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Beowulf: A Graphic Novel
For a dozen years, the monster Grendel has haunted the Danish kingdom ruled over by Hrothgar. In the night, Grendel stalks the land, slaughtering all he meets. When food is scarce, he raids the king's high hall, devouring warriors and hauling others back to his dank home in the marshes. Word of the monster spreads far and wide, and from across the sea comes the warrior Beowulf to battle the monster and free the Danes from Grendel's reign of terror. Written some fifteen hundred years ago, Beowulf is the first epic work in English and tells a tale of heroism in the face of a wild and unknowable evil. For this graphic novel version of the story, Stefan Petrucha has adapted the story for middle graders, bringing all the bravery and bloodshed to life in a form for fans of the Hollywood movie or of superheroes of any stripe. Beowulf was the first superhero; a long tradition starts with this poem. Ages 8 – 12
96 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
11 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
Stefan Petrucha
343 books274 followersStefan Petrucha (born January 27, 1959) is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.
Born in the Bronx, he has spent time in the big city and the suburbs, and now lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, fellow writer Sarah Kinney, and their daughters. At times he has been a tech writer, an educational writer, a public relations writer and an editor for trade journals, but his preference is for fiction in all its forms.
Born in the Bronx, he has spent time in the big city and the suburbs, and now lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, fellow writer Sarah Kinney, and their daughters. At times he has been a tech writer, an educational writer, a public relations writer and an editor for trade journals, but his preference is for fiction in all its forms.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
July 25, 2024
The Old English epic Beowulf gloriously, delightfully poetically and expressively tells the tale of the great Danish warrior Beowulf, his magnificent ascent to glory and eventual honourable death (killing the monster Grendel, then Grendel's mother and finally slaying a huge and ferocious dragon, but with said dragon also fatally wounding Beowulf, so that Beowulf ends with a large and ostentatious hero's funeral). And well, this here 2007 graphic novel adaptation (with a text by Stefan Petrucha and accompanying artwork by Kody Chamberlain) is a retelling of Beowulf that decently enough mirrors the original poem with regard to thematics and general contents but is unfortunately not really all that poetic in nature (which I guess I can understand and accept to a certain extent since Petrucha's text for Beowulf is clearly conceptualised for juvenile readers).
However and very much personally speaking, there not being any of those wonderful and magical alliterations and kennings of the original Beowulf poem present, yes, I do find this kind of sadly lacking and that it certainly has rendered Beowulf not really all that textually engaging to and for me and most definitely but a rather pale and lifeless reflection of how the original anonymous author in Anglo-Saxon England wrote about Beowulf, his battles and his heroism, a story that I have always adored since I read Beowulf in grade ten in a dual language Old English/Modern English edition, and that the absence of poetry and of in particular the above mentioned kennings and alliterations, sorry, but the mostly totally unpoetic narrative Stefan Petrucha provides in Beowulf, it does does pretty much nothing for both my adult self and also for my inner child (and not to mention that Petrucha not providing any information on Beowulf and its status as a heroic epic is also rather frustrating and an annoying intellectual and academic shortcoming for me).
Now with regard to Kody Chamberlain's artwork for Beowulf, although his cartoons do an adequate job mirroring Stefan Petrucha's text and vice versa, I personally find Chamberlain's pictures both much too darkly hued and also much too visually violent. Sure, Beowulf describes ferocious battles with fierce monsters, but while I have never ever found the presented text of Beowulf in any way creepy or frightening when I was reading it, when I was just perusing the poem's words, the visual brutality Kody Chamberlain constantly aesthetically wallows in with Beowulf (so to speak) and that his images are mostly just annoyingly dark, gloomy and illustratively grating for my eyes, yes indeed, this has made me only consider but a two star rating for the combination of text and visuals in Beowulf and that I most definitely have not been all that impressed with either what Petrucha has penned or with what Chamberlain has drawn (finding Beowulf not horrible but also only barely adequate as both a retelling of Beowulf and as a graphic novel).
