Review by Frank Plowright

The abstract cover gives little away about what waits within, but the title is a clue. Ody-C is Matt Fraction’s reworking of The Odyssey, in which a torturous journey home follows a triumphant victory. Names such as Troiia and Odyssia are almost familiar, yet this doesn’t occur in a mythical past, but in a far distant future. Nevertheless, the gods still exist, and toying with humanity remains a pastime, so they throw a wrench in the works as Odyssia and her comrades journey home.

Fraction’s put one hell of a lot of work into Ody-C, as has artist Christian Ward. Their vision is of a future where men are almost non-existent, having been destroyed by a female Zeus to ensure her authority can’t be challenged, but gender reversal of the leading characters is only a starting point. Fraction’s faithfulness to Homer’s original work extends to duplicating the pompous poetic form of the telling, but updating it with new words whose meaning transmits via circumstances, and pulling in threads from other places if it suits his plot.

That form of writing requires formidable artistic interpretation to succeed, and Ward astounds with every page. His view of the future is bright in form if not in deed, and he creates stunning vistas owing more to the disturbing visions of Hieroynmus Bosch than standard comic art. Everything is constructed to seem beyond the comfort of the instantly recognisable, and when there is a familiar touchstone it’s reconfigured. Further distancing Ody-C from standard heroic comics is the lack of idealism and objectification. The women aren’t the super-attractive Amazons, but come in all shapes and sizes, yet are credible as either warriors or gods encumbered with petty motivations. His re-imaginings of creatures like the Cyclops are astounding.

However, Ody-C isn’t a project with broad appeal. Anyone should be able to appreciate the imaginative art, but Fraction’s adherence to ancient forms of writing and storytelling is deliberately set apart from every other graphic novel, and can be challenging, not least for presuming some knowledge of The Odyssey. If you don’t know of the Lotus Eaters, for instance, there’s not much in the way of explanation, and while acknowledging the work Fraction’s put into the actual writing, what begins as novel rapidly loses charm. Furthermore, form is ditched at random moments, such as a brief swearathon from Artemis, and the pacing is all over the place. Some threats are dealt with in an instant, while others occupy much of a chapter. Someone who’s read The Odyssey recently may recognise this as reflecting Homer’s work, but as a graphic novel the experience transmits as random.

Ody-C takes one of the world’s oldest stories to deliver a new experience, but Off to Far Ithicaa never overcomes the inbuilt hurdles. The story continues in Sons of the Wolf, or both volumes are combined with two further chapters in the hardback Cycle One.