The classic tale of Greek mythology, but 100% more awkwardly relatable. Hades is the officious, antisocial ruler of the Underworld; Persephone, daughter of Demeter, is an earth goddess of growth and renewal - they've been crushing on each other for the past two centuries. But when a festival (and a little liquid courage) present an opportunity to put an end to their olympian will-they-won't-they, a meddlesome pantheon and several titanic misassumptions threaten to give every god in the sky the wrong impression... and leave their romance dead before it can bloom.
This was cute & fun. I've read quite a few retellings of the Hades & Persephone stories, and it was nice to see a Hades that wasn't creeping towards Persephone like a dark shadow. He was awkward, she was awkward. They were evenly matched in their clumsy attempts to make a move.
The art was adorable and really worked to give this one a fluffy almost young adult feel to it. I say almost because it felt like a warm & fuzzy adult comic about falling in love for the first time, but it didn't give off that plastic-y feel that taints most YA graphic novels. Point is, don't let the art scare you off if you're worried about this being some teeny-bopper comic.
I really enjoyed this. It's the tale of Hades and Persephone reimagined as a sweet romance. They are both shy and awkward, which seems to get them in all kinds of misadventures. Sejic's art is perfect. Her ability to display expression brings so much to this comic. It reminds me some of Terry Moore in that regard. The coloring is fantastic. It pops off the page. The book feels like a Disney cartoon for adults. I loved everything about it except the title.
If you've seen those cute comics of Hades and Persephone that sometimes do the rounds online – this is the first collection of those. Yes, the title is terrible, and not even that applicable, because while there is humour here, it's derived far more from character, reaction faces and the odd pratfall than puns. What I hadn't expected, though, was the serious bits. Given the ongoing vogue for retelling classical legends to point up the raw deal women tend to get in the originals, it's fascinating that Linda Sejic has gone the other way, taking one of the stories where the default reading was that the woman was getting a raw deal, and retelling it as a sweet romance. Thus, Persephone here becomes the overworked, shut-away daughter of a controlling mother, never allowed out to other gods' festivals; Hades, meanwhile, is a shy guy admiring her from afar for centuries, never daring to make a move until well-meaning but brash Zeus appoints himself wingman and lends a hand. And yes, all his initial suggestions do run along familiar lines ("So first, you turn into a bee").
It's an angle I could easily see pissing off both the doctrinaire, and those who were already personally invested in the usual Wuthering Heights-esque interpretation, but its popularity isn't ever so surprising when it has Sejic's reliably winning art to convince the doubters. From the most relatable human microexpressions to the grand mythic panoplies and shows of force, she makes it all look both beautiful and real – which also enables her to blur the boundaries between those categories yet keep any hint of bathos entirely deliberate, as when the Styx gives a watery thumbs-up and it's funny, yes, but still impressive with it. Really, my only complaint is that like too many Image books it's littered with homophones, duplicate words and typos, and could really have done with an editor to buff these entirely unnecessary imperfections out of a generally lovely read.
The weirdest thing about this book is that the only pun you can basically find in it, is in it's terrible title, Punderworld.
It's a comic adaptation of the story of Hades basically forcing Persephone to be his wife, although in this version she's really into Hades, which is a thing, apparently.
This used to be a webcomic, which explains its wonky pacing - the story moves slo-o-ow and it thinks its romance is more involving than it finally is.
The art is good, and it took me a while to realise what it reminds me of, but it's Max Sarin's excellent work on Giant Days.
The story didn't grip me that much, but it's still quite funny.
One thing I do have to pick the book up on, is the insane amount of spelling mistakes. And these aren't only small ones, there's things like spelling 'technically' as 'technicly'. I normally don't comment on this, because I'm reading an advance copy, so I certainly hope that these are corrected before publication.
SOFT HADES HAS BEEN IN LOVE WITH PERSEPHONE FOR TWO CENTURIES im weak. ok but i need volume 2 already this is so good!!! the art is very pretty too. also i laughed so many times i love that it is comedic and romantic and also drama. LOVE THIS ADAPTATION.
if you are a fan of lore olympus you will love this too. hades and persephone really are making 2021 their year.
2025 full volume _ 5 stars Love the art Love the cute awkward lovebirds
slooooow burn
In this depiction of the myth, Hades is a workholic and Persephone too in a way. There is perpetual harvest in that time. They meet when Hades goes to collect ambrosia and the cornucopia that Demeter delivers. But Persephone doesn't know who he is, or his name. They've been glancing at each other for centuries! They like each other, but they don't do anything about it. Hades because he's shy, and she because Demeter is overprotective.