However and very much personally speaking, there not being any of those wonderful and magical alliterations and kennings of the original Beowulf poem present, yes, I do find this kind of sadly lacking and that it certainly has rendered Beowulf not really all that textually engaging to and for me and most definitely but a rather pale and lifeless reflection of how the original anonymous author in Anglo-Saxon England wrote about Beowulf, his battles and his heroism, a story that I have always adored since I read Beowulf in grade ten in a dual language Old English/Modern English edition, and that the absence of poetry and of in particular the above mentioned kennings and alliterations, sorry, but the mostly totally unpoetic narrative Stefan Petrucha provides in Beowulf, it does does pretty much nothing for both my adult self and also for my inner child (and not to mention that Petrucha not providing any information on Beowulf and its status as a heroic epic is also rather frustrating and an annoying intellectual and academic shortcoming for me).
Now with regard to Kody Chamberlain's artwork for Beowulf, although his cartoons do an adequate job mirroring Stefan Petrucha's text and vice versa, I personally find Chamberlain's pictures both much too darkly hued and also much too visually violent. Sure, Beowulf describes ferocious battles with fierce monsters, but while I have never ever found the presented text of Beowulf in any way creepy or frightening when I was reading it, when I was just perusing the poem's words, the visual brutality Kody Chamberlain constantly aesthetically wallows in with Beowulf (so to speak) and that his images are mostly just annoyingly dark, gloomy and illustratively grating for my eyes, yes indeed, this has made me only consider but a two star rating for the combination of text and visuals in Beowulf and that I most definitely have not been all that impressed with either what Petrucha has penned or with what Chamberlain has drawn (finding Beowulf not horrible but also only barely adequate as both a retelling of Beowulf and as a graphic novel).
October 31, 2013
“Beowulf”, is an epic poem about Hrothgar’s castle in Denmark that is harassed by a monster, Grendel, for over 12 years. Beowulf, a Geat, hears about this and decides he is going to be the hero and fight Grendel. He sails across the sea and gets to Denmark with 14 other Geats. Since Grendel does not use any weapons Beowulf decides to fight him with his bare hands as well. Beowulf goes into the battle with confidence. In the end he rips off Grendel’s arm. Grendel then flees to his lair and soon dies there. Beowulf hung Grendel’s arm over the rafters to signify his victory. The next night though, Grendel’s mother goes to the castle, kills many men, and take back Grendel’s arm. Beowulf would not stand for this and decides he is going to go to the monster’s lair and fight Grendel’s mother. He floats down to the lair and fights a rough battle but comes out with a victory. After he wins he goes to Grendel’s body and cuts off his head. Year’s later after Beowulf was recognized as a true hero and named King of Sweden there was a Dragon that was guarding a lot of gold that Beowulf wanted. He fought The Dragon for the Gold but had a rough fight. None of Beowulf’s soldiers liked his greed so they left him, all but Wiglaf stuck by his side and pretty much won the battle for him. Beowulf later died but was still remembered as a hero even though he was very greedy.
Beowulf in the beginning was a very good person who fought for good. After he had won two victories and received gold as his earnings he had became very greedy, which led him to the fight with The Dragon. Beowulf though, was remembered as a true hero, who gave many epic boasts. Grendel is the first monster in the story who bothered the people of Herot because of the many celebrations they had and he did not want to see them happy. He would scoop up 30 men in one hand and kill all of them each night. Grendel’s Mother is the second monster in the story. She was very protective over her son and killed the men because they had killed her son. In other words her fight was for revenge. Wiglaf is the last hero in the story who helps Beowulf defeat The Dragon. He is courageous and has a good heart throughout his entire part of the story.
The setting impacted the story greatly. In the first two battles it took place in Herot, a place away from home for Beowulf, which then made him a foreign hero known everywhere. In the end it took place back in Sweden which shows that Beowulf’s age affected him and he could not even fight and win for his own country.
The theme for this story is to definitely not be greedy because otherwise Karma will come and get you back. Beowulf showed a lot of greed in the end and in the end he couldn’t even fight his own battle.
I thought this is a good class book to read. It taught me a lot about Anglo- Saxon views. Therefore I recommend it for us seniors.
