Olympia

Olympia #1-5

by Curt Pires, Alex Diotto (Contributor), Dee Cunniffe (Contributor)

Elon is a latchkey kid who spends his days alone reading comic books-until his favorite superhero, Olympian, comes crashing off the page and into reality! But as he nurses his wounded and delirious hero back to health, he discovers Olympian isn't the only thing that came through... something evil followed him. A comedic yet heartfelt love letter to the comics medium, OLYMPIA is also a meditation on hope and loss, conceived by CURT PIRES (Wyrd) and his father, TONY PIRES, while Tony was undergoing treatment for cancer.

Collects OLYMPIA 1-5 and Bonus Material.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Young Adult

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2020

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we have another book that starts out interesting, and then descends into clichés in its last act. I wish I liked it more, because of the book's backstory - Pires' dad pitched him the idea, while basically lying in hospital dying.

The book's main character is a 13-year-old boy called Elon, living in the town of Olympia, who reads a comic about a demigod, the Olympian, fighting another demigod, called Vilayne (think Mister Miracle and Fourth World shenanigans). Then the Olympian shows up in the real world, as does Vilayne. Elon takes the Olympian to find his creator, the comic book artist Kirby. Kirby is depressed, his father figure friend has just died, his wife has left him, he barely gets to see his son, and to top it off his Olympian series had just been cancelled.

The book takes some time to introduce Elon and Kirby, which is greatly appreciated. It also fooled me into thinking the rest of the book would be as thoughtful, but it just turns into a regular good vs evil fight, with our plucky Earthlings playing a pivotal role, being all unnaturally brave and stuff. There's even deceased family members and friends cheering our heroes on from the afterlife.

The theme of dads and people dying gets hammered home, and it all ends on a 'The End?'.

The art works best in the pages of the Olympian comic, and is a bit too muddy in the real world parts.

Again, knowing the background of the book's creation, I wish I liked it more. I just wish Curt Pires could've ended the story threads in a more interesting, less clichéd way.

(Received an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olympia collects issues 1-5 of the Image Comics series written by Tony Pires & Curt Pires, art by Alex Diotto, and colors by Dee Cunniffe.

Preteen Elon enjoys spending his afternoons after school by himself reading comicbooks. One evening after finishing the latest issue of his favorite series, the superhero Olympian crash lands nearby. Something has seriously injured Olympian and it may have also followed him to our reality.

This book serves as a love letter to silver age comics, especially Jack Kirby. My biggest issue is that there is an over reliance in long wordless fight scenes. It felt like it was a way to drag out the series without investing more character development which could have been wonderfully used for the Fourth World-esque characters. My favorite issue is the one focusing on the author of the comic series and his downward spiral. The art is a good mix of modern art and '60s and '70s Kirby-esque styles.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nerdy boy might be on cloud nine when the title character of 'Olympian', his favourite comic, suddenly crashlands to Earth in the woods near his home. But something injured the godlike character, and he cannot remember what the universe-threatening thing was. A hunt then for the comic's creator, a down-on-his-luck scruff – until said evil thing makes itself known right here… This was a fun book, being quite meta in not only having the action of the comic proved to be real somehow, but bringing its author into things too. It's trying to evoke a certain Hollywood childhood, as well as comics of old, and also show how people need if not necessarily father figures then father equivalents and replacements. (The book was based on a story its own author was forming with his dying father, and the sense of that passing is definitely here, in a pleasantly unobtrusive way.) It is a little cheesy in its action, and takes the easy way out several times, but it's certainly enjoyable, and comes recommended for when its brand of lightheartedness might be called for.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olympia is all about the love of comics and also people dying. There's a clear Kirby influence, from the name and look of the characters to all the references to Thor and Fourth World. It starts out as a cool idea of a teenager's favourite comic character coming to life but ends up being a big superhero fight that doesn't do anything new. There are some genuinely touching moments but it never ends up doing anything interesting with the premise.

[Alex E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of heart in it. You can tell when you read it that the creators, especially the writer Curt Pires, has a lot of passion for this project. And that's great because of the energy that is imbued into the story.

The story itself is about a boy who reads comics, and one of the characters from the comics crashes into the Earth, wounded and unable to remember how he got there. In order to find out whats going on, the boy needs to read the next comic, but finds its been cancelled. They then go find the creator, who is... not in the best state of mind lets say.