Until one day there's a party, where Persephone isn't allowed to go, and Hades confesses his feelings for her to Zeus. And well, Zeus isn't known for being shy, and he makes a plan without telling Hades.
I like the idea of the gods as energy. And that´s why they can change shape. Anyway nice Caronte and Alecto.
Cuando la autora menciona al final del volumen que esto era un juego como garabatenado en su descanso, y nunca planeo que fuera un comic XD me recordó demasiado a las famosas ultimas palabras jiji de Ilona respecto a su ultimo libro. Espero con ansias el siguiente volumen.
2021 : 4 stars Ongoing webcomic. Very cute Hades/Persephone.
Review: *I received an ecopy of this book via Edelweiss. This has not influenced my review.*
What a cute start to the series!
This is a take on the Hades and Persephone story with a good guy Hades, a spirited Persephone, an overbearing Demeter, and a sweet, consensual romance.
I loved the art! It’s so beautiful and full of life, every single page. In full color. I especially loved how expressive all the facial expressions were. There was clearly so much thought and detail put into each one. But the body language, the clothes, the backgrounds, the nature, all of it was truly fantastic.
The character designs for the gods were so fun too. I enjoyed them all, but there were some really neat small touches, like how the plants growing in Demeter’s and Persephone’s hair would change based on their moods. And Hades was gorgeous in a long, elegant, emo way (which is the best way, in my humble opinion), so there was that ;-)
I love how in detail this author is going with the story, really focusing on the characters. It made things slow-paced and meant we only got the start of a romance forming, but I enjoyed that. This is really the author’s own take on the characters and their relationship, giving them their own unique personalities and feelings. The bit of awkwardness mentioned in the description is fun without being overdone. I also enjoyed getting to see their relationships with other characters, like when Hades and Zeus were chatting.
This is worth it for the gorgeous art alone, but it also has cute characters, fun interactions, and a great start to a sweet Hades and Persephone romance that I’m loving so far and looking forward to more of!
Recommended For: Anyone who likes sweet Hades and Persephone retellings, fun characters and interactions, and gorgeous art that's full of life and detail.
ARC from Edelweiss, but this may be out by now? - I was glad to find this on Edelweiss as I had read some of the web comic when it was generating award buzz not that long ago. I was hoping to read it collected like that as it seemed easier, but the irony is it is still paced and plotted like a web comic.
"A Greek myth brought to life, but with a modern twist" sounds like a terrible pitch for a book anymore, however this was delightful and it's thanks to Linda Šejić skillful handling of the art and tone of the story. Hades, you know the ruler of the Underworld, and Persephone, earth goddess of growth and renewal/daughter of Demeter, fall for each other in a star-crossed lovers set up. They have had feelings for, you know, centuries that they haven't acted on. This book picks up the day they finally get to talk to each other.
The art really sells this whole thing as otherwise it might be an easy story to just pass on. It feels vibrant, enticing, and beautiful. The storytelling as a honesty and earnestness that I appreciate as it makes the sort of bumbling courtship entertaining. I may still wish it was paced a little quicker, but that's just translating the online comic to trade bound. I would gladly come back for more of this tale.
*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*
There was really only one word to describe this webtoon as: cute. Granted, the characters did have depth and substance, but there was a considerable lack of logic. The protagonists knew absolutely nothing about each other and yet they pined for each other for what was said to be centuries. It seemed like weak plotting to me, although that could just be my unwillingness to believe the whole "love at first sight" trope.
The pacing was quite slow, but the lovely art made up for it as well as the sweet characters. This was possibly the softest and tamest Hades I've seen depicted before and it made for a nice change. Zeus was also much more tolerable than other depictions of him usually are which also helped make this an enjoyable read.
One thing that baffled me was the title. I couldn't figure out why it was called "Punderworld" when there was exactly one pun—and a lame one at that—throughout this entire vol. Perhaps it had some deeper Greek mythology-related meaning? If so, it certainly was never explained, though it didn't impede on the enjoyability of the vol as a whole.
