Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny

by Yvan Pommaux

Oedipus is born to a terrible fate. Can he escape it to save himself and his family? An oracle makes a ghastly prediction: the young prince will kill his father and marry his mother. Horrified, King Laius decides to kill his infant son before he can ever grow up to fulfill that prophecy. But destiny can't be avoided so easily. That child is Oedipus, who lives to lead a country. Discover his true family, and see how his own rash actions have only furthered the gods' plans. With unique flair and a wealth of details, cartoonist Yvan Pommaux brings to a new generation the tragic tale, which has thrilled and terrified us for thousands of years. A must to nourish young readers' imaginations.

Yvan Pommaux is a beloved children's book author in France who is known for his detailed research and illustration style. In 1995, he was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris. Three schools have been named after him as a testament to the joy and educational appeal of his work for children.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Classics, Mythology, Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Literature, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2016

About the author

Yvan Pommaux is a beloved children's book author in France who is known for his detailed research and illustration style. In 1995 he was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris. Three schools have been named after him as a testament to the joy and educational appeal of his work for children. Theseus and the Minotaur is Pommaux's first book in English.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his 2016 graphic novel Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny (which in its original French is titled Oedipe l'enfant trouvé and has been translated into English by Richard Kutner), author and cartoonist Yvan Pommaux presents a nicely succinct and also rather muted textual and visual retelling of the Greek tragedy of Oedipus, of the king who fulfils the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi that he would kill his biological father and marry his biological mother. And in my humble opinion, Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny very decently provides basic but more than sufficient facts without either text or the accompanying artwork revelling or wallowing in violence and horror, even though the latter is fortunately also not ignored but is shown by Pommaux in a way that is sufficiently informative and adequately detailed albeit at the same time toned down so as to be suitable for young and also for sensitive readers, with me especially appreciating how violence in Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny is present, is depicted but not exaggerated and overly explicit, and that the inadvertent incest between Oedipus and his mother Jocasta is not explained away by either text or images in Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny, that it is called an unnatural union but is also not really expanded upon either, that Oedipus' and Jocasta's son/mother marriage is simply mentioned as a fact but not really much more than that.

Rendered in muted, somber tones, Yvan Pommaux's full colour illustrations for Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny tend to visually emphasise backgrounds, landscapes and buildings, while his human figures (but not the Oracle at Delphi who is of course considered to be divine) generally are pretty small in their illustrated stature (as if they are dwarfed by events beyond their control, by destiny, by the gods' curses and which for me not only makes sense but also emphasises Oedipus as a tragic hero and that humans are to be considered as primarily the playthings of the gods). And while some of Pommaux' (and by extension Richard Kutner's) text appears as cartoon bubbles (like in comic books), most of Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny is in a narrative format (which for me makes Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny a combination of graphic novel and picture book, and is something that I for one actually do rather prefer to straight and all encompassing comic books).

For me, a generally delightful and also mythologically enlightening, educational marriage of presented story and artwork is Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny, and with the pronunciation footnotes, map of Greece, supplemental information on the characters, locations etc. of the Oedipus story (as well as a nicely detailed bibliography for further study and research) that Pommaux textually provides being an added bonus, and therefore, a solid four star rating for Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny and also a graphic novel retelling of the Oedipus story that I do highly recommend for readers from about the age of eight or so onwards.

[Dani Shuping · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gather around and hear this ancient story of a young man born to a terrible fate. One which he cannot escape. King Laius and his lovely Queen Jacosta are delighted with the news that they will have a child. Sure that it is to be a boy Laius traveled to the oracles to confirm, whereupon he is told a horrible prediction: the young prince will kill his father and marry his mother. Laius decides to kill his son before that prophecy can ever be filled and a trusted servant leaves the child in the fields to be eaten by the wild animals nearby. But fate cannot be avoided so easily. And the child survives. And the gods will not be denied.

One of the things that I've grown to love about Toon Books, well basically since the first time I read one of their books, is that they seek the best of the best to create books that will be loved and cherished, and that most importantly don't talk down to their readers, which to me is the most important thing to look for in a books geared towards a younger audience. They don't try to hide the story of what happened to the characters that we're reading about or the trials and tribulations they went through. Because far too often in a book like this, you wouldn't see this type of tale told in comic style, because of the types of questions that younger readers are likely to ask. Like "How the heck can Oedipus marry his mom??" But Toon Books encourages questions and that is important for all ages.

In this retelling of Oedipus's tragic story French Cartoonist Yvan Poummaux brings all of his talents to bear to weave a story that will capture the reader's attention and enthrall them with the tale that they're reading. While the story itself is a fairly traditional retelling of poor Oedipus, the artwork is what makes the difference in this story. Poummaux allows the reader to see the faces of the characters close up and pays particular attention to their expressions, to show their shock and horror as they hear their fate or realize what they've done. Given that this is a tale of tragedy (as most Greek tales are) are muted and dim, allowing the subtle grimness of the tale to seep into the art. Even the pages themselves are tinted to a somber paleness too never give off the impression that there is hope. Even for a second.