Beowulf in the beginning was a very good person who fought for good. After he had won two victories and received gold as his earnings he had became very greedy, which led him to the fight with The Dragon. Beowulf though, was remembered as a true hero, who gave many epic boasts. Grendel is the first monster in the story who bothered the people of Herot because of the many celebrations they had and he did not want to see them happy. He would scoop up 30 men in one hand and kill all of them each night. Grendel’s Mother is the second monster in the story. She was very protective over her son and killed the men because they had killed her son. In other words her fight was for revenge. Wiglaf is the last hero in the story who helps Beowulf defeat The Dragon. He is courageous and has a good heart throughout his entire part of the story.
The setting impacted the story greatly. In the first two battles it took place in Herot, a place away from home for Beowulf, which then made him a foreign hero known everywhere. In the end it took place back in Sweden which shows that Beowulf’s age affected him and he could not even fight and win for his own country.
The theme for this story is to definitely not be greedy because otherwise Karma will come and get you back. Beowulf showed a lot of greed in the end and in the end he couldn’t even fight his own battle.
I thought this is a good class book to read. It taught me a lot about Anglo- Saxon views. Therefore I recommend it for us seniors.
March 21, 2016
Honestly, for what it was, a short graphic version of the epic narrative, this book did a fairly good job. Of course, the fun of Beowulf comes from the poetic language and descriptions of battle and monsters. The comic tries its best to keep this language, but steals from the imagination what could have been more interesting Grendels and more mighty feats of battle.
I would recommend this book to someone who wants a quick familiarity with Beowulf without the large investment of reading the epic, or someone who struggles with reading and is more of a visual learner.
I would recommend this book to someone who wants a quick familiarity with Beowulf without the large investment of reading the epic, or someone who struggles with reading and is more of a visual learner.
March 9, 2019
My Godzilla obsessed son pored over the illustrations fascinated by Grendal. Unfortunately we did not get to finish the book as it started to fall apart. It's frustrating how much graphic novels cost when they are so poorly glued. Hopefully the library has another copy - or we may need to buy it.
October 23, 2018
This works well in graphic novel form. I have not read the original, but I think students would like this.
October 4, 2019
Decent take on the Beowulf story. Although graphic novel versions add a visualization to the work, much is lost in context without the original text.
December 12, 2024
Amazing artistry to accompany the imagery woven from the original epic
July 16, 2020
Though I miss some of the language of the epic—Seamus Heaney’s translation in particular—this graphic novel captures the essence of Beowulf. I’m hoping to use it in my British Lit class to help students get into the story.
June 2, 2015
Now "Beowulf" is a book I could get into. This is a book that had a lot of fighting and a lot of adventures. This is the kind of book I enjoy because as a boy, I was always fascinated by myths and fairy tales.
"Beowulf" is an epic poem about a man from Sweden who travels to Denmark so he can rid the land of an evil monster named Grendel. Grendel was a monster that terrorized the castle named Heorot. After this battle, Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother after she murders Hrothgar's adviser, Aeschere. He kills her with a sword made by giants. After these events, Hrothgar is pleased and gives him a lot of treasure. Beowulf says his goodbyes and returns to the Geats. After a couple of years Beowulf is brought up to the throne after the heir of Hygelac dies. Not too long after, a dragon appears. Beowulf dies fighting the dragon with his assistant, Wiglaf, and succeeds but with heavy casualties dies in battle. Before Beowulf fights each creature, he boasts about how he will be victorious. Although throughout the book he changes from being noble and true to corrupt and greedy.
The main characters in this epic poem are Beowulf, Hrothgar, Wiglaf, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. In the book Beowulf is the protagonist in the poem and is said to have supernatural strength, and he uses this in some parts of the book. Hrothgar is the king that rules over the land of Denmark. Wiglaf is a man who follows Beowulf in his old age. Grendel is a beast that attacked the castle and slaughtered many. Grendel's mother is Grendel's mother
This epic poem takes place in 6th century Denmark. King Hrothgar rules the Danes and the people of Denmark. He lives in a castle called Herot that is being tormented by a monster called Grendel. This monster leaves Herot and returns to his swamp. Herot is in a state of turmoil and remains in this state for twelve winters until Beowulf comes and rids the land of Grendel and then soon after, Grendel’s mother. The author does a great job of saying how Beowulf uses supernatural strength and divine intervention to his advantage.
