Age of Bronze: Sacrifice

Because I am late to the Age of Bronze fan club, I am reading it in trades. I really don't remember if I heard about this book when it first came out and refused to pick it up because I am a myth snob. Maybe, I hadn't heard about it until six months ago. If I originally dismissed it, I was wrong. Eric Shanower captures the myths in all of their gore and glory

Shanower develops these well-know characters with both accuracy and originality. Myth snobs can reacquaint themselves with Agamemnon's pride, Paris's vanity, Odysseus's cleverness, Nestor's garrulousness, and Achilles's youthful lust for honor. Yet, each character is revealed in a original, modern way. Agamemnon's and Odysseus's inner conflicts are particularly well-done. Those who are new to myths get the story in chronological order with all of the necessary back story given although some little details, such as Poseidon's building Troy's walls, perhaps need a bit more detail. Speakers just seem to throw out these facts.

I have a few quibbles. Like other retellings of the myth including the movie Troy the gods are only tangential elements of the early parts of the story. It was the gods that originally got me interested in myth. Some of the art--like the splash page depicting the House of Atreus history--is tremendous. On the downside, the female characters, with the exception of Thetis all look the same to me. Perhaps, I just can't figure out black and white art work.

Even with with the quibbles, Age of Bronze has been one of my best summer reads and a book that I will push on non-comics readers.