Hades: Lord of the Dead

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by George O’Connor

Although it is named for Hades, this fourth volume in the graphic novel series, Olympians, actually presents the story of Persephone. In this modified version of how Persephone came to be Queen of the Underworld, Persephone has both more gumption and greater control of her fate. When Persephone briefly rebels against her mother, she is kidnapped by Hades who intends to make Persephone his wife. Although she is afraid of Hades, Persephone takes matters into her own hands and reinvents herself. Meanwhile, grief-stricken Demeter searches the world for her daughter, abandoning her duties as the goddess of agriculture and angering the humans who worship the gods. When Demeter finds her daughter, Persephone makes a surprising decision for her future.

O’Connor’s distinctive art vividly portrays Persephone’s blossoming independence, as well as Demeter’s grief and anger when her daughter is abducted by Hades. O’Connor presents consistent characterizations of the gods and goddesses from earlier volumes in the series. As with each volume, the end materials contain an author’s note, Greek Notes explaining which specific details and lines come from the original Greek tales, discussion questions, a bibliography, and a recommended reading list.

Reviewed by Melendra

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