Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Starred Review As the proliferation of recent Odyssey graphic novelizations approaches the record held by Shakespeare adaptations, it is perhaps appropriate that Hinds, the Bard's premiere sequential adapter, should produce the most lavish retelling of Homer yet. Showing great artistic evolution since his rough-and-tumble Beowulf (2007), Hinds lets the epic story take its time, with a slow build and pages that aren't afraid to alternate packed dialogue with titanic action. The sumptuous art, produced with grain, texture, and hue, evokes a time long past while detailing every line and drop of sweat on Odysseus' face and conveying the sheer grandeur of seeing a god rise out of the ocean. Teens may be baffled by the hero's commitment to the same pantheon of gods who heap trouble in his path, but they will not lose touch with the universal qualities of steadfastness that Odysseus still embodies. The mythic trials have seldom felt more grueling or genuine, and this makes a perfect pairing with Tim Mucci and Ben Caldwell's adaptation for a slightly younger audience from the All-Action Classics series, affording a chance to see how an archetypal story can function so powerfully at both the realistic and the stylized ends of the artistic spectrum. A grand example of Hinds' ability to combine historical adventure with human understanding.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Citing classic translations of The Odyssey as sources, Hinds retells Homer's epic in pictures plus a judicious minimum of words, sticking to the original intricate, twenty-four-chapter order. Brief as the text of this graphic version is, it makes an accessible and effective complement to the dramatic pencil and watercolor art that explicates and interprets the story. A worthy companion to great predecessors.

Kirkus Reviews

Hinds adds another magnificent adaptation to his oeuvre ( King Lear , 2009, etc.) with this stunning graphic retelling of Homer's epic. Following Odysseus's journey to return home to his beloved wife, Penelope, readers are transported into a world that easily combines the realistic and the fantastic. Gods mingle with the mortals, and not heeding their warnings could lead to quick danger; being mere men, Odysseus and his crew often make hasty errors in judgment and must face challenging consequences. Lush watercolors move with fluid lines throughout this reimagining. The artist's use of color is especially striking: His battle scenes are ample, bloodily scarlet affairs, and Polyphemus's cave is a stifling orange; he depicts the underworld as a colorless, mirthless void, domestic spaces in warm tans, the all-encircling sea in a light Mediterranean blue and some of the far-away islands in almost tangibly growing greens. Don't confuse this hefty, respectful adaptation with some of the other recent ones; this one holds nothing back and is proudly, grittily realistic rather than cheerfully cartoonish. Big, bold, beautiful. (notes) ( Graphic classic. YA)

School Library Journal (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 7 Up-Taking a world-famous epic poem and adapting it into a graphic-novel format for modern readers is certainly an enormous endeavor. But since Hinds already performed the same feat quite admirably with Beowulf (Candlewick, 2007) he has proven himself more than capable of the task. To sum up the classic story: Odysseus tries to get home after the Trojan War, but many obstacles are thrown in his way, and many people, creatures, and gods try to stop him. His men are loyal on the one hand, yet bad at following critical orders on the other, which results in even more delays. Meanwhile, his faithful wife Penelope waits for him while fending off scores of impatient suitors. Luckily for Odysseus, he does have a few supporters, including the goddess Athena. Hinds's beautiful watercolors skillfully capture the rosy-fingered dawn, the wine-dark sea, the land of the dead, and many other settings and characters that will inspire readers. This adaptation goes far above and beyond the "highlights" coverage that other versions such as Tim Mucci's The Odyssey (Sterling, 2010) provide. Hinds's work will be a welcome addition for fans of Homer's original work and for newcomers to this classic story. Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library