As many of you may already know, I’m a sucker for mythological retellings. In college I studied Archaeology and Anthropology and loved delving into the stories of other cultures. I bring this love to my writing and to my reading tastes in equal measure. So, this week, I had to request to review Persephone by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky, a graphic novel published by BOOM! Studios under their Archaia imprint.
Locatelli-Kournwsky brings readers into a world that is far different from our own, yet also mirrors ours in many ways. There are cars, cities, and even homework. It is in this setting that the ancient Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter is retold. There are no “gods” here but powerful mages from two opposing worlds who have recently concluded a catastrophic war. The Demeter of this story is the national hero of the victorious side, Eleusis, a thriving nation full of light and beauty. Their enemy, Hades, is an underground city in which nothing can grow except the cursed fruit of the damned. A dark temptation for the inhabitants of Hades who may find themselves with nothing else to eat and are willing to take on a curse of a lifetime trapped in Hades to sate their hunger. At the conclusion of the war, Demeter sealed the path to Hades from Eleusis for all time so that no denizen of Hades, cursed or not, could leave. The protagonist of this graphic novel is the titular Persephone, the adopted daughter of Demeter, who is struggling with the weight of expectations placed on her for being the daughter of Eleusis’ greatest mage.
Locatelli-Kournwsky centers this novel on the mother-daughter relationship which layers in a good amount of heart among the fantastical elements and action. This is really a story of an adopted daughter discovering her destiny in the world and finding the strength to reach for it. I feel many readers will readily relate to Persephone as many of us all had to cope with other people’s expectations of us in our own lives and the pressure placed on us by our parents. Demeter’s character arc is equally moving as a woman who is haunted by her wartime actions. Both Demeter and Persephone gain a greater understanding of each other. In particular, not to reveal too much of the story, Locatelli-Kournwsky gifts Persephone with a unique opportunity to know her mother from a new perspective that also allows the reader to better understand Demeter’s motivations.
All of this strong character work is matched by Locatelli-Kournwsky’s world building. The capital city of Eleusis feels like a real place with a deep history. The past conflict between Hades and Eleusis still hangs over the populace, and the reasons for Hades’s attack remain a mystery to many. Though Persephone is a self-contained graphic novel with a definite ending, the depths of Eleusis and Hades could fill multiple future novels. Not every plot thread is tied up and that’s okay as I suspect there will be more Persephone to come.
Alongside Demeter and Persephone, the graphic novel offers many fun side characters that enliven the story. My favorite was Azrael, an old skilled mage from Eleusis now living in Hades as a royal advisor who happens to be stuck in the form of a cat. Azrael provides the voice for our introduction to the backstory of the world of Persephone. The novel opens with a lot of exposition, something I ordinarily wouldn’t enjoy but here found surprisingly humorous and entertaining, all thanks to Locatelli-Kournwsky’s characterization of Azrael. Azrael is in Hades to advise Hade’s son Lord Rhadamanthus, the current ruler of Hades. Like Persephone, Rhadamanthus is also struggling living in the shadow of his feared father. Determined not to be the tyrant his father turned out to be, Rhadamanthus is a caring leader and ally of Persephone when she finds herself lost in Hades. Yes, as in the original myth, Persephone is kidnapped from the surface world and brought to Hades. Other than that opening premise, the story presented here veers from the source material much to the benefit of the new narrative. The antagonist of this story has an interesting motivation that I wish could have been further explored before the climax. Persephone and Demeter and their relationship were clearly the chosen focus for the graphic novel, but I would have liked a larger role for the primary antagonist. Another villain receives more time here and is used to convey the divisiveness of Hades as a nation.
Locatelli-Kournwsky handles both the writing and art duties on Persephone. The art is very stylized with a sketched penciled feel over using heavy inks. I would describe Locatelli-Kournwsky’s style as a mix of Japanese anime and French comic artist Joann Sfar of The Rabbi’s Cat and many other works. Of course, given Locatelli-Kournwsky is a French artist living in Japan, this makes perfect sense, and this mash-up of the two cultures has created a beautiful drawn book. Locatelli-Kournwsky should also be commended for his use of space in panels to convey close-up emotion. He is also fond of using wide horizontal panels full of detail to create sweeping scenes of the majestic fantasy cities of Hades and Eleusis. I found myself stopping to just take in these magical vistas and appreciate the art.
The world of Persephone was a blast to visit, and I really hope Locatelli-Kournwsky returns to this world soon. There are far too many interesting crannies to dig through to stop now. Breathtaking art and a heartfelt story make this an easy graphic novel to recommend.
Creative Team: Loic Locatelli-Kournwsky (Writer/Artist)
Publisher: Archaia/BOOM! Studios
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