Theseus and the Minotaur: 06/22/15

Theseus and the Minotaur by Yvan Pommaux is a comic book / graphic novel retelling of the minotaur myth. While the title puts Theseus at the forefront, he ends up playing a very minor role. Mostly the book is about the circumstances that lead up to Theseus hunting down the minotaur.

Basically the whole mess is another instance of "All magic comes with a price, Dearie" (Rumplestilskin in nearly every episode of the early seasons of Once Upon a Time). These gods and goddesses of the Mediterranean have a wicked sense of humor. In the case of Poseidon, he takes issue with his gift of a beautiful bull being slighted (or rather, kept alive and not sacrificed in his honor) and decides the Queen of Minos should thus get the hots for said bull.

And so it's dogs and cats (or queens and bulls) living (or lying) together. (For a longer, and NSFW retelling, check out the post by Tea Shoes and Hair on Tumblr)

The point is, it's a complicated, soap opera worthy plot, laid out as a comic book with included character cards and side bars to fill in the blanks. For any kid who has enjoyed reading the Percy Jackson books, or for adults like me, who also like Percy Jackson and might have grown up reading the Edith Hamilton mythology book, this one's a fun read.

Four stars

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