From the tale of doomed lovers Pyramus and Thisbe to the Labors of Hercules, nine oft-retold myths get an off-the-wall graphic-novel treatment. Headed by titles like “Perseus vs. Two Nasty Kings and a Really Ugly Monster,” or “Pygmalion and His Rocky Relationship!!!” the panels are crowded with similar-looking gods and mortals, sheep, small pastel bunnies, loud sound effects and tongue-in-cheek dialogue (“That’s Cerberus, my doggy!”)—all printed on coated paper and brightened by saturated colors. The tales are still more or less recognizable, though Townsend occasionally embroiders them with, for instance, an army of monkeys that Icarus recruits while Daedalus is working on a (supposedly) better escape plan, and adds some characters to the usual cast, like a little green sidekick named Deadkins for Hades. Along with being not too far from Emmanuel Guibert’s Sardine in Outer Space series, illustrated by Joann Sfar, in general look and tone, these free-spirited retellings should draw fans of John Harris’s Strong Stuff: Herakles and His Labors, illustrated by Gary Baseman (2005), and Charles R. Smith Jr.’s Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Myth, illustrated by P. Craig Russell (2008). (Graphic mythology. 10-13)
