Hera: The Goddess and her Glory (Olympians Series #3)

by George O'Connor, George O'Connor (Illustrator)

Overview

The story of Hera, Queen of the Gods, and the heroes who won her favor.

Volume 3 of Olympians, Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory, introduces readers to the Queen of the Gods and Goddesses in the Pantheon. This volume tells the tales of the many heroes who sought and won Hera's patronage, most notably Hercules.

In Olympians, O'Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren't sedate, scholarly works. They're action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions.

O'Connor's vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology. This title has Common Core connections.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596437241
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	07/19/2011
Series:	George O'Connor's Olympians Series , #3
Pages:	80
Sales rank:	681,856
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	GN650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

George O'Connor is an author, illustrator and cartoonist. His first graphic novel, Journey Into Mohawk Country, used as its sole text the actual historical journal of the seventeenth-century Dutch trader Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, and told the true story of how New York almost wasn't. He followed that up with Ball Peen Hammer, the first graphic novel written by playwright Adam Rapp, a dark, dystopian view of a society's collapse. Now he has brought his attention to Olympians, an ongoing series retelling the classic Greek myths in comics form. In addition to his graphic novel career, O'Connor has published several children's picture books, including the New York Times best-selling Kapow, Sally and the Some-Thing, and Uncle Bigfoot. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Reading Group Guide

For Discussion:
Hera is the goddess of marriage, yet her own marriage to Zeus is full of fights.
Who do you think is to blame for that, Zeus or Hera? (Watch out for lightning bolts and giant snakes when answering this question.)
When Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in the 1930's, they consciously modeled him on Heracles. What are some aspects that Superman and
Heracles have in common?
Heracles and Jason are two of the greatest heroes of Ancient Greece, and are both closely connected to Hera. But their respective relationships with her are quite different. Why do you think that is?
Many of the names in this book will be very familiar to modern readers, like Atlas and Heracles. What are some modern things that have names taken from Green mythology?
Do you think it's fair that Hera punishes the children and girlfriends of Zeus? Is it fair that Zeus keeps cheating on Hera?
The number twelve comes up often in the Greek myths. Heracles performs twelve labors; there are twelve Olympians, and twelve Titans before them. Why is the number twelve so important? What other numbers come up a lot in the Greek myths?
Heracles is given a choice between a hard life, in which he would have to work for everything but would be remembered forever, and an easy life, in which where everything would be given to him. Did he make the right choice? What would you choose?
Very few people believe in the Greek gods today. Why do you think it is important

that we still learn about them?

Editorial Reviews

Definitely worth a visit for any young demigod.” —Rick Riordan

“Readers . . . will be delighted with this debut title in the Olympians series of graphic novels.” —BCCB, starred review

From the Publisher

Gr 7 Up—O'Connor does not give in to the typical representation of Hera as just a nagging wife; instead, he shows how the goddess of marriage struggles with Zeus's infidelity time and again. Through the story of Heracles, readers see not only how the hero made a name for himself, but also how the Greek gods viewed the lives of mortals and heroes, who play out competitions among the gods with their lives. Though some of the dialogue is a bit shallow and does not reflect the well-rounded picture readers have of Hera by the end of the story, the retelling of the myth accurately reflects several of the original source texts and gives Hera a somewhat vindictive sense of humor. While skipping some darker elements, such as the reason for Heracles's 12 labors and Hera's causing him to go mad and kill his wife and children, the stories are fairly represented, and several instances of Hera's wrath against her husband's lovers are depicted in a few short panels. This is an excellent addition to mythology sections, with action sequences that will appeal to readers of superhero comics. The art also leaves out darker elements. While violence is depicted, the action sequences brilliantly capture the quick movements and tense tone of combat without showing a gorier side. A family tree on the front cover and notes at the end make this useful for classrooms as well.—Alana Joli Abbott, formerly at James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT

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