Theseus and the Minotaur (Mythology) (Graphic Revolve) by Nel Yomtov

Theseus and the Minotaur (Mythology) (Graphic Revolve) Reviews

• 
  Manybooks

  Well, as a graphic novel presentation of the Greek myth of Theseus' destruction of the dreaded Minotaur and also of how Theseus became a renowned and beloved king of Athens, the combination of Nel Yomtov’s retelling and Tod Smith’s cartoons for their 2009 Theseus and the Minotaur does first and foremost leave me majorly frustrated, hugely annoyed and that indeed both my inner child and my older adult reading self are in collective and total agreement that Yomtov's words and Smith's artwork for Theseus and the Minotaur are simply not all that much either to our reading or to our aesthetic, to our visual tastes. For indeed, albeit how Theseus' life and his fight with and triumph over the Minotaur are presented in Theseus and the Minotaur cover the basics tolerably well and that the accompanying pictures also decently reflect the text and vice versa, there are some major (and personal) issues I have had and continue to encounter with Theseus and the Minotaur and these are certainly ones I cannot and will not either ignore or make excuses for (and which as such also prevent me from rating Theseus and the Minotaur with more than two stars, and not to mention that I also think said two stars are actually quite generous on my part).
  
  For one (and very much of personal annoyance), although Nel Yomtov does (and like already mentioned above) present an adequate and basic introduction to Theseus in Theseus and the Minotaur, there are for me far too many what I would label as narrational holes so to speak, there are parts of Theseus' story that are either ignored or kind of weirdly glossed over for in my not so humble opinion no real or justifiable reason, such as for example how Yomtov in Theseus and the Minotaur does not show the backstory of the Minotaur itself with even remotely sufficient detail (totally ignoring that an angry Poseidon made King Minos of Crete's wife Pasiphae fall in love with a bull and that the Minotaur is their offspring) and also does not acknowledge how Theseus is an illegitimate child and that his father Aegeus obviously impregnated Theseus' mother Aethra during a one-night stand and then went back to his home city of Athens (and that yes, I do find it rather uncomfortable and really quite problematic how in Theseus and the Minotaur Nel Yomtov's narrative and Tod Smith's illustrations almost seem to wallow and revel in explicit and lethal, deadly violence but how questions of sexuality are obviously mostly ignored and skipped or skimmed through, almost as though they are inappropriate to consider).
  
  For two, I also find how Yomtov in Theseus and the Minotaur textually handles King Minos' daughter Ariadne being left by Theseus on the Greek island of Naxos (after she helped him defeat the Minotaur) rather frustrating at best, since while Theseus and the Minotaur states that Theseus abandons Ariadne because he does not love her, the traditional reason is that Theseus was told by the goddess Athena to abandon Ariadne since Zeus had selected her to be the mother of the god of wine and revelry Dionysus (and that indeed, Nel Yomtov both not adhering to the traditional stories regrading Ariadne and also having her abandoned by a Theseus who is obviously rather a cad who makes all kinds of promises to Ariadne but has no intent on honouring them, this is definitely is rather bothersome and makes me personally majorly textually unhappy).
  
  And for three and aesthetically speaking, I absolutely do NOT at all find Tod Smith's cartoons for Theseus and the Minotaur even remotely visually appealing, with them being much too darkly hued, too often gratuitously violent (see above) and also considerably too focused on Theseus, on his physique, on his heroic looks and on his muscles (and with all this leaving me so very much disappointed regarding Theseus and the Minotaur that actually and certainly, the only reason why my rating for Theseus and the Minotaur is not one star being that I do find the glossary and the supplemental information Yomtov provides on the Oracle at Delphi and how the priestesses making predictions might have been high on methane fumes seeping from the earth interesting and indeed something that was new to and for me, but no, this is definitely not at all being enough for me to consider recommending Theseus and the Minotaur without major reservations).
• 
  Nhi Nguyễn

  I am craving for Greek mythology, so I picked up this comic book. Such a cool experience getting to know the story of the famous hero Theseus through simplified story line and illustrations. What I love about it is that it's just not about Theseus facing the Minotaur; the author also took time telling about Theseus's origin, where he came from, the story surrounding his birth. So I learned lots of things about this hero. Young adults who love to learn about Greek mythology would certainly enjoy this book and the rest in the series.
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  Mateo Molina

  Cuando era un niño, me encantaba. Ahora creo que fue tan simple. que a esta novela grafica en particular no le guardo mucho cariño. Las otras de esta serie, sin embargo, guardan un lugar especial en mi corazón.
• 
  Chase

  I really like this book, it combines a comic sort of feel with a classic. I was hooked and definitely liked reading it. its a book that you could probably finish in like 20 minutes but it's still a good one
• 
  Emily

  Great illustrations and lessons from Greek mythology. My kids enjoyed the comic style.
• 
  Joseph R.

  This graphic novel is part of a series on Greek mythology for younger readers, so it simplifies the story of Theseus in certain areas, though it covers all of the bases fairly well. The story begins with Aegeus, King of Athens, who goes to the Oracle of Delphi to find out when and if he will have a son. Naturally he's concerned about the next king. The Oracle is Medea, who tells him the next woman in his arms will bring forth his son. Before giving this good news, she extracts a promise that he will protect her if ever she needs shelter. While in Troezen, the local king's daughter falls into Aegeus's arms. The reader doesn't see anything untoward happen, but she does have a son, Theseus, long after Aegeus is gone. Aegeus left some tokens (sandals and a sword) under a huge rock so that any potential son could retrieve them and come claim the throne of Athens.
  
  Fast forward eighteen years. Medea has fled to Athens, married Aegeus, and they have a young son called Medus. Theseus has grown to manhood in Troezen. Local giant Periphetes comes to terrorize the town. Theseus fights and kills him. His mom decides it's time for him to find out his true identity, lift the rock, and go meet his father. He does. On the journey, he fights many mythical creatures. In Athens, Medea tries to poison Theseus before he can reveal his identity. The king sees Theseus carrying his sword and stops the plot. Pretty soon, Theseus volunteers to go with the fourteen young Athenians to be sacrificed to the Minotaur on Crete. Theseus's plan is to kill the Minotaur and free Athens from this annual horror. The king asks Theseus to fly a white sail on his return to signal his success.
  
  On Crete, Theseus catches the eye of the king's daughter, Ariadne. She helps him by giving him a ball of string so he can find his way back out of the labyrinth. He has a great big fight and slays the Minotaur. He promised to bring Ariadne with him back to Athens, which he realizes in hindsight is a mistake because he doesn't love her. So he leaves her at one of the stops along the way. She'd taken the white sail with her to clean it, so Theseus returns to Athens under the black sail. King Aegeus sees the black sail, despairs because he thinks his son is dead, and throws himself from the cliff. Theseus blames himself (as do the citizens) for his father's death. He rules as best he can to win back their hearts.
  
  The book is a quick read and is very enjoyable. A lot of the more adult details of the story are left out (like why the Cretan queen gives birth to a half-man, half-bull), which is proper for a kid's book. The book also has some discussion questions and writing prompts at the end, along with a glossary and pronunciation guide. It's a good introduction to the story for younger readers. The art is fine, doing a good job conveying the emotions and the actions in the story.
• 
  Shelli

  Normally I am a huge fan of non-fiction graphic novels, this one however wasn't done very well. While the art work was fantastic, the narration was lacking; of the many versions of Theseus I have read this one was probably the weakest. Students wishing to understand this particular Greek hero should use additional resources. I did appreciate the additional information in the afterward about the Oracle at Delphi.