Alright, so I scored two vintage comics on eBay that I’ve been dying to check out for ages — The Odyssey: Marvel Classics Comics #18 and The Iliad: Marvel Classic Comics #26, both originally released in 1977. And get this, I grabbed them both as a bundle right after watching Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey movie. So, in this review of The Odyssey #18, I’m gonna dive into how this Marvel comic stacks up in terms of storytelling and artwork. Oh, and don’t confuse The Odyssey (Marvel Classics Comics #18) with Marvel: The Odyssey, a graphic novel I reviewed a while back — trust me, they’re totally different beasts, even if they both carry the Marvel name.
First up, The Odyssey #18. Honestly, one of the toughest comics I’ve ever read. No joke. The text was so tiny and the font style so hard to decipher that even my A4 magnifying glass struggled to help me make sense of it all. And the dialogue? Man, it was so bad I was questioning if the writer, Bill Mantlo, was even from this planet. Like, what was he thinking when he put this together? The language is all over the place — what kind of English is this even supposed to be?
The artwork by Jess Jodloman wasn’t terrible, but some parts were almost laughable — seriously, it’s a mixed bag. If you ever see the sirens in The Odyssey #18, I’m convinced you’ll be in full agreement. Look, I had pretty high hopes for this one, which honestly might’ve been my biggest mistake. It started off somewhat promising with a decent intro about The Odyssey, but after that? Total chaos…
The story just didn’t hit home, and its messy, unreadable text didn’t do The Odyssey #18 any favors. It was a real grind to get through, completely not what I was expecting. That cyclops on the cover and inside the 52-page, no-ads comic looked badass — I thought it was going to be totally epic. But even that purple one-eyed monster couldn’t generate any goodwill from me. And yeah, the hard-to-read text only made things worse.
Seeing the Olympian gods, Hermes and Athena, interact with Odysseus was pretty cool — I’ll give The Odyssey (Marvel Classics Comics #18) credit for that. However, overall, it didn’t leave any memorable impression on me. Looking back, there’s really nothing about The Odyssey (Marvel Classics Comics) that makes me want to read it again.
‘m giving The Odyssey (Marvel Classics Comics #18) a 4 out of 10. Honestly, it’s a really bad comic. I can’t imagine what a kid back in 1977 would’ve thought of this — probably not much better. The cyclops on the cover might’ve looked pretty cool, mostly ‘cause there wasn’t much else to compare it to. But seriously, how is a kid supposed to even make sense of the writing with all that tiny, hard-to-read text? No clue. Overall, The Odyssey #18 feels more like a “how not to do Greek mythology” guide. I bet even Zeus would be shaking his head at this one…
If you’re on the hunt for a comic story with a distinctive visual flair, be sure to check out The Odyssey: Graphic Novel Review. Its unique illustration style sets it apart and offers an intriguing comparison.
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