A really interesting and thoughtful take not only on the relationships between father and sons, but also comics in general. The wonder and heroism that they inspire permeates throughout the story, culminating in an ending that is both emotional and cathartic. I think the way that Pires draws you in emotionally helps with the payoff at the end, as it tugs at your heartstrings in more ways than one.

This book wields both imagination and emotion in order to give us a tale about a boy, his love for comics, and the ability to do the right thing. Highly recommended for people who read comics as a kid and got lost in the tales of superheroes and cosmic adventures.

[Alex Sarll]

A kid desperate for the next issue of his favourite comic finds that the protagonist has escaped into the real world – where the series has been cancelled, and the creator is about to do himself in. None of this is massively original – the comic-within-the-comic is a straight Kirby pastiche, written by one Kirby Spiegelman (there's a reference to half of how on-the-nose that name is, but still), and the world-crossing framework is straight out of Morrison via Millar and Edwards' 1985, mixed with a hint of Lemire and Lenox's Plutona. But it has energy, and heart; an introduction explains it as Pires' way of working through the loss of his father (who deathbed-collaborated on it), and the story is all about getting past that point of despair at the injustice of the world, at the doom of boundless minds trapped in decaying meat-suits. The problem being that, in the 2020s, I'm not sure there's any possible assertion of a way out of that which wouldn't feel tiny and delusional in the face of the void; certainly the slugfest which saves the day here, and which we've all seen before, didn't cut it for me.

Still, the space effect on the endpapers was gorgeous.

(Edelweiss ARC)

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hit me in the feels, in part because I read the story of how this came to be before reading the comic. Sure, this is a meta story with a comic within a comic, a lot of action hero stuff, and a classic good vs. evil tale, but most of all, it's an homage to comics, and a way to honor a father (or father figure) that has been a hero to their child, and a way to deal with the grief of losing that hero. This is a slow build story, so don't look for non-stop action, and there's a coming-of-age aspect to it as well. And feels. Lots of feels. Well done.
Also, the art was great!

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in the original single issues (November 2019-July 2020). I feel it deserves a rating of 3.5 stars, but Goodreads doesn't permit fractional rankings, so it gets 4 Stars.
I really wanted to rate this higher, as the circumstances behind the book's creation tug at the heartstrings. Curt Pires wrote this story with his father, Tony Pires, as he was hospitalized with cancer. It's a throwback to the glory days of heroic comics, a homage to the creative imagination and art style of Jack Kirby (particularly Thor for Marvel, and Fourth World for DC), told in old school fashion with a few modern-day twists thrown into the mix.
The first half of the story shows more creativity than the latter half, which evolves into the climatic battle. Elon, the lonely, abused at school latchkey kid is a very sympathetic character. With an absentee father and a hard-working mother (nurse) he spends his time after school alone reading comic books. When his favorite super-hero, Olympian, crosses into Elon's world and comes crashing into the forest his life is changed forever.
Just before this event Elon was reading the last of his Olympian comics, which ended in a cliff-hanger. Elon bikes to his local comic shop, only to learn that the title has been cancelled. Olympian suffered a major defeat before entering Elon's world. Elon nurses him back to health, and together they seek to find the comics writer to learn how the Olympian can win the final battle as his enemies pursue him into this world.
While the art does a decent job of emulating the Kirby magic (especially in the battle scenes), Alex Diotto's style is a far cry from the best of Kirby. However, it does evoke the feel of the Golden Age and helps enhance Pire's nostalgic story. Plus, the color work Dee Cunniffe helps elevate this work and provides a bit more clarity to some of Diotto's simpler panels.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely child immersed in his love comic books finds himself face to face with his comic book hero come to life.
Crashing to the earth unconscious,
Olympian, is found by young Elon.
As Elon nurses, Olympian, to health mayhem ensues as Olympian's nemesis has followed him to earth wanting the utter destruction of both Olympian and Earth's inhabitants.
Both the art and writing is an ode to comic books with a heavy wink to both DC and Marvel.
Reading this graphic novel you can't help but find that stories like this has been done before. I was hoping that the take of the introduction of the creator of the Olympian comic book and his meeting with Olympian in the flesh would go somewhere unexpected but it resulted in being flat for me.
The depictions of loneliness with young Elon can definitely be felt as well as that of the comic book creator and his feeling of anguish as his life's work has been canceled and his struggles with connecting with his son who has now built a new family with a new father.
Overall the read was just "okay" and it's not something that I can recommend.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening with a heartfelt introduction discussing the origins of Olympia, scriptwriter Curt Pires explains that he conceived the story with his father Tony, who was undergoing treatment for cancer. This five-issue narrative is coming from a personal place, but can the story itself be universally accepted? Olympia centers on latchkey kid Elon, who doesn’t socialize with anyone and would rather be with his lonesome self, reading comic books about his favorite superhero, the eponymous Olympia. One night, Olympia literally crash-lands into reality, and as Elon wrestles with what to do in this situation, the super villain from the comics also steps in.

