Matt Fraction

Christian Ward

"Ody-C created by Matt Fraction and Christian Ward."

Ody-C

Monicap

I'll be honest. I didn't actually read this. I got three pages in, and I will never get any farther, and I want to explain why. 

There's two main reasons, and oftentimes when I have two reason not to read a book, I don't think either reason would be a dealbreaker without the other.

1. The artwork. 

It's just too much. I'm sure it's actually beautiful and wonderful and other people enjoy it very much, but for me, it was too colorful, too loud, too distracting. I found my eyes veering away from the page as much as possible for those three pages I read. I scanned the artwork, searched for the text, and as soon as I'd absorbed all the informationt he page had to offer, my eyes averted too anything else--my daunting tbr pile on the other side of my room, my overflowing laundry basket, my unmade bed--usually things that I avoid looking at by reading. 

2. the content.

Well, that's broad, isn't it? I started reading this book not really expecting to be a fan of the content, and since I was essentially doing everything in my power to NOT look at the artwork, the content was all that was left. 

I suppose it's not really the content itself that was bothering me, but the lean of the content. Earlier this year, I read Love in the Time of Global Warming, which is not only very similar to ODY-C in it's premise, but I also had similar thoughts regarding the political-ness of the content. I think (but again, I only read three pages) but I think that this book takes it to another level. I think Francesca Lia Block was actually concerned with telling a story in Love in the Time of Global Warming, but this book, from what I've heard, isn't. As I understand it, this particular story is nothing but a vehicle for the authors to communicate their political views. 

Not that there's anything inherenting wrong with one communicating thier political veiws while telling a story--that's sort of what stories are for isn't it? Sort of. For me, there's a very clear distinction between having certain convictions and beliefs show in your work, and using your work to push your agenda, and this book, as well as Love in the Time of Global Warming, cross that line for me.

And it doesn't matter what your agenda is, whether I agree with it or not. If you're using your work as nothing but a vehicle to push your agenda, I'm going to take a step back. 


Those are the two reasons I didn't make it more than three pages into this book, and those are the two reason's why I don't honestly think I'll ever make it more than three pages into this book.

Maggie Gordon

Props for the creativity of this book and the really cool gender re-imagining of the narrative.

On the hand, the narrative is an incoherent mess, the page layouts, while beautiful, are muddled, and I still don't like retellings of the Odyssey even when the premise is super cool.

Sabrina D. 

Trippy genderbend space opera with violent and vengeful women? Yes. 

Sans

I think my entire reading experience with this graphic novel is best summed up with the following gif:


Followed closely with:


I finished last night and I'm still thinking about it, but it's an uncomfortable kind of reflection. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of this series. I love Classics, I've studied Homer, I know the bones of the story, and I don't really feel the need to experience the rest of this version of it.

Ody-C

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