Gods of Asgard: A graphic novel interpretation of the Norse myths

I got into the Gods of Norse Mythology because of Marvel comics and movies, I am a huge Thor and Loki fan, and naturally, after reading about the comic/movie versions, I wanted to know the base stories that led marvel to make them characters. I had already read some stuff from different sites, but when I saw this book I had to have it. I got it three days after placing my order and started reading, and fell in book love. Its really well written, and drawn extremely well It has only the best stories, a couple of my favorites that i have read on the net, The building of the walls of Asgard to name one, and is told in a very short sweet and to the point way. I just started it and I know this one will be read multiple times. Also when I opened it, I got the surprise of finding it autographed by the author, so that was a plus.

The major Norse myths presented in graphic-novel format. I've never liked graphic novels very much, but Erik A. Evensen's work has changed my opinion of the entire genre. All the characters look and speak just as they should, in my opinion, and the contemporary presentation feels fresh and alive. Best of all, Loki displays both his charm and his ambiguity whenever he is featured. Mr. Evensen's depiction of Loki after Odin tells him to obtain the necklace of the Brisings is priceless!

A brief disclaimer about my review. I have read a total of five graphic novels in my life, so some of my critiques of the book may be due to my unfamiliarity with this style of writing. I purchased this book not as a fan of graphic novels, but as a Heathen and a lover of the original stories. My review is from that perspective. All right, disclaimer aside, I found this graphic novel to be a refreshing way to read the stories of the Eddas. I read every version of these stories I can, from the original Old Norse, to modern day retellings. I was glad to find a graphic novel that stays (mostly) true to the original stories I enjoy so much, not someone's new story that borrows the god's and goddesse's names. *cough*marvel*cough*. It is a quick read, and seems to be a good way to introduce someone to the stories of the Eddas. I found the author to accurately portray the gods and goddesses, all be it a bit two dimensional. Especially the goddesses. The author does mention in the introduction that the reason he wrote about the Norse deities was due to their complex personalities, but was not able to capture them in their entirety. This is one of my complaints I am willing to attribute to the style of writing, and the author does a better job than some other retellings I have read. I was pleasantly surprised by what the illustrations added to the stories. I found them to be well done, using detail, or lack of, to draw the eye to the important parts of the panel. The author is also the illustrator, and some of the personality he was not able to capture in the writing, he portrayed in the illustrations. It may also help someone who is unfamiliar with the original stories to fill in some of the missing story and context. That brings me to my only major complaint about the book, and the reason for the missing star. The author skips over major story points, leaving the reader to infer what happens. An example is in the building of Asgard's wall. In one panel, Odin tells Loki to stop the builder of the wall from completing his task. The next panel is the builder chasing his horse and another into the woods. A couple panels latter, Loki is offering Slepnir to Odin. Not a big deal if you already know the story, but probably confusing if you don't. This kind of "jump" in the story happens several times throughout the book. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. It is well illustrated, and the writing is mostly true to the original stories. I appreciate the portrayal of the gods and goddesses being as complex as probably possible in a graphic novel. If you are a fan of graphic novels and the Eddas, I would suggest picking up a copy. If you want to learn more about the mythology, but are not up to reading Old Norse poetry, this may be an option as well. Just realize you may end up missing out on some of the story due to the way it is written. Or if you want a quick, enjoyable read, it is definitely worth the twelve bucks.

Would have preferred to know it is black and white (see inside for one page, maybe)? Nonetheless, kiddo loved it.

I have no real impression other than how my nephew lit up when I gave it to him at per the suggestion of my sister.

This graphic novel is a marvelous and attractive introduction and overview of Norse Mythology. It is not as intimidating as a more comprehensive book on this subject would be to a newcomer and is a valuable asset to anyone wishing to become more knowledgeable on this subject.

I didn't see anywhere in the descript that this was going to be a black/white graphic novel. Maybe we're supposed to assume that? I don't know. I was expecting a full colour graphic novel, though so I was very disappointed. Entertaining read though.

I loved the book. It's as fantastic as all the other reviews say.What wasn't fantastic was Amazon's handling of the product. See my photo. They slapped an "inspected and repackaged" sticker on the book, right next to a giant tear in the back cover. Apparently their inspectors are overworked.

Love it

I wanted a crash-course in mythology and this worked perfectly. Thanks!

Forse non proprio adattissimo a bambini in pre adolescenza, peró molto ben disegnato e fedele ai fatti della mitologia nordica

I bought this comic because I was looking for a book about north mythology for children; it was mainly important to me that there were a lot of pictures in it.With this comic I found a really cool book with lots of pictures describing the whole story of the northern gods in simple dialogs and pictures. Of course it would have been great if the whole book would have been printed in colour, but I don't mind the black and white drawings inside.I habe diesen Comic gekauft, weil ich nach einem Kinder-Bilderbuch zur nordischen Mythologie gesucht habe; für mich war vor allem wichtig, dass das Buch viele Bilder enthalten sollte.Mit diesem Comic habe ich ein echt cooles Buch mit vielen Bildern gefunden, das die gesamte Geschichte der nordischen Götter in simplen Dialogen und Bildern erklärt. Natürlich wäre es toll gewesen, wenn das ganze Buch mit bunten Bildern gedruckt worden wäre, aber mir macht es nichts aus, das die Bilder im Innern schwarz-weiß sind.

a must have