The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds

based on the epic tale attributed to Homer, ofc.

I first read The Odyssey in a beautifully written and designed Hamlyn edition meant for young readers when I was 11. The hardcover volume was a gift from my best friend’s parents, and I devoured it repeatedly before I left for boarding school at 14. I even brought the book back to the US with me from Malaysia the last time I visited, so it’s in my home library where it belongs, somewhat the worse for wear but still very much loved.

I’ve never felt a strong urge to reread it as an adult, however, especially given the way that more recent retellings have offered interesting new perspectives on the original (see: Madeline Miller’s Circe. Hunh, I thought I had other examples that I’ve personally read but they’re of different chapters of Greek myth, lol. Also, I think I have a copy of the Emily Wilson translation somewhere: I just continue to not have the time!) The publicity surrounding the upcoming Christopher Nolan movie has rekindled my interest in at least refamiliarizing myself with the source material tho, so this graphic novel landed on my desk at the exact right time for evaluation.

Essentially, this is the story of the wily King of Ithaca, the last king to agree to join the Achaeans (i.e. Greeks) in the battle to retake Helen from Troy. The war has ended and everyone has eventually dispersed. Odysseus and his crew, however, keep being blown off-course on their voyage home, usually due to being venal or just plain dumb. Eventually, only Odysseus is left of his original crew, languishing on an island for years as the prisoner of the beautiful nymph Calypso.

Meanwhile, his wife Penelope and now-grown son Telemachus are left to fend off the “suitors” who are sucking Ithaca dry as they pressure her to pick one of them to marry so that Ithaca can have a king again. The gods eventually tell Calypso to let Odysseus go, so off he pops to cleanse his household of ingrates and traitors.

And idk if it’s me growing up or Gareth Hinds refusing to sugarcoat stuff here but, wow, you can really see what a dick Odysseus was! Mr Hinds doesn’t make it super obvious but anyone who can read subtext knows that Odysseus was full of shit. It’s also so interesting how the author frames this as a window into a different time and place. Odysseus is only really valorized by others for having good manners and a rocking bod (lol.)

The narrative is very faithful to the original, from what I can recollect. The watercolor and ink illustrations certainly help keep the book compact. I imagine that this is the kind of volume that can make an otherwise fairly wordy epic feel much more accessible to younger readers, tho I do side-eye the people who classify this as children’s literature when it is very solidly Young Adult. It is always one thing to describe a gory incident with words: depicting the same incident in pictures enhances the violence, and should always up a piece of media’s recommended maturity level.

Not the worst way to introduce Young Adult readers to the classics, tho I do strongly believe that it should be done with the assistance of an adult on hand to encourage discussion and interrogation.

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds was published May 12 2026 by Candlewick and is available from all good booksellers, including