The author has a very good way of painting a picture in your mind on what is happening whether it is a battle or a beautiful landscape.
The main message of this poem is to do things for the right reasons and be thankful for what you have.
I would recommend this book to people in high school and mostly boys because of the action.people with a love and passion for adventure and people who are interested in medieval myths would enjoy this book.
"Beowulf" is an epic poem about a man from Sweden who travels to Denmark so he can rid the land of an evil monster named Grendel. Grendel was a monster that terrorized the castle named Heorot. After this battle, Beowulf fights Grendel’s mother after she murders Hrothgar's adviser, Aeschere. He kills her with a sword made by giants. After these events, Hrothgar is pleased and gives him a lot of treasure. Beowulf says his goodbyes and returns to the Geats. After a couple of years Beowulf is brought up to the throne after the heir of Hygelac dies. Not too long after, a dragon appears. Beowulf dies fighting the dragon with his assistant, Wiglaf, and succeeds but with heavy casualties dies in battle. Before Beowulf fights each creature, he boasts about how he will be victorious. Although throughout the book he changes from being noble and true to corrupt and greedy.
The main characters in this epic poem are Beowulf, Hrothgar, Wiglaf, Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. In the book Beowulf is the protagonist in the poem and is said to have supernatural strength, and he uses this in some parts of the book. Hrothgar is the king that rules over the land of Denmark. Wiglaf is a man who follows Beowulf in his old age. Grendel is a beast that attacked the castle and slaughtered many. Grendel's mother is Grendel's mother
This epic poem takes place in 6th century Denmark. King Hrothgar rules the Danes and the people of Denmark. He lives in a castle called Herot that is being tormented by a monster called Grendel. This monster leaves Herot and returns to his swamp. Herot is in a state of turmoil and remains in this state for twelve winters until Beowulf comes and rids the land of Grendel and then soon after, Grendel’s mother. The author does a great job of saying how Beowulf uses supernatural strength and divine intervention to his advantage.
The author has a very good way of painting a picture in your mind on what is happening whether it is a battle or a beautiful landscape.
The main message of this poem is to do things for the right reasons and be thankful for what you have.
I would recommend this book to people in high school and mostly boys because of the action.people with a love and passion for adventure and people who are interested in medieval myths would enjoy this book.
March 9, 2009
12/10/08
We recently read Beowulf in class, and to help understand I wanted to read the "comic book." It was entertaining with all the details of the real story and awesome pictures to help you visualize what's going on. I'm not completely finished with it yet, but so far it's really helped me grasp the story better.
3/9/09
This retelling of the epic poem Beowulf gives you more of an idea of the story with graphic pictures, and easy to understand text. Based more like a comic, I was able to better grasp the concept of this in depth classic story. The movie blew me away, and made me want to read the book, but I found out that some major details and events had been misconstrued. Stefan Petrucha is the author of many books, graphic novels, and t.v. series. I truly think that his understanding to make the poem easier and yet more lively has spoken to many teens and young adults alike. This adaption does indeed tell the story of Beowulf, a decorated solider, that travels far and wide to defeat monsters, and armies. Upon hearing about the trouble that Danish king Hrothgar was having in his meade hall, Heorot, with the monster, Grendel, a young and restless Beowulf travels to erase the kings fears. With his unique fighting style, Beowulf, soon defeats Grendel, and his hellion mother. Beowulf is a man's man. Being blessed by a king, and soon becoming king of the Geats himself, he is dubbed invincible. He would come to find 50 years later, that another evil could no longer be kept at bay. A dragon, awakened by a theif, terrorizes his kingdom, burning down Beowulf's home. The question presents itself, will Beowulf make it through this final battle at the peak of his life? I thought the telling of this graphic novel was awesome, and hope to read some of Petrucha's work again soon.
