Beowulf

by Chris Ryall

A special adaptation of the big-screen retelling of the epic poem from filmmakers Neil Gaiman, Roger Avary, and Robert Zemeckis! In the sixth century, the warrior Beowulf must do battle with the monster Grendel as well as Grendel's mother and a dragon who has a personal connection to the Scandanavian warrior. Adapted by Chris Ryall and Gabriel Rodriguez (Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show).

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology, Classics, Literature, Fiction

103 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2007

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

My project is to read versions of Beowulf, and this graphic novel was the first one I downloaded. I was not impressed with it, and Gaiman’s interpretation of the characters—the relationship between Hrothgar and Grendel’s mother—seemed totally inauthentic. And every woman in a boob-revealing outfit. Give me a break—I’m off to read text versions now.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the 2007 movie with Ray Winstone (screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Robert Avary). Here are some differences between the movie (and graphic novel) and the original epic. References to Norse mythology (Ragnarök and Odin), and some typos. The color illustrations were great, except for some sexuality and violence. I own the Hinds version and recommend it because of faithfulness to the original, and its lack of objectionable illustrations (especially with kids in mind).

Ch. 1
518 A.D. (not sure where this date comes from)
Unferth speaks of the spread of Christianity from Rome to France
song of Hrothgar's killing a dragon (we hear in Ch. 2 that it was Fafnir)
Grendel won't fight Hrothgar because Hrothgar is Grendel's father
Beowulf: fight for glory, not gold
Wealtheow would mourn for Beowulf if he died (interpolated love interest)

Ch. 2
Unferth's kin-slaying attributed to his discovering his brothers' sexual relationship with their mother
Wealtheow is bitter against Hrothgar because she knows that he slept with "her" (Grendel's mother)
Wiglaf is Beowulf companion from early in the narrative
crass/bawdy song
Grendel is like a child, mentally speaking

Ch. 3
more crass jokes
Beowulf presented with the dragon horn
Grendel's mother appears to Beowulf (in a dream?)—asks him to give her a son
Beowulf goes to the lair of Grendel's mother (Wiglaf stays outside), and she seduces him; the deal is that he will be powerful as long as the dragon horn remains with her
Beowulf lies when he tells the story of what happened in her lair (based on the fact that in the original epic, Beowulf's tale is different from what we see in the narrative)
Hrothgar feels freed from Grendel's mother; he names Beowulf as his successor (and Wealtheow will be his wife when Hrothgar dies), then commits suicide; Wealtheow seems sad
many years later: war with Frisians; Beowulf says he's dead inside
Beowulf is not faithful to his wife
dragon horn found (by a slave boy named Cain) outside the lair of Grendel's mother

Ch. 4
Beowulf still loves Wealtheow
fire from the sky
message from the dragon to the king: "sins of the fathers..."
Beowulf is a flawed hero who is sorry for his sin; he and Wealtheow acknowledge their shortcomings in their marriage
Beowulf is the dragon's father
suggestion that Wiglaf is seduced by Grendel's mother as the story ends

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first cracked open this adaptation of "Beowulf" I thought, "Wow, this looks just like Locke and Key" and of course, that is because the wonderful Gabriel Rodriguez did the art. A great deal of this story is told through the art. From multiple page actions sequences with no dialog to the shifty eyes of Unferth, the art propels the plot.

This was a much quicker read than the epic poem, and perhaps a good introduction for the younger reader to the classics.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mother of Grendel, with her high-heel-mimicking bone-spurs, or whatever they are - what is that??

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much blood where so many have died,
washed ashore on a crimson tide
just as now there was no mercy then,
dogs of war gnawed the bones of men.

Brave and strong as they fell in the fight
feeding death's endless appetite
only one with the heart of a king
set them free, it's of him we sing.

Beowulf feels a tale as old as time. Originating from an Old English poem, written over a thousand years ago, it tells of a great hero who comes to the help of the King of the Danes. Set in the backdrop of the spread of Christianity across the 'Pagan' Scandinavian lands, it is filled with the greed and lust of man, which as always is their ultimate downfall.

This graphic novel is an adaption of the 2007 computer animated film, the screenplay of which was written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary.

It is quite the epic tale to pack into a short graphic novel and due to this it feels rushed in places and jumps around a lot. It lacks some of the human element and the regrets of the sins of the past. However, it still captures the epic tale overall. 4 stars.

[Osama Siddique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, written by Chris Ryall and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, puritans may have legitimate issues with this version's emphasis on blood, gore and sensuality rather than the complexities of temptation, greed, lust and betrayal. However, as an illustrated take it is quite outstanding and impactful. Grendel is terrifying, his mother is enigmatic and seductive, Beowulf drips rawness, courage and valor and his moral transformation is well captured. I particularly enjoyed the drawings and coloring - both the action sequences as well as the more panoramic ones showing the castle from above and in varying light. This is not a kiddy version and the dialogue is meant to capture the roughness of the age, which it does well. I can see myself revisiting this book for its powerful and memorable illustrations.

[Bassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review is based on a re-reading of the 4 weekly single issues)

An excellent introduction to the characters Beowulf, Grendel and its mother.

The artwork is excellent, much detailed and a joy to watch. Certain panels just were magnificent, like the transformation at the end.

