Customer Reviews

Epicurus: The Sage

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Epicurus the Sage is a biting satire about the philosophical and historical climate of classical Athens. Although not at all historically accurate, it takes each character, including good old Socrates himself, to the extreme. No knowledge of philosophy or the mythology is required to get the most out of this book, although it certainly helps. It seems to take a while for the plot to kick and it winds up very quickly, which is a little disappointing. Still, it had my whole household rolling on the floor with laughter. In the tradition of Asterix, this is a great comic.

OK, it's not a likely source of comedy. Epicurus, the philsopher, meets Plato. They suffer the withering gaze of Socrates, the ignominy of discovering that Persephone had actually run away with "Hades-poo," the libido of Zeus and the lividity of Hera in response, and lots more. It's a merry (and somewhat skewed) romp through the golden age of Greek philosophy and through the gilded cage in which the classical gods toy with us mere mortals. With them comes Alexander not-yet-the-Great, a hyperactive eight year old with an attitude and a sword.

This compiles a few of the original comics (and these truly are comical), from the long-ish "Visiting Hades," through "Riding the Sun," to "Helen's Boy." The artistic style develops visibly through the progression, from humorous to frankly bizarre exaggerations - watch for Hera speaking in a quasi-human cow, and brace yourself for a laughable but yuk-creepy caricature of a human female form. The stories wander agreeably through the old tales, back and forth through myth, truth, and pure silliness.

It's a good set, despite a visual style that I thought went downhill through the series. Knowing the original history and mythology will make the stories better for you - but reading these stories will also make you want to look up the originals. The renderings here include a few crude moments. Face it, though, Zeus's carrying-on with all those ill-starred lovelies isn't really what you're likely to use as a goodnight story for your tyke, not when you really think about the details. If you can put up with a little authentic indelicacy, it's good, literate fun.

//wiredweird

I respectfully disagree with the previous reviewer's statement that no previous knowledge of Greek history is needed. I am by no means an expert in Greek history, but I know a few things from high school, watching documentaries, visiting museums and historical stories and movies. The first two stories in this volume are based on pretty well known Greek myths but the second two are more obscure, so I couldn't get into them very much. The plot does take a while to get going but I think that is necessary because of the story's philosophical theme. Of course, its not acurate according to history, its a satire, but I don't think most of it can be proven wrong either. Its very funny and very daring because this type of thing can lose readers pretty quickly. Even though there was a lot I didn't understand, this book is still a good purchase. I'll put it on the shelf for a couple of years and come back to it by which time I'll probably have learned more about Greek history so that I can understand the subtlties (and there are a lot of them).

I found this story to be smart, funny and somewhat insightful. However, I will say that a little knowledge of the philosophers and their philosophy will augment the hilarity tenfold. For instance, Plato constantly is making references to "a cave." If you are not familiar at all with Plato, there is no way to understand that humor. There are many other funny references and critiques of the philosopher's philosophy and I would have found it rather dull if not for my academic background in ancient philosophy. Yet, if you like Sam Keith's charecture sytle of art, then this book is a must.

First book I ever threw in the trash because it was so bad. Worst graphic novel I have ever read. Trust me on this one: Don't get this book. It does nothing but dis the ancient Greeks' culture, and it's not even that funny. A total waste of money.

A great collection of stories presented by some of the minds behind The Maxx. Epicurius The Sage is a fun ride of stories based around historical creatures of Greek myth & the philosophers of the time. Much fun is poked. The artwork is beautiful & as always Sam Kieth makes his work seem alive. The writing is more than entertaining, the dialog is complex but not hard to follow & makes the characters endearing. These stories spark interest & had me wanting a refresher course on the part of history that Epicurius The Sage was inspired by. Wonderful stuff.

Before Wolverine, before Thm Maxx, Sam Kieth drew this beautiful comic penned by future maxx cohort Bill Messner-Loebs. Epicurus is an aspiring philosophy teacher, coming to an Athens already chock full of his colleagues and befriending in the process Plat, Aristotheles and his pupil, a kid named Alexander, a Macedonian prince. Ring any bells? What foloows are tall tales that mix mythology and philosophy with flawless ease, poking fun at everything in the process and redeeming (and mocking, of course!) their very hero's teaching of moderation in the pursuit of the most basic and important of human nedds: pleasure. From Pithagoreans to Sophists, to Alcybiades and most of all a paradoxically pompous and vain Socrates, none is spared but also none is betrayed. The mythological tales narrated are adapted to their authors parodistic needs bu still true to tradition: Persephne's abduction by Hades and the birth of the seasonal cycle; Phaeton's run on the Sun's Chariot (includinga sort of detour with Homer and cassandra and a lightning fas re-telling of th Troyjan War); the many tales of Zeus' infidelities. The book is, as usual with Mr kieth, brilliatly drawn, with lots of quirky and super deformed characters and layouts. Messner -Loebs weaves wonderful tales and almost as an afterthought teaches you classical mtholog and philosoph. Most definitely recommended for all readers, whether you get all references or not: This book is simply too brilliant and fun to miss!

For a old graphic novel, this was actually a pretty entertaining read. It's a retelling of the Greek myths but with more naughty humor along with modern-day references. The artwork and colors are pretty good for their time, and the stories within are entertaining (three of them altogether) along with some exploration of philosophy and mythology for a decent price make for a solid buy. I especially liked the Hades and Persephone tale - it was funny to see the idea that they eloped together and made it look like a kidnapping. ;)

If you learned history of Greek phylosophy or live somewhere in south Europe, there is great possibility that you will love this one. It is a farce of historical and myth based stories. All of you who read Alan Ford, this is like His Highness Number One stories which he tells to bother others...

basically bought for Sam Keith's Artwork. not much interested in the story. art work is great!