Olympians vol 12 by George O'Connor

Vol 12, Dionysos, The New God
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Dionysos is the child of Zeus and yet another mortal, who was tricked into death by jealous Hera. Hermes delivered Dionysos to the Satyrs to be raised, where he learned to be boisterous and have lots of fun. As an adult, Dionysos discovered the beauty of fermenting grapes and drinking it, and he brought his madness-inducing liquid to several mortal cities. He wasn't always thanked for sharing his drink, though! Tragedy also seems to follow Dionysos and many people around him die unexpectedly, prompting a trip to the Underworld. 

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If you're unfamiliar with this series, it's a great graphic novel primer on the main twelve gods of the Greek Pantheon. I've started backwards in my reviews with the last volume. Each can be read independently of each other, but there is a small through-line that does encourage the reader to go in order. There are some references to previous volumes, but O'Connor has copious author notes in the back that explain each of these references in case the reader has missed something. The stories are also fairly short, so these would be great for elementary or middle school students dipping their toes into Greek Mythology.

O'Connor draws Dionysos a little bit creepy at times, and he very much reminds me of Dodge, the bad guy from Locke & Key. Otherwise, the illustrations are very indicative of American cartooning with sparse background detail and lots of solid colors.

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-9

Publisher: First Second
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
ISBN: 9781626725300 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Elementary School, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Graphic Fiction, Mythology, First Second