Through stunning art and heartbreaking plots, Rachel Smythe has perfectly woven a Greek tale for the modern age.
With it becoming increasingly difficult to sneak a few chapters of a book into my daily routine between assignments and meetings, I have discovered the joy of Webtoon, an app full of comics and graphic novels that only take a few minutes at a time to read. It is an easy way to fit a little bit of fun reading into the day.
One of the most well-known comics on Webtoon is “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe, a modern retelling of the story of Hades and Perspheone, and I must say that it is magnificent. The art style alone is enough for it to be breathtaking, but combined with the plot, it is truly a masterpiece.
The main storyline is that Persephone, Demeter’s only daughter who had been raised in the mortal realm, has traveled to Olympus to further her education, where she stays with Artemis. In an effort to get her to mingle with other gods, Artemis and Persphone attend a party Zeus is hosting, where jealous circumstances lead to Persephone meeting Hades, and the two slowly begin to fall in love.
One of the things I loved about “Lore Olympus” is how effortlessly Smythe intertwined smaller plots with the main one. The stories of Eros and Psyche, Apollo and Daphne, as well as Minthe and Hades were paired perfectly in the background of the main story. It can be overwhelming how many characters are situated in Greek mythology, but Smythe introduced each of them with ease, making you care so much about their story.
Clearly, Smythe did her research when penning this comic. There are myths present that I have not even heard of, while just about every story is held accurate to the lore she adapted it from. In a way, you always know what is coming for the characters, but at the same time, you never know how Smythe will twist it into a modern setting.
Of course, since it is based on Greek mythology, the comic is heartbreaking, a true tragedy. It portrays abuse and trauma well, exemplified through all of the characters in different ways to show how differently trauma manifests in people. It is a comic full of powerful messages of caring for those who have experienced trauma and helping them through it. There is one chapter that takes place during a therapy appointment, and I would say the statements made are very applicable to most of us.
Smythe’s art portrays the scenes even better than you could have envisioned in your mind. The emotions are so clear in the characters, and the costume changes are beautiful. I always looked forward to the next stunning outfit Persephone wore. Each character has their everyday form and their godly form, and I love to see how Smythe interprets these characters.
I grew up reading the “Percy Jackson” series, so I knew that Hera was not one of the best characters and that Apollo was pretty awesome, but in “Lore Olympus,” it is quite the opposite. Apollo is one of the scarier gods while Hera is one of the few that seems to have Persephone’s back. It is so interesting to me to see how these Greek myths can be interpreted across authors, and I loved seeing this specific interpretation, especially when it came to the female gods and nymphs protecting each other through trials and tribulations.
Webtoon is a fantastic way for authors and artists to get their work to a broad audience. With millions of users, there is an assortment of comics across all genres for readers to enjoy and artists to present their work to. Whatever they post is all their own, and Webtoon can even pay you for publishing on their site. Some authors, like Smythe, get so popular that they can strike up deals with bookstores to physically publish their work. These kinds of sites are vital for getting more artists into the publishing pipeline, spreading their creations across the reading community.
Currently, Smythe is on a mid-season hiatus, so there is no better time to get through the 190 chapters already uploaded. “Lore Olympus” can be found on Webtoon or in bookstores.
