Gilgamesh: A Graphic Novel - Softcover

Winegarner, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593764227 ISBN 13: 9781593764227

Publisher: Soft Skull Press, 2011

Synopsis

"With all the graphic adaptations of mythology flying around, it’s about time someone got to old Gilgamesh.... Winegarner’s adaptation demonstrates the extensive debt mythology and religion owe this ancient tale." ―Booklist

Before the Bible and legendary figures like Hercules, King Arthur, and Beowulf, there was Gilgamesh. As the king of Uruk, a city in ancient Mesopotamia, Gilgamesh protected his people from harm, battling a multitude of fierce demons with the steadfast help of his brother, Enkidu.

But Gilgamesh's reign faced the ultimate challenge from the power-hungry goddess Ishtar, who proposed marriage only to be unceremoniously spurned by Gilgamesh. Ishtar's rage led Gilgamesh to his greatest battle, a battle that shook Gilgamesh to his core and led him to travel further than any other man to the land of the gods on a quest to find immortality.

Written down on cuneiform tablets nearly five thousand years ago, Gilgamesh's story was originally recorded in the form of an epic poem. In this bold retelling of the ancient legend presented for the first time in graphic novel form graphic novelist Andrew Winegarner revitalizes the ultimate adventure story. His illustrations breathe new life into the story of humanity's first hero, and the result is a page-turning take on the world's oldest epic poem.

About this title

About the Author

ANDREW WINEGARNER is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and currently teaches art. His first graphic novel, Peaceful Warrior, is an adaption of Dan Millman’s bestseller, Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Winegarner lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can often be found drawing.

From Booklist

With all the graphic adaptations of mythology flying around, it’s about time someone got to old Gilgamesh. The Mesopotamian culture that bore the first heroic narrative in recorded history may not be as flashy as, say, the Greeks’, but Winegarner’s adaptation demonstrates the extensive debt mythology and religion owe this ancient tale. Copious footnotes and a fine balance of action, emotion, and information make the tale of the king’s transformation from tyrant to monster-smashing hero and his search for immortality after his brother’s death instructive and exciting. The adaptation also powerfully distills the message that immortality lies in one’s deeds and legacy, even if the black-and-white art offers a merely satisfactory interpretation, with occasionally amateurish stabs at perspective, rather than the stark awe the story’s scope suggests. The surprisingly graphic depiction of the priestess Shamhat’s mission to sexually “civilize” the beast-man Enkidu makes this book rather difficult to use as a pedagogical tool. Instead, older teens and adults can enjoy it as a mythological adventure with a strong historical background. --Jesse Karp

About this edition

• Publisher: Soft Skull Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1593764227
• ISBN 13: 9781593764227
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176