Hardcover, 128 pages
English language
Published July 29, 2007 by Candlewick Press.
This exhilarating graphic-novel edition of an ancient classic honors the spirit of the original as it attracts modern readers. The epic tale of the great warrior Beowulf has thrilled readers through the ages —and now it is reinvented for a new generation with Gareth Hinds's masterful illustrations.
Grendel's black blood runs thick as Beowulf defeats the monster and his hideous mother, while somber hues overcast the hero's final, fatal battle against a raging dragon. Speeches filled with courage and sadness, lightning-paced contests of muscle and will, and funeral boats burning on the fjords are all rendered in glorious and gruesome detail. Told for more than a thousand years, Beowulf's heroic saga finds a true home in this graphic-novel edition.
Like other books by Hinds, an atmospheric but faithful adaptation of the original comic. I read The Collected Beowulf, an early edition that maintains an archaic and poetic translation throughout, and it really made it. The poetry and action offset each other brilliantly, and made for a great read overall.