Hades and Persephone are so differently done in this than I’ve ever seen them done before, but oh my gosh this is just such a wholesome, lovely, feel-good comic and it constantly left me smiling like a foolish idiot. ♥︎_♥︎
Hades/Persephone retellings (especially with consensual/accidental kidnapping and abusive/unreasonable Demeter characterization) are common these days, but this is still worth a read if you love the trope.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Me gustó MUCHÍSIMO la reinterpretación de la historia de Hades y Perséfone así como el arte de la autora. Desde los colores hasta las diferentes formas de los personajes 😍
Peeeero todo el tiempo interrumpía la lectura con cosas onda snippets, bonus, colaboraciones con otres ilustradores, etcétera. Fue muy difícil la lectura de corrido, así que espero que la próxima season sea mejor en este sentido 😬
Completely different tone from Lore Olympus and I’m here for it. Fun, sweet, goofy, and, most importantly, HADES. I love this series and can’t wait for volume two. I highly recommend this and Blood Stain, and Linda’s Patreon.
How the earth got its seasons has been mythologized across the planet, one of the most famous comes from the Greeks and has been immortalized in various forms by Western culture. Punderworld (Volume One) by author-artist Linda Sejic is an awkward and relatable retelling of the myth.
When Sejic began sketching Greek gods during a creative break from her series Blood Stain she did not intend to create another graphic novel series, however as illustrated in her bonus material her characters Vlad and Eliot “begged” to be the templates for Hades and Persephone then suddenly she began doing scenes that led to an entire graphic novel. Sejic portrays Hades and Persephone as secret admirers for centuries who suddenly find themselves thrown together after Zeus tries to “help” in typical Zeus fashion by abducting Persephone and Hades attempts to stop it. Besides the two primary characters, the Zeus and Demeter appear as major secondary characters with the latter being a well-meaning overly protective mother true to the myth. But besides a well plotted story, a graphic novel must have the artwork to back it up and frankly Linda Sejic brings the story to life through her art. Not only does the reader have to follow the dialogue and the actions of the characters they must take notice of the overall scene for the subtle clues of what is going on behind the characters’ back and what is going to happen. It’s hard not to drone on, but frankly Sejic’s work speaks for itself and should be experienced book in hand.
Punderworld (Volume One) begins the retelling of a well-known myth just more awkward than the reader is used to. Linda Sejic not only writes a fantastic story, her art catches the eye.
The story of Hades and Persephone that we all know, but with a cute twist. I actually like the idea here, because I read somewhere that during Greek times, the saying ''was abducted'' was sometimes used by families to excuse a girl marrying down for love - at least what they considered down. Of course, it's a very problematic saying, as it states that you could just abduct and rape a girl, and she'd marry you. On the other hand, it does cast a whole new light on the legend of Hades and Persephone.
This comic is what one might expect from Linda Sejic. It's cute and colorful, but very slow. I have to admit I mostly read and buy her stuff because I'm a fan of her husband's work, and they're both nice people so I want to support them. For this is a rom-com, and I'm not a big fan of those.
The title is very misleading, btw. It was originally the title she used for a series of punny jokes based around Greek mythology that eventually grew into this comic. I have to admit I'm not sure why she kept the title, instead of maybe just adding it as a small subtitle. It doesn't really say anything about the story.
While I do own the comic, I read this online as it was posted for free on webtoons, where you can read it as well. That's one of the things I like about the Sejics; their work will always be free first - or at least most of it - so you don't have to be a patron or buy the actual comic to read it. Just saying.
The tale of Greek gods, Hades and Persephone, recast as a sweet romance. Both are shy and awkward, and inexorably drawn to each other, despite the guidance of brother Zeus and mother Demeter, respectively. Their bond seems to lead them into trouble at every turn. Sejic's art is really excellent, especially making the underworld not as dark as others have. I sure hope Volume 1 means there will be more as the story seems unfinished to me.
In a competition between Linda Šejić and Stjepan Šejić, Linda easily wins in my estimation... Alright, it's not fair of me to pit spouses against each other like this, but I read Punderworld right after finishing Fine Print, Volume 1 and... this one was simply so much better. Well, to be completely honest, I missed the smut just a tiny bit, but... this was hilarious and sweet and the story overall made sense. The art-style was also more to my taste. Overall, I really enjoyed this take on Hades & Persephone love story! It's not awfully original, but it brings some new ideas on the table and the romance isn't creepy. Overall, a nice read and I want the next volume right now! Also, how could I forget to mention that Cerberos is a dalmatine here? Amazing...