Please click here for my full review.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curt Pires is one of the up-and-coming Young Gun writers I'm excited about. He wears his influences on his sleeves, and his influences are good!

However, while this inspired during his father's cancer treatment, it's also not outside of the realm of trope. It's a bit God Country, a bit "I Kill Giants", Millar's 1985, some Stranger Things, etc.

There are some inspired bits about "It's not the comics, but the people who will break your heart" and Kirby madness. Yet, we've seen this Spielberg cum Zemeckis cum comics before.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(note read as didtal floppies)

A nice little novella. I nearly dropped this after the first issue, but Pires story improved and kept me interested through the end. The idea of a "fictional" hero entering reality and bringing his conflicts with him, is again not all that new. This will read better, I think, as either all five issues in one sitting or as TPB.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t really say that the story or the art really captured my attention. But kudos to the colourist because the colours are vivid and amazing. There’s nothing bad about the story or art, it just came across as average and a day after reading, the only thing that stuck with me was the colours.
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I was really hoping that this would do more than it does with fairly well-worn tropes; the various elements, especially the 'homages' to Jack Kirby's work, feel not-quite fully formed and Alex Ditto's artwork kept reminding me of Paul Azzaceta's work on another image book: Outcast, but again not as well formed, or finished.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

art abd colours are fine. the silver age internal comic is laid out well for the recreation.

story is very much a poor man's God Country.
a character from a comic comes to the real world abd meets their biggest fan as well as their creator. big fight.

im a very openly emotional reader and this didn't get me to feel much of anything.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun.
The blurb on the back cover that namedrops Steven Spielberg annoys me to no end. If you like big budget MAINSTREAM Movies by S.S. then you will like this comic book?
Puh-lease!
Dear Image Comics, have more respect for yourselves!

[Joel Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little five-chapter novel about childhood, family, creativity and good mentors, weaving together the multiple universes of action heroes and comic creation. It was dark, gripping and hopeful all in one.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's great in parts but mostly cliched

[Geoff Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt , nostalgic and meta to the medium. It's a fantastic read.

[James Lawner · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5*

This feels like a good companion to Donny Cates’s Crossover series, but without the meta commentary and some added vibes like from E.T. and The Iron Giant.

This started out interesting, but because of its short length, the story felt unfulfilled. There’s no world-building for the world of New Olympus/Olympia (Were there really two names used? I can’t seem to remember now, even though I just finished reading it), and the characters were kinda 2-dimensional, except for Kirby Spiegelman, who was probably the better-written character here, and Elon (unfortunate name is unfortunate, I know) was also kinda underdeveloped. The overall story was fine, your typical good-vs-evil kind of story by the end of it, but there’s no awkward fish-out-of-water style of narrative with the Olympian character, and even the villain, whose name is “Vilayne”, also feels a bit one-note without much nuance or depth. The artwork wasn’t the best, and the way the panels were structured during big splash pages was kind of awkward and clunky, and didn’t give the scenes that much impact. One thing that was odd about this miniseries is how the F-bomb gets censored, but words like “shit” and “bullshit” and graphic, gory violence are not. For awhile, this story felt like it could be suitable for kids, but then it had those violent moments which reminded me this was a comic from Image.

Overall, this would make a good miniseries or movie on Netflix, that way the story and characters could be developed more. I understand that this comic was made as a tribute to Curt Pires’s father, and He even contributed to the story, so the heartfelt moments and the overall tribute to fatherhood, and even parenthood as a whole, was very endearing and I liked that aspect a lot.