The deities of Greek mythology may be immortal, but as Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe demonstrates, their melodrama lives on, as well. Lore Olympus is a retelling of the story of the Abduction of Persephone, and it foregrounds the romance between Hades and Persephone with irresistible results.
In some ways, Lore Olympus is an updated version of Greek mythology: the deities all have smartphones, Hades puts the pedal to the metal while driving in his sports car, and a tabloid runs a front-page picture of the two lovers, sparking additional dramatic twists. However, when the gods return to the realm of mortals, the time period returns to the years when the myths originated.
The drama may be messy, but the art is certainly not. Lore Olympus is colorful and engaging, with a well-defined aesthetic that can leave you breathless in awe of the sepulchral infrastructure of the Underworld or giggling at a particularly expressive facial expression. Each deity is associated with a specific color, which makes differentiating between characters a breeze, and the art makes use of the Webtoon scrolling format for some fantastic artistic set pieces.
Fans of mythology in comics will definitely want to check out Lore Olympus, but a familiarity with the classical inspiration is not necessary to enjoy the story. The series does an excellent job of introducing each character on their own terms, so even those who don’t know Circe from Cerberus will find themselves swept away by the mythological melodrama. But even if you know the myths by heart, you’ll find yourself hard-pressed to pull away from the torrid romance between known marshmallow Persephone and actually a marshmallow in secret Hades… the drama is that good.
You can follow creator Rachel Smythe on twitter @used_bandaid, and directly support Lore Olympus through patreon.
And if you prefer to read your comics on paper… you have options.
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