We recently read Beowulf in class, and to help understand I wanted to read the "comic book." It was entertaining with all the details of the real story and awesome pictures to help you visualize what's going on. I'm not completely finished with it yet, but so far it's really helped me grasp the story better.
3/9/09
This retelling of the epic poem Beowulf gives you more of an idea of the story with graphic pictures, and easy to understand text. Based more like a comic, I was able to better grasp the concept of this in depth classic story. The movie blew me away, and made me want to read the book, but I found out that some major details and events had been misconstrued. Stefan Petrucha is the author of many books, graphic novels, and t.v. series. I truly think that his understanding to make the poem easier and yet more lively has spoken to many teens and young adults alike. This adaption does indeed tell the story of Beowulf, a decorated solider, that travels far and wide to defeat monsters, and armies. Upon hearing about the trouble that Danish king Hrothgar was having in his meade hall, Heorot, with the monster, Grendel, a young and restless Beowulf travels to erase the kings fears. With his unique fighting style, Beowulf, soon defeats Grendel, and his hellion mother. Beowulf is a man's man. Being blessed by a king, and soon becoming king of the Geats himself, he is dubbed invincible. He would come to find 50 years later, that another evil could no longer be kept at bay. A dragon, awakened by a theif, terrorizes his kingdom, burning down Beowulf's home. The question presents itself, will Beowulf make it through this final battle at the peak of his life? I thought the telling of this graphic novel was awesome, and hope to read some of Petrucha's work again soon.
December 17, 2015
One of my favorite type of books are books that have a sense of adventure. When I read a book with a good sense of adventure, I feel like drawing either a scene from the book or something related to a book. When I was younger (about five years old), I would even go outside and pretend to be the main character if I read a book or watched a movie like that. Beowulf is one of those types of books.
Beowulf is written by Stefan Petrucha and Kody Chamberlain. The book starts out by introducing a monster called Grendel. It explains how the monster is terrorizing towns and how those town become the monster’s meal. Then, it introduces the main character. Beowulf. He volunteers to slay the Grendel WITHOUT weapons of any kind. Later, to protect his kingdom, he must slay a dragon. I think that Stefan and Kody do a good job on adding onomatopoeia to the pictures. On page 42, when the creature gets shot with an arrow and has “shump” under the picture, I could really hear the arrow passing through the creature. But I noticed that there isn't a lot of onomatopoeia, and there are a lot of places where onomatopoeia could be used. For example, when Beowulf decapitaded the Grendel, there could have been a nice “swish”, the sound of the sword swinging.
The pictures on every page are very detailed, and show the progression of the book. For example, when Beowulf gets attacked by eels, there are multiple pictures to show Beowulf struggling to get his freedom.
Someone who would like this book would be the average comic book reader, someone who likes fantasy, and someone who likes the thrill adventure.
Beowulf is written by Stefan Petrucha and Kody Chamberlain. The book starts out by introducing a monster called Grendel. It explains how the monster is terrorizing towns and how those town become the monster’s meal. Then, it introduces the main character. Beowulf. He volunteers to slay the Grendel WITHOUT weapons of any kind. Later, to protect his kingdom, he must slay a dragon. I think that Stefan and Kody do a good job on adding onomatopoeia to the pictures. On page 42, when the creature gets shot with an arrow and has “shump” under the picture, I could really hear the arrow passing through the creature. But I noticed that there isn't a lot of onomatopoeia, and there are a lot of places where onomatopoeia could be used. For example, when Beowulf decapitaded the Grendel, there could have been a nice “swish”, the sound of the sword swinging.
The pictures on every page are very detailed, and show the progression of the book. For example, when Beowulf gets attacked by eels, there are multiple pictures to show Beowulf struggling to get his freedom.
Someone who would like this book would be the average comic book reader, someone who likes fantasy, and someone who likes the thrill adventure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2008
Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
Based on the classic story, this graphic novel tells the tale of Beowulf, an epic hero who bravely faces the most fearsome creatures.
