"Odysseus" by Massimo Fecchi:
This is a comic book version of the Odyssey from the Itailian artist Massimo Fecchi which I read when I was in elementary school. It is beautifully drawn and fun to read especially for younger children since it tells the whole story in a simplified and humorous way. I loved the way that the characters were presented although it alters the original story slightly.
This is a comic book version of the Odyssey from the Itailian artist Massimo Fecchi which I read when I was in elementary school. It is beautifully drawn and fun to read especially for younger children since it tells the whole story in a simplified and humorous way. I loved the way that the characters were presented although it alters the original story slightly.
Penelope, for instance is a -let's say corpulent- lady who wants Odysseus to come home whereas Odysseus is a trickster who doesn't really want to come home to his wife for she is bossing him around all the time. So Odysseus has the time of his life while he is on his journey. He isn't very sad about not being able to come home because he has a blast. He goes on adventures and meets pretty ladies while Penelope and Telemachus are waiting at home. There is this one picture which I absolutely love: Penelope is standing at the coast of Ithaca, seeing Odysseus' ship sailing away again, and she raises her fist and threatens him because he refuses to come home to her. It is very funny.
The whole story actually starts out in a
hilarious way. Hermes is telling the whole plot and he begins by
introducing the reader to Homer who is in trouble because his wife is
sick and tired of him writing his epic all the time. He supposedly hasn't left his room for five years. However, he doesn't care about her yelling and being upset. So she leaves and his last words to her are "close the door". Now that his annoying wife is gone, he can devote himself to his work even more.
Years later, he is already an old man, Homer finally finishes his Odyssey and it is almost lost because he wrote it all on loose sheets of paper.
As you can see, this interpretation of the epic is very entertaining probably because the characters appear to be even more human and have everyday problems (such as a bossy wife).
About the artist: http://lambiek.net/artists/f/fecchi_massimo.htm
The Adventures of Ulysses: http://fecchi-odysseus.blogspot.com/ (also available in English and Italian)
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