I also liked the history of the character Grendel and the comics/stories, some background on the poem itself, and, the icing of the cake, the translated poem itself (which I found very hard to read in the beginning, it does not rhyme :)

The symbology of the main characters is a lesson for these dire times.

After all, actions in the past may haunt you and revisit you when you are getting over the hill.

Do not blame your downfall on Grendel’s mother though :)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the movie was bad enough that I didn't finish. This book was better, but maybe not better than the 1300 year old poem.

I mostly liked the art, thought I thought Grendl wasn't very well done. I also noted, as have so many others, that the artist gave Grendl's mother, naked except for some shifting metallic skin, high heels. It was odd, not sexy. The other women in the book are rendered in the 'busty tavern wench,' style, but tastefully so for the genre.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a maddeningly awful retelling of Beowulf, perfectly epitomized by the depiction of Grendal's mother as a perky-boobed blond lady whose only non-human trait is that her feet and legs are just naturally formed like tall highheels.

It's really just stupid, but there's a lot more cleavage than the original, which seems to be what they were banking on.

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel adaption about the ancient epic Beowulf poem was certainly interesting, and the illustrations are incredible. After you read this graphic novel adaption based off of the Neil Gaiman screenplay, I highly recommend reading Irish poet Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, which is absolutely amazing.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago I heard of Beowulf being made into a movie. I tried finding the book to read but only found a poem. Several days ago at the library I found the graphic novel, I was thrilled. I enjoyed it a lot.

[Mal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before I start, I know this edition is based off the movie. I've never seen the movie nor do I want to after reading this.

This book, it's lucky it only has 90 pages. Any longer and I would've dnf it. I would not reccomend this book to anyone.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic novel of Beowulf based on a screenplay, I haven’t read the original or seen the film/tv adaptation so i’m not sure how this compares to the source material but it was fairly good. The story was Interesting enough and the illustrations were good.

[Cléverton Bezerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original epic tale, but a worthy graphic novel, quick in action and plot.

[Krista Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly sexualized drawings of women. Modern language. Very comic book (I liked that part).
Not appropriate for school (because of the drawings of females).

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised by how much I liked this! It was based on the screen play for the movie (so my expectations were pretty low!) but I wound up liking it. Loved the art.

[Nadinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt indifferent towards this ngl

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should probably begin this review by saying, I'm not such a huge fan of graphic novels. Its the words, the connections we are able to make with characters through these words that captivate me. Unfortunately, pictures with small speech bubble conversations between characters cannot pull me into a story. I certainly felt throughout the graphic novel that due to this lack of written words that the story moved far to quickly for my liking, one moment these warriors are arriving via Viking ships, two pages later and the monster is slain... I need more to make me feel for the characters and their sufferings and despite the excellently drawn pictures, I just couldn't capture the feel for it.

If anything it was just something to pass about half an hour of my time before I got the real book out to read. This felt like a 'cheat read' to add to a book challenge!

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for graphic novels, in its self, its not entirely bad, the plot is a bit vague and could do with some more description thrown in (maybe a little background history to some of the main characters) as it introduces characters left, right and centre and you don't really even know where they came into the story or why they were necessary. Would probably be better to just watch the film than this graphic novel as it would likely make more sense. I certainly intend to.

http://feelingslightlybookish.blogspo...

[SharlzG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not seen the movie but the original epic tale is on my list and Gaiman's work always intrigues me so when I saw this on sale I couldn't resist.

I have no doubt that it will vary significantly from the original tale but it was an interesting read and the art was well suited to the tale. I enjoyed it but definitely inspired to read the original work for comparison & because this adaptation assures me that it will be suitably epic for my liking (which I guess makes this a good teaser for the book)

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with the screenplay and the movie. I guess it would be unfair to blame this graphic novel as it is only an adaptation of the screenplay. I liked the original Beowolf and even the graphic novel that is its companion. This I could have done without. There was no need for any changes.

[Lars Guthrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, for one, liked the movie and Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary's twist on the original story. Grendel's mother is not really defeated until Beowulf dies fighting the dragon. That's because she is a part of who he is. It's a radical re-doing that somehow seemed true and provocative. So this comic book was a lot of fun.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a graphic book to finally get me to read this classic. I hadn’t even known that it was from Denmark. This graphic novel is based on the movie screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. Now I will have to rent the movie. So thank you to creators of graphic books for this introduction to Beowulf

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the movie was a poorly-done bore, but thankfully, this adaptation of the classic hero tale transfers much more smoothly to the comics medium. I really enjoyed the illustrations--they were a standout. I will say, though, that that was the most suggestively-drawn cave I've ever seen.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What i like about this book is the action that goes on between beowulf and the people from the village and how the king send one of the man to find beowulf and to kill him with out him knowing that beowulf is his son

[angrykitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

holy crap did this suck!!! if it wasn't for my long standing stance that i don't give anything one star, this would have gotten one star.....wtf neil gaiman?????

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a horrible version of the Beowulf story. Obviously it does divert, but that is to mostly make it its own.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty sure this is the edit I read. I have a new edit on my nook.

Epic and ancient poetry is fascinating to me...

[Askold]

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[Kris Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great retelling of the classic story of an epic hero with a twist that coincides with the movie version.