoolers will find it cool, high schoolers will find it a lifesaver for English class, and adults will appreciate it as a work of art.
At its heart, it's about a man's desperate, decade-long struggle to return to his wife and son. However, Odysseus isn't exactly a Boy Scout—he spends years with other women and kills a lot of people. It's emotionally resonant but morally complex.
Gareth Hinds' watercolor and pencil work is a masterclass in visual storytelling. He takes 2,500-year-old descriptions and turns them into cinematic, atmospheric panels that make the supernatural feel grounded and terrifying.
It's an epic about war and monsters, so expect some blood. We're talking spears through necks, a giant eating sailors, and a graphic eye-stabbing. It's 'safe' because it's exactly what you expect from Greek myths, but it's not for the squeamish or very young children.
This is the ultimate 'cheat code' for cultural literacy. It makes one of the most important foundations of Western literature accessible and genuinely exciting without stripping away the depth of the original epic.
Most kids encounter The Odyssey as a dusty, translated-from-the-Greek chore that feels about as exciting as reading a manual for a lawnmower. It’s a shame, because the actual story is a high-octane survival horror adventure featuring a protagonist who is more of a cunning anti-hero than a Boy Scout. Gareth Hinds understands this. He strips away the "thous" and "thees" and replaces them with cinematic pacing that makes the 2,500-year-old story feel like a storyboard for a Ridley Scott movie.
If your student is struggling with the literal or figurative weight of the original epic, this isn't just a "cheat sheet"—it’s a translation into a language they actually speak. Hinds uses color palettes to signal where we are in the story: the dusty browns of the present day, the vibrant blues of the sea, and the hazy, dreamlike tones of the flashbacks. It’s a visual shorthand that helps readers keep track of a non-linear plot that usually trips people up.
We see Odysseus not as a statue, but as a guy who is genuinely exhausted, terrified, and occasionally a total jerk. This version makes it clear that his 10-year detour isn't just bad luck; it’s often his own fault. That’s a much more interesting conversation to have with a teenager than a lecture on "epic poetry."
The artwork here is a massive step up from the standard, mass-produced graphic novel style. Hinds uses watercolors and pencil work that give the gods a sense of scale and terrifying power. When Poseidon shows up, he isn't just a guy with a trident; he’s a literal force of nature.
For kids who have moved past the middle-grade humor of Percy Jackson and want something that feels "adult," this hits the sweet spot. It respects their intelligence. It doesn't skip the darker parts of the myth—the Cyclops gets his eye put out with a sharpened stake, and the suitors meet a very messy end. If you're worried about the specific level of gore or the "seductive" nature of the goddesses, check out our parent's guide to the visual intensity of this adaptation to see if it’s a fit for your specific kid.
This is the logical next step for the Rick Riordan crowd. While those books use mythology as a playground, Hinds uses it as a high-stakes tragedy. It’s the perfect bridge for a kid who loves the idea of Greek gods but finds the actual ancient texts impenetrable.
You’re getting the full story here—the Lotus Eaters, Circe, the Sirens, the Scylla and Charybdis—but it’s delivered with a rhythm that feels modern. It turns a "classic" into a page-turner. If you want to see a kid actually get excited about their English lit curriculum, leave this on the coffee table and wait for them to pick it up. They will.
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