The title of this volume immediately conveys the two main axes around which this investigation revolves, but what it does not reveal is the large scope and ambition of the project undertaken. This is in many ways a trail-blazing investigation that engages in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way with its subject matter, and is interdisciplinary in the best sense of the word. It is a welcome addition to the ‘Classical Presences’ series, expanding the discussion threads that run through this series further into the realm of popular culture. The sixteen essays combine both the diachronic and the synchronic models in order to explore the reception of the classics in the medium of comics in the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries.

The editors establish the ambitious scope of their project in the introduction. K. then advances and expands the discussion in his opening chapter subtitled ‘Establishing a Critical Frame’. His aim is to set the theoretical and methodological parameters before critically examining the role and impact of the classics in comics. The contributors engage not only with classical scholarship and reception theory, but also with the theoretical frameworks established by practitioners such as Will Eisner and Scott McCloud, as well as the scholarship arising out of the analysis of the comic book art form by, for example, David Carrier and Thierry Groensteen to develop a new and exciting way of thinking about and analysing the contribution of classics in the modern world.

The first section, ‘Seeing the Past through Sequential Art’ (another term used to describe comics), demonstrates how theoretical models that arose out of the study of comics can be applied to the study of ancient texts (Nisbet and Johnson), the way we interpret a text as readers (Theisen) and the way we apply theoretical models to the study of texts (Rogers). Nisbet examines how we can apply sequential art theory to advance the investigation of a problematic ancient text, the Oxyrhynchus papyrus XXII 2332. What makes the Heracles papyrus unique is that the fragmentary text is illustrated by three grulloi. Previous investigations, informed by classical philology, downplayed the importance of these humorous cartoons. Using the model of comic book illustrations where the art is just as important as the text, if not more so as comics are primarily a visual medium, Nisbet advances his theory that the ancient grulloi work alongside the text and enhance its satire of the labours of the mythical hero. This essay aptly illustrates the new possibilities that working at the intersection of classics and comics can potentially open up.

The second section, ‘Gods and Superheroes’, examines the portrayal of ancient divinities in comic books and how they came to be integrated into the medium. M.'s examination of the appeal of the Furies in comic books exemplifies the continuing hold that classical antiquity has on the modern popular imagination. Dethloff charts the changing fortunes of the reception of ancient divinities in comics and how historical circumstances and changing tastes impact on this process. Simms focusses on the reception of one particular god in Michael Oeming's Ares: God of War. Oeming's offers a troubled Ares who, tired of being ‘the most detestable of all Olympians’ (Il. 5.890), resigns his position as the god of war in order to raise his son as a mortal. Stevens reminds us that most comic books do not in fact draw on the Greco-Roman classics and that we should contextualise our investigations, if we want to avoid serious error. His case study Kingdom Come has a biblical intertext that rewards a knowledgeable reader, but does not actually demand one.

Section 3, ‘Drawing (on) History’, focusses on the reception of ancient history in the medium of comics. Tomasso demonstrates how a classical narrative such as the battle of Thermopylae can be selectively re-appropriated to justify a course of action by a comic book antihero in Frank Miller's Sin City. Fairey compares the ancient art of vase painting with Frank Miller's 300. The positive nature and popularity of ancient images of the Persians provides a much needed antidote to the monstrous supervillains of Miller's art. Strong discusses the portrayal of a psychologically damaged Augustus in Neil Gaiman's critically acclaimed series The Sandman. Gaiman interprets Augustus' codicil in his will, advising his successors not to advance the borders of the empire any further, as a reaction to his brutal rape by Julius Caesar when he was a young boy. The first emperor of Rome chooses change and eventual destruction for his empire rather than allowing it to become stagnant. Dinter introduces a topic that might be unfamiliar to many Anglophone readers: the popularity of bandes dessinés in France. In the US and the UK comics have traditionally been denigrated, blamed for corrupting young minds and even for juvenile delinquency. This negative public image has only been reconsidered in the last three decades. In contrast, comics have always enjoyed a privileged position in France. Dinter charts the history of a strong classical strand in French comics by focussing on particular case studies, including the perennially popular Asterix. This chapter could have been longer as several of the case studies are discussed all too briefly.

The book's narrative is supported and enhanced by a generous number of illustrations as is fitting for a volume dealing with an art form where the visual dimension is so dominant. This is particularly aptly demonstrated in E. Shanower's original short comic that opens the last section, ‘The Desires of Troy’. In it the author of the ongoing Age of Bronze series, a comic book re-telling of the Iliad, walks us through his creative process via the medium of sequential art. Sulprizio then discusses Shanower's focus on erôs in Age of Bronze and how it emphasises the fundamental role that love and desire play in the epic. Shanower's attempt to synthesise all the available versions of the story from antiquity to the present lead to some interesting and surprising portrayals of epic characters such as Achilles and Helen. The volume concludes with Jenkins's discussion of two European graphic book retellings of the Odyssey that stress the erotic dimensions of the epic hero's adventures. What makes these French and Spanish versions of the story worth investigating is how this emphasis on erôs raises doubts about Odysseus' reunion with Penelope and destabilises the conclusion of the epic.

There is much to be learned from this volume, not just about the comic art form but also about classics, which is truly the best and most productive form of reception studies. The next two books of the trilogy Son of Classics and Classics and Comics 3: Gutters of Dikê will hopefully advance this groundbreaking project in new and exciting directions.