In the kingdom of Hrothgar, men are being slaughtered by a godless creature. Grendel has proven that he cannot be defeated, even by the king's greatest warriors. He comes in the night and feeds on the men. After twelve years, Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar. He defeats Grendel and earns himself fame. But his battle is far from over, for another monster has come to avenge Grendel--his mother.
BEOWULF is one of the most popular tales of heroism, being passed from generation to generation. Here it is presented in stark simplicity. The tale of brutal danger and the raw battles for life are coupled with sharp, dark images. The effect is a novel that is as ominous as the story itself.
Based on the classic story, this graphic novel tells the tale of Beowulf, an epic hero who bravely faces the most fearsome creatures.
In the kingdom of Hrothgar, men are being slaughtered by a godless creature. Grendel has proven that he cannot be defeated, even by the king's greatest warriors. He comes in the night and feeds on the men. After twelve years, Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar. He defeats Grendel and earns himself fame. But his battle is far from over, for another monster has come to avenge Grendel--his mother.
BEOWULF is one of the most popular tales of heroism, being passed from generation to generation. Here it is presented in stark simplicity. The tale of brutal danger and the raw battles for life are coupled with sharp, dark images. The effect is a novel that is as ominous as the story itself.
November 3, 2008
I think the following recurring line best represents this book: "All things born to live on this earth must die, no matter how they struggle. The light from even the greatest being dims in time. It is so for each and every man and woman. And also for heroes and monsters." (Great writing mini-lesson opportunity, along with several strong metaphors throughtout the text.)
The words and graphics in this graphic novel work together seamlessly to make a classic tale come alive for the reader. I'd highly recommend this version as a prelude to the classical work--it was simply captivating!
The words and graphics in this graphic novel work together seamlessly to make a classic tale come alive for the reader. I'd highly recommend this version as a prelude to the classical work--it was simply captivating!
January 15, 2008
A decent retelling of the story, with excitingly stylistic, but surprisingly minimalist art. Some nice Old English kennings are preserved. But none of the history portion remains. At least there's no Angelina Jolie.
February 14, 2008
A lot better then the movie screenplay by Gaiman and Avary. I would recommend reading the original translated version over the graphic novel,(I only read the Chickering version but I hear good things about Heaney's translation), but this is still entertaining and valid.
December 10, 2008
This is actualy a suprisingly good book. It pretty much summerizes the whole beowulf book but it is easier to understand because it does all the visulzing for you. It also take real quotes from the actual book that make it even closer to the actual text.
January 24, 2014
This graphic novel is a good intro to the Beowulf epic poem. This version is close enough to the plot lines covered in the bigger academic versions of the story. The pictures are not too bloody so I would recommend this even to younger readers.
February 25, 2014
Great story! I had to read this for a university class and actually came to like it! It was read in Old English so it was hard to get into but I loved the scenes with Grendel! This story painted many mental images!
September 23, 2016
this book is very interesting.i like the way how they explain everything in detail and how they describe the way the beast was made .the main part that i like is how they show the way the man killed the beast....
November 24, 2007
Graphic novel version of Beowulf. Cool graphics!!
July 28, 2008
Not the best version of Beowulf I've read, but pretty good. And Chamberlain's art really jumps off the page. Very dynamic.
June 5, 2009
well, now i know the tale of beowulf and grendel. i think there's a bit probably missing in the translation. the point of an epic is in the telling, yeah? eh, it was a quick read
December 28, 2009
One of the first graphic novels I've ever read, so I'm not sold on the genre yet. Having said that, for those who like the Beowulf story, it'll be a quick and enjoyable read.
October 12, 2010
Simplified version of a probably greater epic.
January 30, 2011
Great story.
May 1, 2011
Norse mythology. power struggle, Great story
September 4, 2012
I don't even know if it was this copy but whateverr.
October 24, 2012
Very interesting and a lot of action.
February 25, 2013
Beli murah meriah di pameran~! --> salah satu faktor yang mempengaruhi penilaian, wkwkwk xD
September 11, 2013
Absolutely loved it! Beowulf made it through three battles, I consider him a hero!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews