YOMTOV, Neil , retel Jason and the Golden Fleece illus. by Gerardo Sandoval. ISBN 978-1-4342-1172-9 ; ISBN 978-1-4342-1385-3 . LC 2008032064. ea vol: 72p. (Graphic Revolve Series). glossary. Web sites. CIP. Stone Arch 2009. PLB $25.32; pap. $6.95. Gr 3-5 Perseus fares considerably better than Jason here, with a solid awareness of how to balance visual depiction and expository captions, evident right from the striking prologue. While the artwork is cartoony and the dialogue deliberately casual and modern, the style doesnt prevent the artist from providing heroic vistas, or the author from slipping in a couple of humorous moments, and the action is sufficiently thrilling. Jasons story is told in a loose, sketchy style that has an amiable energy and a blocky representationalism that holds a degree of charm. Unfortunately, the artwork and narration exhibit some seriously clunky storytelling that seems unable to muster a sense of either heroic spectacle or simple narrative transitions. A particularly bizarre circumstance has Jason go from having stubble to a full beard over a period that may be as short as a day. The fact that this happens right after a sequence in which Jason tells Cupid-struck Medea that he loves her for reasons that are never expressed through words or pictures seems to indicate a marked absence of a clear plan as to how to reinterpret this myth and make it accessible or even consistent. Each volume closes with a brief glossary, discussion questions, and Web links to a set of preselected Web sites. None of these features really elevates these titles to an academic level, but Perseus , at least, is sufficiently entertaining not to need overt curricular justification. Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

This full-color graphic novel is an adaptation of the Greek myth of the hero half-god Perseus. A king demands that Perseus retrieve MedusaÆs head. Thus the first trial of this hero begins. The goddess Athena helps him along the way. The graphic novel details his assistance from the nymphs and Hermes, PerseusÆ trickery with the Gray Witches to gain MedusaÆs address, and his ultimate fight with Medusa. His trip home fulfills a destiny that had been decreed before his birthùhis grandfather dying by PerseusÆ own hand. Information about monsters in the myths, discussion questions and writing prompts are also included. As one of the four hero myth tales being retold by Stone ArchÆs Graphic Resolve series, this adaptation succeeds fairly well. The story does not feel shortened drastically at any given point. The pacing flows nicely from one part of the adventure to the next. As with the others in the series, the text is written at a third grade level encouraging a wider audience for this title. The artwork has many memorable panels; in particular, MedusaÆs stone garden was both horrific and wonderfully detailed. The character designs would be at home in a role playing fantasy video game. Upper elementary and junior high readers who enjoy mythology or the recent Percy Jackson and the Olympians series will eagerly grab this graphic novel.ùKristin Fletcher-Spear.