In terms of pacing some readers might be a bit confused as Poummaux varies his grid panel depending upon what part of the story he's at. And while the story always moves downward, the reader should pay particular attention to how the panels are moving, as it emphasizes parts of the story more than others. Full panel pages allow the reader to see the horror in the characters faces, while panels spaced three or more on a page give the reader a broader sense of the beats of the story, allowing them to build tension and start to visualize what might come next. This type of storytelling while common in Europe, has been less common in the States. Although this is slowly changing as more publishers, like Toon Books and First Second, seek to bring the best stories to their readers.

My one minor quibble with the book is that they include pronunciations of the names of the characters at the very bottom of the page, which sometimes get lost amidst the illustrations. I would say that a bounding box would help with that, but honestly it would take away from the story even more. I think the best solution is one that they already have in the closing endpapers are an index of characters and locations, providing more information on each, including pronunciations. I think this would be less confusing and help keep the flow of the story. The opening endpapers are also part of the story, giving readers a map that show the location of the various events in the book.

This is a solid book and continuation of the Toon mythology series. I would recommend this for any library system, young or old, as it will help readers better understand the story they're reading about.

Review copy provided by Toon Books

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gelungene Bilderbuch-Umsetzung des Mythos. ACHTUNG: Entgegen der Behauptung des Verlags eher nicht für Kinder geeignet.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people are familiar with the term Oedipus complex and the basics of what it entails. However, if you asked people to explain where the term came from, I would wager that few could tell you much about its origins in Greek mythology. TOON Books recently released Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny. This is the third book in their Graphic Mythologies series with the first two being Theseus and the Minotaur and Orpheus in the Underworld.

Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny begins with King Laius and Queen Jocasta finding out they are pregnant. In order to find out if the child was going to be a boy, he visited the Temple of Apollo. The oracle there told him that the child would be male (Oedipus), but that the child would grow up and kill his father and marry his mother. Devastated by this news, they gave the child to their servant to leave in the wilderness to die. Oedipus was saved and grew up as royalty in Corinth. As he grew up, he had doubts about who his real parents were, so he too went to the Temple of Apollo and heard the same prophecy that King Laius had heard. Oedipus was scared of this prophecy and tried to run away from it. However, in running from his fate, he ultimately ran toward it and fulfilled what the oracle had said. This led to the death of his father, eventual death of his mother, and blinding of himself.

This is another brilliant book from Yvan Pommaux. The story is spot on in accuracy, but censors where necessary. Primarily, it doesn't explicitly show Oedipus gouging his eyes out. The graphic novel format is also very engaging as it enhances the story without distracting from it. Though the book is rated for ages 8+, given the content I would put it more age 12+. If you enjoy Greek mythology and want to introduce it to your children, I highly recommend the three from TOON Books and hope that they continue to publish more of these.

This book was provided to me for free by TOON Books in exchange for an honest review.

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the Greek mythology tale of Oedipus, from his birth through his journey and to his death in a child friendly way. The book includes an index that identifies the characters in the book and maps that show the geographic location of the heroes journey. I chose this book because I noticed that a lot of the students in my 5th grade classroom like graphic novels and I feel like they would want to red it. The genre for this book is graphic mythology (fiction). The grade level I would use it for is 5th and up, I would use this book as a way to engage students in a Greek mythology lesson. Students could also use it as a resource for a report on Greece mythology legends.

[MarineCAT · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was first told to me in middle school about fate. Rereading this, reminded me of how many little things that I had forgotten about the story. This would be a great addition to have in your classroom for students to learn more about Greek Mythology. The illustrations are basic, but help tell the story very well.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toon Graphics have come out with a set of mythos that are a step above anything else out there. Incredible attention to detail for newbies and fanboys alike.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Pommaux's framing device: two grandchildren begging their grandfather to tell them the most tragic and horrible myth he knows.

[Harald G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greek tragedy as graphic novel.

[Gaetan Demers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très bon, les illustrations sont merveilleuses et j'ai bien aimé à la fin du livre un genre de dictionnaire des noms et villes relieé à l'histoire d'Oedipe.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good retelling of the ancient tale.

[Fr4ise I S A A C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pommeaux c'est le seul auteur/dessinateur à censuré des mythes tout en dessinant des scènes digne de Berserk... Malgré ça le poulet reste bon mais je trouve que c'est le tome le moins descriptif (peut etre car le mythe est trop choquant pour des enfants ? bon dans l'index il est mieux expliqué certes...)

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Oedipus: Trapped by Destiny" by Yvan Pommaux
Cool illustrations and vivid tale. ***

[Deborah]

Such twisted tragedy. Great illustrations to depict the story

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like a picture book than a graphic. Nice illustrations, though.

2 1/2 stars

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story with great visuals. Great way to introduce Oedipus to younger audiences.