ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

Hinds presents a faithful adaptation of Homer's Iliad as the latest addition to his series of graphic novel adaptations of classics. Chronicling the events that took place in the tenth year of the Trojan War, the conflict fought between the Achaeans and the Trojans, Hinds' adaptation sincerely portrays the melancholy nature of war, including its effect on those involved, and includes plenty of detail about the battles between the rival armies. There are copious characters, including heroes, rulers, gods, and goddesses, most of whom can be difficult to keep track of, despite Hinds' best efforts to differentiate them with unique helmets and shields. (The front matter includes a key to the main characters and their individual armor.) The text is dense and rich in imagery, with the occasional footnote added for clarity. Hinds' illustrations are realistically detailed, though moreso in the characters than the setting, giving the book as a whole an atmospheric feel. Fans of mythology will enjoy this book, of course, but fans of epic fantasy will favor it, as well.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Hinds (The Odyssey) offers another ambitious and compelling comics adaptation of a Homerian epic. In the tenth year of the Trojan War, Greek leaders Achilles and King Agamemnon seek to conquer Troy while Zeus and other gods and goddesses prove to be fickle and meddlesome war agents. Arresting pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations propel readers, shifting from neat panels during peacetime to angular layouts during physical and emotional strife. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

"Sing to me, O Muse, of the rage of Achilles": a rousing graphic rendition of Homer's great epic.It's a blood-soaked poem of primeval war, one ostensibly fought over a certain daughter of Zeus who turned the wrong head—"Or possibly an apple, or a lot of gold, or control of trade routes"—that brought vast armies to the plains of Troy. In a fight personified by two heroes, Trojan Hector and Greek Achilles, there's more than a little graphic violence here—but nothing other than what Homer himself described, as when Achilles' spear finds Hector's neck, followed by Achilles' intemperate curse: "Your corpse goes to the dogs." That's not very sporting, and of course Achilles gets his comeuppance. Hinds allows that his version is not complete, but all the best bits are there, and he provides some helpful interpretive hints—identifying the principal helmeted Greek and Trojan warriors with subtle alphabetical designs on their breastplates, for instance. The best graphic panels are the ones that show the war's vastness, with a two-page spread of those famed thousand ships crossing the Hellespont, another panel showing the Greek army spilling out onto the plain, "like the great flock of migrating birds that take wing in the meadows by the stream of Caÿster—as numerous as the leaves of a forest." An author's note and page-by-page notes provide further context.An expertly crafted rendition and a welcome invitation to younger readers to immerse themselves in the ancient past. (map, bibliography) (Graphic adaptation. 10-adult)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In his latest graphic novel adaptation of a classic text, Hinds (The Odyssey) condenses Homer-s epic poem of gods and mortals at war, covering most of the major events and adding supplemental material that expands the story slightly beyond the original. The Trojan War has been raging for nine years when King Agamemnon slights Achilles, his best warrior, beginning a feud. A cascade of resulting tragedies leads to ever more bitter battles between the Achaean and Trojan armies, with terrible losses on both sides. Hinds takes painstaking efforts with his fine-lined watercolors to depict each character in a readily distinguishable way, even while in pitched battle, fully armored. The excellent visual guides, maps, and notes aid in this task and further contextualize the epic-s time, place, and significance. The most striking scenes are the battles, presented in intimate detail and in awe-inspiring, sweeping overviews. Hinds-s relatively plain language retains just enough meter to hint at the cadences of the work, and, together with the dynamic art, creates an accessible entrée to an enduring classic. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)