Beowulf (review)

This graphic-novel presentation of the traditional three-part tale of Beowulf gives young readers the Geatish warrior as the hypermuscular, hard-hitting, proto-comic-book superhero he's always been. Grim, rugged faces stare out of action-packed spreads peppered with palpably realistic black blood spatters and onomatopoeic fight grunts as the monsters chomp on various warrior appendages and our hero kicks, rips, and thwangs his various enemies into grisly submission and death. Hinds manages his palette to good effect, sticking mainly to sepia and burnt umber in the mead hall and teals for under the sea, so that the occasional punctuations of flame and the stark blackness of the monsters really stand forth, and the dusky purples of the final chapter lead readers visually into Beowulf's shadowlands. The text, though colloquial, remains a challenging read, as it retains the archaic rhythms and bardic vocabulary of the heroic epic; the adapter clearly provides history and some character-developing storytelling to establish the encounters, but leaves the fight scenes unencumbered with any text at all, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the flesh-ripping violence. The final chapter may be a little confusing for those not familiar with the story, but attentive observers will be able to follow the main plot through the pictures and will ponder over the thematics of including a distant cityscape, complete with suspiciously familiar twin towers, as a backdrop to Hrothgar's warning that Beowulf use his God-given gifts—fame, fortune, the power to command an empire—wisely and without arrogance, and remain ever mindful that death awaits us all. With treatments like this available, honors English may never be the same.