Illustrated by Boulet
2 stars
A unique retelling of Beowulf in graphic novel format. I expected to like this more than I did. I love retellings, especially when they give women and girls more active roles.
I’ll admit, I did judge this by the cover. I loved the art style and color and assumed it would continue throughout. Instead, the art inside is black-and-white and much grittier in style. It is well-drawn with great details, just not a style I tend to gravitate to.
The story itself was fun. It was interesting to see how details were adapted to a more kid-friendly format such as battling apathetic teenagers in water dodgeball and the teacher whose touch turns children into boring adults. Really fun details with some nice humor.
While the text was beautifully written and really captures a modern day taste of Old English style, for me it made the story drag. There was so much repetitive description, which I’m definitely not used to in a graphic novel. It really slowed down the pace of the story. Can definitely see it being a good read-aloud though. It does make the Old English style a little more accessible and works well to talk about different elements such as alliteration.
I definitely appreciate the concept. It’s a bit odd for the age group given the text and the pacing. But there are some really fun elements. Includes a note at the end with more information on the source material.
Overall, it does a good job adapting its material. Well executed with flowing text and detailed illustrations. It just wasn’t a good fit for me personally.