by Linda Sejic (741.5 Sej)
The title and cover art of this one caught my eye on the New Books display at the downtown library. Punderworld started as a web comic and all of the story-to-date as of 2021 was compiled in this trade paperback graphic novel. Writer/artist Linda Sejic created this one in between working on her previous title, Blood Stain, as a means of burning off her work stress, only to realize she had a commercially-releasable title here.
Punderworld is a lighthearted, romantic look at
the gods and demi-gods from classical Greek mythology, as viewed through a
modern-day lens. This isn’t to say the Greek myths are brought into the modern
day, but modern sensibilities are applied to the characters of Greek mythology.
The central character is Hades, god of the Underworld, whose job is to pass
judgement on the souls of the dead to determine their final destination. On one
of his infrequent visits to the surface world and the rarified air of Mt.
Olympus, he encounters beautiful, young Earth Goddess Persephone…and is
instantly smitten (as is she, though she has no idea who he is). Hades is a
shy, introspective individual and it isn’t until his lascivious and
more-worldly “wingman” Zeus realizes that Hades has a crush, that he’d even
consider approaching Persephone to express his interest. Unfortunately,
Persephone also has an overly-protective mother in the form of fellow Earth
Goddess Demeter, who won’t even consider letting her daughter have the free
time to explore relationships.
This graphic novel is the
accident-prone beginning of the relationship between Hades and Persephone,
involving runaway flying chariots, crash landing and getting lost in the River
Styx, and finally figuring out who each other is. This story has a large,
multi-faceted supporting cast of additional Greek Gods and Goddesses. The art
is absolutely terrific — cartoon-like but not cartoonish, and more like
paintings than drawings. The central characters are all charming to get to
know, and I found myself rooting for their relationship to blossom (or at least
officially begin). Sejic includes some bonus pages at the end of the book,
explaining the origin of this project and encouraging readers to follow her
online to stay up-to-date on future entries in the Punderworld series — yes,
this ends on a cliffhanger, and as of early 2023 there has not yet been a
second collected graphic novel volume…though she promises more is coming soon.
Charming, delightful, romantic read
with a fresh take on classic mythology. I loved this!
( official Linda Sejic
web site )
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
Have you read or listened to
this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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