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sofipitch's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I have sooo many opinions I don't even know where to start! I have spent like all day reading this, basically couldn't put it down. I'm supposed to be doing class work and this webcomics is not helping. Especially when basically every chapter ends in a cliffhanger.
So I wasn't sure I was going to like this. The first chapter made it seem like it was going to be mostly a drama and while there is a lot of that I feel like the main appeal (to me at least) is how goddamn FUNNY this comic is. Seriously, if you like the kind of humor is Scott Pligrim you'll love this. I was introduced to greek mythology through pjo so I love depictions of the gods that are funny, I think many adaptations do a disservice to the mythos when they take it too seriously. The gods are dumb assholes, with lots of issues, that's the appeal. The changes to the mythology are that the gods are living in modern day but if they go to the mortal world it's ancient Greece, so it's like they are more advanced. The author plays around with the modern setting a lot which is fun. I loved the Fates wearing funky 90s clothes for no explained reason. They also cut the familial connections between most of the gods but that at least makes things less incesty. I don't like that the author chose to make Persephone 19 years old. I think she could've been a little older. But I guess I never thought about the age difference between Hades and Persephone but at least she's not his niece (on both sides) in this version so I guess there is that.
I have complicated feelings about the art style. On one hand the author will have really cool panels, especially when the gods are using their powers. Both emotion and humor are done really well, it transfers quite nicely. However the character design is meh. Most characters of the same gender look almost exactly the same, just different hair. One panel had Eros and Apollo facing each other and it looked like the author drew one and copy pasted the other. It's worse for the girl characters bc they are all super curvy, half the size of the men (who are also all ripped). Only 2 female characters look that different, Hestia is pudgy and Athena is tall. For all the girls we've seen it's not a lot of variety. Also diversity is majorly missing. Like I know the mythic characters are all the colors of the rainbow but they could still have characters of different races represented through kinky hair or some such. No one can defend with the "but its GREEK mythology" bc in some versions characters such as Andromeda or Pallas are stated to have come from Africa. Also Persephone is black in some versions. So no, it's not inaccurate to have black characters. Also there are lots of gay relationships in greek mythology and that has come up 0 times so far. It just feels inaccurate for all the relationships/affairs shown so far to have been straight.
But overall I love it. I'm excited this is getting a cartoon. I hope they keep the art style (but diversify the character design). For all my complaints, I couldn't put it down. The plot will have me on the edge of my seat and the humor often has me close to laughing out loud but mostly just smiling at my computer like a crazy person.
Also there are trigger warnings for any chapter that needs them which is super nice.
Update: reading this in real time is kind of frustrating bc every update feels way too short. Like, I waited a week for this? It's also been harder to get over my issues with the gendered art style.
So I wasn't sure I was going to like this. The first chapter made it seem like it was going to be mostly a drama and while there is a lot of that I feel like the main appeal (to me at least) is how goddamn FUNNY this comic is. Seriously, if you like the kind of humor is Scott Pligrim you'll love this. I was introduced to greek mythology through pjo so I love depictions of the gods that are funny, I think many adaptations do a disservice to the mythos when they take it too seriously. The gods are dumb assholes, with lots of issues, that's the appeal. The changes to the mythology are that the gods are living in modern day but if they go to the mortal world it's ancient Greece, so it's like they are more advanced. The author plays around with the modern setting a lot which is fun. I loved the Fates wearing funky 90s clothes for no explained reason. They also cut the familial connections between most of the gods but that at least makes things less incesty. I don't like that the author chose to make Persephone 19 years old. I think she could've been a little older. But I guess I never thought about the age difference between Hades and Persephone but at least she's not his niece (on both sides) in this version so I guess there is that.
I have complicated feelings about the art style. On one hand the author will have really cool panels, especially when the gods are using their powers. Both emotion and humor are done really well, it transfers quite nicely. However the character design is meh. Most characters of the same gender look almost exactly the same, just different hair. One panel had Eros and Apollo facing each other and it looked like the author drew one and copy pasted the other. It's worse for the girl characters bc they are all super curvy, half the size of the men (who are also all ripped). Only 2 female characters look that different, Hestia is pudgy and Athena is tall. For all the girls we've seen it's not a lot of variety. Also diversity is majorly missing. Like I know the mythic characters are all the colors of the rainbow but they could still have characters of different races represented through kinky hair or some such. No one can defend with the "but its GREEK mythology" bc in some versions characters such as Andromeda or Pallas are stated to have come from Africa. Also Persephone is black in some versions. So no, it's not inaccurate to have black characters. Also there are lots of gay relationships in greek mythology and that has come up 0 times so far. It just feels inaccurate for all the relationships/affairs shown so far to have been straight.
But overall I love it. I'm excited this is getting a cartoon. I hope they keep the art style (but diversify the character design). For all my complaints, I couldn't put it down. The plot will have me on the edge of my seat and the humor often has me close to laughing out loud but mostly just smiling at my computer like a crazy person.
Also there are trigger warnings for any chapter that needs them which is super nice.
Update: reading this in real time is kind of frustrating bc every update feels way too short. Like, I waited a week for this? It's also been harder to get over my issues with the gendered art style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny and Violence
Minor: Infertility
spearly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
WOWZA
What a whirlwind. Smythe brilliantly reimagines the Hades + Persephone myth, and flawlessly interweaves the other mythologies into her retelling. Characters I've known since I became obsessed with Greek Mythology after watching Disney's Hercules.
I literally cried. My heart skipped. I couldn't get enough.
And the ART. Man on man, if for nothing else, read this for the art. It's stunning.
What a whirlwind. Smythe brilliantly reimagines the Hades + Persephone myth, and flawlessly interweaves the other mythologies into her retelling. Characters I've known since I became obsessed with Greek Mythology after watching Disney's Hercules.
I literally cried. My heart skipped. I couldn't get enough.
And the ART. Man on man, if for nothing else, read this for the art. It's stunning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cursing and Murder