Percy Jackson – Rick Riordan (Graphic Novels – Mini Review)

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel by Robert Venditti

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the book, the first five chapters of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief doesn’t have a lot of action and I think some people find it hard to get past. Once Percy makes it to camp, I believe that people would be much more likely to enjoy the book as the pacing is better and there is more action. Being a graphic novel, this iteration of the story shortens that initial pacing issue and might make the story accessible to more people. I felt that the storyline in the graphic novel followed the book faithfully and didn’t rush through the important moments.

Being a graphic novel, the story doesn’t have as much time to develop as a regular book. As a result, I don’t feel that you get to know the characters as well as you should. My hope though is that this graphic novel will inspire people to read the actual book and experience the original. That being said, if you’ve already read the book(s) then I think you will still enjoy the graphic novels.

My one issue with the graphic novel is the illustrations because not only are they not consistent but a lot of them don’t look like their characters. The main characters are in middle school when we meet them and yet they’re drawn as if they’re in their late teens and sometimes early 20’s. It’s difficult to ignore that fact when you’re reading a graphic novel.

The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel by Robert Venditti

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This series continues to adapt the book well into a faster paced, graphic novel form. It selects the most important plot points and illustrates them in detail. Unfortunately, I still don’t feel that we have enough character development. For example, Luke is such a nuanced character that we need to learn a backstory and motivations for otherwise he just comes across as flat.

My biggest concern again is the illustrations. I opened the book and our main character doesn’t look the same as he did in the first book. Yes, he’s a year older but he also shouldn’t look like he had to have major reconstructive surgery and is a different person altogether. The illustrations are well done, but the characters could have used more work so that they are each clearly their own unique styles.

The Titan’s Curse: The Graphic Novel by Robert Venditti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Titan’s Curse is, unfortunately, the worst adaptation because the illustrations have completely pulled me from the story. There are scenes in which you can’t tell three characters apart and yet they are different genders and ages. That is problematic. The story itself is still quite enjoyable, but the illustrations make it confusing to read.

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