Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe

Bibliographic Information:

Title: Lore Olympus

Author: Rachel Smythe

Publisher: Del Rey

Copyright Date: 2021 (originally published on Webtoon starting 2018)

ISBN: 9780593356074

Format: Graphic Novel

Genre: Fantasy/ Retelling/ Romance

Award: Alex Award -2022

Interest Level: Based on my opinion this graphic novel is appropriate for ages 15 and up. In addition this book was awarded the Alex Award. Lastly, this comic has previously been published on Webtoon which has a large teen following.

Plot Summary:

Persephone is new to Olympus since her mom has kept her in the mortal realm for protection. She has moved in with Artemis where she is training to be an eternal virgin. But when Artemis takes Persephone to a party, she catches many gods and goddesses eyes, especially god of the underworld, Hades. With gossip, drama, and confusing politics Persephone must navigate how she fits into Olympus, who she wants to be, and what she can do.

Author Background:

Rachel Smythe is the creator of Lore Olympus from Wellington, New Zealand. She is an artists and a folklorist. She spent between 60-70 hours per week working on Lore Olympus and she created the first 1-30 episodes all by herself. Following that she enlisted help of some other artists. She attended Whangunui School of Design where she received a bachelor's degree in computer graphics and design. In June 2024, Rachel ended Lore Olympus on Webtoon, it is exciting to see what Rachel Smythe will work on next, as she has created an empire with Lore Olympus!

Critical Evaluation:

My sister introduced me to Lore Olympus on Webtoon a few years ago but I have not come close to finishing the comic. I want to start off by saying I was skeptical about this cartoon as I have a bachelors degree in Classics. Rachel Smythe describes how this is a reconstruction rather than a retelling (for the sake of this blog I am including it as a retelling). I have been collecting the volumes of Lore Olympus as they have come out but have not gotten around to reading them. I found that this would be perfect to examen, as Lore Olympus, despite being considered an adult comic, has extremely wide appeal to young adults. I was also curious to see how the vertical scroll comic form from Webtoon translated into a graphic novel format. I thought that for the most part the comic translated well, it left room for some dynamic organization of panels, and the episodes acted similar to chapters (I appreciate) which sometimes are not included in graphic novels. I found the colors in the graphic novel to be less vibrant than on Webtoon. This story is super fun and the large cast of characters are zany and intriguing. For lovers of mythology this cartoon challenges while also maintains assumptions and themes of each god, goddess, and mythical creature from myth. With bright colors and style, it is easy to follow and is addictive. My one critique of this delectable graphic novel is that it ends on a chapter dealing with themes of rape. I wish that it did not leave readers with a such a dark and helpless emotional state at the end. While this is addressed in later volumes I find that this trauma is not well incorporated or addressed within the first volume.

Creative Use for Library Program:

Floral Arrangement Workshop- Persephone in this myth and canonically is the goddess of spring. There is a lot of floral imagery surrounding her panels in Lore Olympus. Librarians can invite volunteer or professional florist to come and teach a workshop on floral arrangement. Teens can either make a floral arrangement based on their own personalities or one based on a character in Lore Olympus.

I want to include this website from the official Lore Olympus page. It includes book recommendations from characters in Lore Olympus. A librarian can incorporate these within the library and have teens discuss which character they thought had the best recommendations for their own interests.

Speed Round Book Talk:

Become a fly on the wall watching what actually goes down on Mount Olympus. Hear all the juicy gossip, catch all the dirty details, and fall in love or even vilely hate the godly occupants of Mount Olympus.

Potential Challenge and Defense Preparation:

As a baby classicist I can see how some might challenge the story lines that Rachel Smythe has created. However this comic does not boast its canonical value in ancient myth. Instead it reimagines it into a modern perspective and includes deeper inspections of themes that are involved in ancient myth but also today like purity culture, sexual assault, and political conflict.

Reason for Inclusion:

Lore Olympus is an iconic comic and now graphic novel series. I think that people who read Webtoon may find this graphic novel as a gateway into discovering a new format as well as people who stumble across this graphic novel may discover how amazing Webtoon is. I think that this is such a fun way of understanding an alternate view of ancient myth and dealing with real and difficult topics. I am including this novel because of its importance to online and physical comics.

Check Out:

The following are some of Rachel Smythe's Favorite Webtoons, Check 'em out!

Nevermore

LMLY

After Dark

Daybreak

Ladykillers

References:

Fandom (n.d.). Rachel Smythe. Women in Comics. Accessed July 2024 from https://womenincomics.fandom.com/wiki/Rachel_Smythe

Goodreads. (n.d.). Lore Olympus, Vol. 1. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57282218-lore-olympus-vol-1

PomegraNet. (n.d.). Welcome to the Library. Access July 2024 from https://loreolympians.com/library

Webtoon. (2018, June). Lore Olympus (Official Trailer) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/GXIBp3Xgujk?si=u8dVEOBLCkZ7yADn

Webtoon. (n.d.). Rachel's Favorites. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.webtoons.com/en/collection/rachelsfavorites/331