Cover Image: Adrastea

Adrastea

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Member Reviews

I think I will read everything Bablet comes us with.
The artwork is simply gorgeous. Words cannot describe. I could gaze at it for hours. I would have it as posters on my walls.

The story itself is wonderful. A retelling of ancient greek myth. No, not even a retelling. An homage.
The inspiration is so deftly woven into the story. Old worlds transcend into modern creation, and new forms of expression.

It's unique and wholy worth your time.

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This didn't capture my attention. Yes the art was pretty, but it didn't convey feelings? I can't really describe what was missing, but something was for me.

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Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Adrastea is a Greek Mythology reimagined in a graphic novel. The art style is beautiful, and I enjoyed the story. "After 1000 years on his throne, the immortal former king of Hyperborea sets out for Mount Olympus to ask the gods why he was cursed with such a condition, and how he might finally be allowed to die to be with the one he once loved. On his way, he will meet men, women, gods, and goddesses who will influence and reveal truths to the traveler that he has long since forgotten."

The story was pretty good and intriguing. I will definitely read other books or graphic novels by Bablet.

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From the publisher: "After 1000 years on his throne, the immortal former king of Hyperborea sets out for Mount Olympus to ask the gods why he was cursed with such a condition, and how he might finally be allowed to die to be with the one he once loved. On his way, he will meet men, women, gods, and goddesses who will influence and reveal truths to the traveler that he has long since forgotten."
This was an odd one, but I really liked that about it! Sometimes, you need a good "wtf?" story. IFK (immortal former king) has been sitting in his castle alone for a long, long time, and he's a little mixed-up; the things that happened in his life, the people he knew and loved, existed so long ago that he can't remember any of it. He knows he's immortal, though he doesn't know why, and this bothers him. He decides to find out, and sets off on a journey to find the gods and ask them why he was made this way, why can't he die? As he travels, he meets gods, monsters, and humans, who cause different memories to come to the surface of his mind. Because he looks the same now as he did in the past, it's not always clear *when* he is - is he still in the present, or in a memory of the past? I liked the confusion of this, because it puts the reader into his frame of mind; this guy is a walking ball of confusion. In addition to that, everywhere he goes, people want to either kill him for whatever reason, or capture him to figure out how to take his power of immortality. This is enough to make anyone a little punchy, and the way time seemed to shift all the time really makes that feeling palpable. When he finally gets to the gods, will they be able to give him answers?
I'm not going any farther than that. The ending is ambiguous, and I'm not sure what I think happened. It was a satisfying ending, though; I thought it was, at least. Following the story is a glossary of characters, creatures, gods, and goddesses with a blurb about each. Now then, the art! Wow, it was pretty amazing! The characters do have a unique style, and while it's odd and not really my favorite, the style grew on me, and did add to the weirdness of the story. The landscapes and settings though! Oh my gravy, but the world was beautiful and intricate, the coloring so moody and evocative, and the last six panels of the IFK were so quiet and lovely. All together, I really enjoyed this, but as I said, I like a bit of wtf now and then.

#Adrastea #NetGalley

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This books is packed with intricately penned characters and environments, on top of pale washes of color. I especially enjoyed the depictions of lush greenery mixed with the stone hewn architecture of main cities depicted. I found that having a familiarity with Greek mythology going in helped me follow the story a bit faster and spend more time enjoying the illustration, however I don't think background knowledge is required. Bablet's style of minimal dialogue, and using mostly visuals to drive the plot might also be something to note for a reader that's more of a visual or dialogue fan.

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This was a unique take on the Greek myth inspo comic. One of the aspects of this comic that I liked and found fascinating was its art style.

Aside from that, I find the storytelling compelling and intriguing, and it did keep me on edge at times.

The only thing I could criticize is the font, which I wished was larger and more readable.

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Well executed. The amount of artistic detail and work that goes into each illustrated panel is absurdly gorgeous. My favorite parts are the silent pages where there are no ballons with text at all. I wish all of it had been silent.

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Netgalley has some error. I'm unable to read the book. The download isint loading and it is not opening.

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This graphic novel was beautiful and very visual in it's storytelling. I'm a big fan of Greek myth, and enjoyed piecing what I knew together throughout. I'm not super familiar with Hyperborean stories, but recognized a lot of elements of other myth throughout. The panels and pages that show the vastness of the hero's journey are my favorite. There's so much detail and depth to the art, they're really enjoyable to look at. The odd splash of humor on occasion was nice too, like Zeus immediately going to impregnate the queen. The last several pages showing the passage of time with the content king was absolutely beautiful to see.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this graphic novel in exchange for my honest review!

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'Adrastea' with story by Mathieu Bablet is a graphic novel telling a story about an undying man on a journey to find his own death.

The king of Hyperborea has reigned for 1,000 years without aging, but immortality has its drawbacks, so he travels to Mount Olympus to ask if he can finally die and be with his loved one. Dealing with the gods is never easy and it is certainly not this time.

It's an odd tale, but it's really about the journey, not the destination. The art is worth a look, and I love how the color palette was constantly changing. The story is somewhat sparse, but the art is detailed.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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I wasn't a super big fan of this one. I think the illustrations were interesting, and the story was neat, but the execution wasn't something I enjoyed. I feel like it tried to be too philosophical without actually moving the story along.

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Netgalley has some error. I'm unable to read the book. The download isint loading and it is not opening.

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Netgalley has some error. I'm unable to read the book. The download isint loading and it is not opening.

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I don't have words to describe this beauty that I have just read. Amazing, everything was amazing. The story, the illustration, the style of writing, and drawing. This is a story about an immortal man, but it's also about mortality. And life and memories. This is one of those books that makes me glad that I am a reader, that I can discover such wonderful things.

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Thank you Netgalley and Magnetic Press for my copy.

First of all I like the storyline, but i need more information about worldbuilding, characters and their backgrounds.
Unique style artwork. Very promising and intriguing read.

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The graphic novel explores the tragedy of eternal life.

The immortal Hyperborean king battles, not just bloodthirsty warriors, cannibalistic monsters but also the ravages of his fading memory, as he wanders in search of meaning for this unending life. The end is bittersweet and fitting to the haunting narrative.

The illustrations are well-done, with layers of visuals that show that there are usually more that lie beneath the surface.

An engaging read.

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Bracing fantasy reading on the comics page. Recommended for fans of both the genre and medium, and a book Iā€™d gladly recommend.

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It was only ok. In the beginning we are thrust in the story without a lot of explanation and world building. I felt quite lost and disengaged for a while until I could see what was going on. But I still felt the story lacked a deeper plot and I couldn't care less about the main character. By the end I thought the last twist was pretty interesting, I just wished the whole story followed that kind of thread. For such a meandering story, I was waiting for some kind of character development but there was none. Maybe some people will be able to extract more from the story but it was not for me.

And I really didn't like the art style.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

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I think this story kind of went over my head. While it was interesting, I didn't quite get the meaning behind it all.

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Beautiful illustrations, lush color palette. The characters are interesting and you can tell that the cartoonist spent much time crafting this graphic novel.

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