Demeter & Persephone: Spring Held Hostage [A Greek Myth] (Graphic Myths and Legends)

Fontes, Justine; Fontes, Ron

ISBN 10: 0822559668 ISBN 13: 9780822559665

Publisher: Graphic Universe ™, 2007

Synopsis

This graphic novel tells the story of Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Persephone. Demeter rules over a perpetual summer on earth, where crops, trees, and flowers grow in abundance. Persephone, young and beautiful, unknowingly attracts the attention of the lonely god of the Underworld, Hades. Hades kidnaps Persephone, and a frantic Demeter searches in vain for her daughter. Finally, Demeter retreats to her temple in mourning. The goddess's sorrow causes the crops to die and the ground to freeze. The first winter falls over Greece. As people begin to starve, the other Olympian gods and goddesses try to convince Demeter to accept a marriage between Persephone and Hades. But Demeter will not give up her daughter forever to the Underworld. Finally a compromise is struck: Persephone will stay with Hades for half a year (winter). When she comes back from the Underworld to spend half a year with her mother, spring returns to earth.

About this title

About the Authors

Justine Fontes was born in New York City. She grew up on Long Island and later graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in English Liternature from New York University. Justine found her first job in publishing while she was a Freshman. She worked at various publishing houses before becoming a freelance writer. At Little Golden Books, Justine met her future husband, Ron Fontes. They started writing together and have written over 500 children's books. Justine and Ron moved to Maine in 1988.

Ron Fontes was born in Los Angeles. He grew up in Clarksville, Tennessee, where his mother taught him to read at age 4. By 16, Ron had a science fiction comic strip in the local newspaper. He was a theater major at Austin Peay State University, where he costumed and performed in many shows while working at a printing company to pay for school. Ron went on to act in film before becoming an advertising executive, and he then moved to New York City and worked for Whitman Comics and Marvel. Ron is a prolific artist and co-author of over 500 children's books with his wife, Justine.

Steve Kurth is an illustrator and comic book artist based in Wisconsin. He is best know for his comic work on The Avengers, Iron Man, X-men , G.I.Joe, Ghostbusters, Hulk, Wolverine, Green Arrow and a slew of other cool stuff.

Reviews

Grade 1-3–The first book is a retelling of the story of Hades's kidnapping of Persephone into the Underworld and Demeter's plea to the Olympians to bring her back. It's written at a very introductory level, and the creators try a little too hard to allude to other myths and bring additional Olympians into the text, which makes the otherwise dynamic narrative somewhat stilted. The artwork is excellent throughout, and the glossary will aid readers with unfamiliar words. The second book introduces elements of Chinese mythology. The introduction clarifies that while Yu was real, the story is legendary. Unfortunately, the art doesn't match the flow of the narrative, and often the characters look more European or Native American than Chinese. These titles will do well in libraries where comics or mythology books circulate, and especially where the Jr. Graphic Mythologies series (Rosen) is popular.–Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT
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Edition details

• Publisher: Graphic Universe ™
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0822559668
• ISBN 13: 9780822559665
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Kurth Steve
• Number of pages: 48