Medusa Graphic Novel

Hey, how you’ve been?

These past few weeks I introduced to you some of the methods of practice I am following concerning anatomy, figure drawing and setting body in motion. The sketches featured previously cannot be called in any way finished illustrations pieces. Today I would like to show you something a little more “finished”. 

Check the archive if you want to see any of them previous posts.

Today I am going to introduce you to a personal project that I have been working on for a while. If you have been to my portfolio page then you have already seen the first five pages of an ancient Hellenic themed comic. This is the project I am going to talk to you about this Sunday.

I am making a one shot graphic novel of the Medusa myth. Let me explain to those unfamiliar with the story that Medusa was an ancient mythical monster (gorgon) that had snakes instead of hair and could petrify (literally turn to stone) any leaving creature that set sight upon her. 

There are actually a variety of versions of that particular myth. It is only natural that over extensive periods of time there would be different interpretations by different people concerning faces or events. One particular version though was the one that intrigued me over to sit on my drawing desk and get at it.

Here it is.

Medusa was not always a monster as you might know. She was once a striking young woman with beautiful long hair. In fact she was so beautiful that all men in Athens wanted to have her as their wife. Medusa though was a priestess of the virgin goddess Athena, and she was bound by an oath of chastity meaning that she was beyond any man’s reach. Poseidon god of sea was among her admirers, and as the powerful god that he was, nothing was beyond his reach. Poseidon found Medusa inside the Parthenon (Athena’s temple) and raped her. Athena was furious that such terrible desecration involving one of her priestesses took place inside her very own temple. Athena was angry but not with Poseidon; she felt that the wrong deed was Medusa’s fault. The goddess full of anger curses Medusa for her crime and turns her into the monster we are familiar with. After that Medusa was send to leave to an isolated island.

Years passed and warriors from all over the world set sail to claim the head of Medusa (an ultimate weapon in battlefield) only for them to fall victim to her deadly power. It was Perseus with the help of gods that eventually managed to defeat her.

Now I know the post starts to get rather long so I will leave it at that and continue next week.

Let me introduce to you the pencils, the inks and the finishes of the first page.

Leave any comments you may have down to the comment section.

Thanks for being here!

Until next Sunday!

Panos.