Lore Olympus (Graphic Novels)

Lore Olympus is a webcomic that belongs to the romance genre and is created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe. The fantasy romance series Lore Olympus is a retelling of the Greek goddess and god Persephone and Hades’ (The Abduction of Persephone). In 2021 it was ranked first on The New York Times best-seller list as a graphic novel.

Its publication started on the Webtoon in March 2018. As of June 2022, Lore Olympus has 1.1 billion views and 5.9 million subscribers on the platform Webtoon and is also the most popular comic on Webtoon.

Title	Publishing Date	Chapters Include	No. Of Pages (Hardcover)
Lore Olympus: Volume One	2 November 2021 by Del Rey	1-25	384
Lore Olympus: Volume Two	5 July 2022 by Random House Worlds	26-49	368
Lore Olympus: Volume Three	11 October 2022 by Random House Worlds	50-75	384
Lore Olympus: Volume Four	23 May 2023 (Expected)	76-102	Unknown

Lore Olympus updates weekly on Webtoon. “Webtoon Fast Pass” holders can get early access to pages. As of August 2022, more than 200 episodes of Lore Olympus have been published on Webtoon and Smythe said that she had an ending in mind for the series.

Lore Olympus Age Rating and Parents Guide

Lore Olympus webcomic is not appropriate for readers under the age of 16 as it contains mature topics and it takes a more mature understanding to understand it better.

• Not recommended for young teens.
• Implied sexual nuances throughout the story.
• Contains sexual assault/rape.
• Drinking and Smoking

Hardcover and Paperback Versions

Till now three volume of Lore Olympus has been published. The first Hardcover and trade paperback versions of Lore Olympus were published On November 2, 2021, by Del Rey Books consisting of 1-25 chapters. Volume 2 Contains chapters 26-49 was published on July 5, 2022, and Volume 3 was published on October 11, 2022, consisting of chapters 50-75.

Volume 4 is set to be released on May 23, 2023, and contains chapters 76-102.

Awards: 

• Harvey Award
• Will Eisner Comic Industry Award
• Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Award (Ringo Award)

Overview

One of the best-known stories in Greek mythology from creator Rachel Smythe.

Lore Olympus: Volume One

Persephone is a young goddess of spring who has just arrived in Olympus. She used to live with her mother, Demeter, in the mortal world. Persephone promised to become a sacred virgin, which allowed her to move to Olympus and join the glamorous world of the gods. One day, she went to a party with her roommate, Artemis, and met Hades, the ruler of the Underworld. Persephone felt an instant attraction to him, but she soon realizes that the politics and relationships in Olympus can be confusing. She must find her own place and power while navigating this new world.

Lore Olympus: Volume Two

Persephone went to live in Olympus after leaving the mortal world. But she faced many problems there, such as rumors that damaged her reputation and even Apollo’s inappropriate behavior that endangered her safety. She found it difficult to adapt to the fast-paced lifestyle of the gods. Hades, the ruler of the Underworld, was also having trouble because he was developing feelings for Persephone but still had to run his kingdom alone. They both have to figure out their complicated past and present to build a better future together.

Lore Olympus: Volume Three

People in Olympus are talking a lot about Persephone and Hades, and the gossip is putting a lot of pressure on them.

They decide to take a break from their relationship and work on their personal problems. However, this is not easy.

Hades is struggling with a lack of support from his loved ones, including Zeus who dismisses his feelings, and Minthe who is abusive towards him. Although he’s trying to improve things, he still feels alone.

Persephone is also having a tough time because her classmates are avoiding her due to her connection to Hades.

She feels uncomfortable at home, with Apollo making unwanted advances toward her. Additionally, Ares, the god of war, has come back to Olympus, and he has a complicated history with Persephone. He threatens to expose her mysterious past and ruin her reputation among the gods.

Despite their decision to slow things down, Persephone and Hades can’t resist their feelings for each other. Their fate brings them back together amidst all the chaos.

Lore Olympus Characters List

• Persephone: Goddess of spring and Queen of the Underworld.
• Hades: God of the dead and wealth and the King of the Underworld.
• Hera: Goddess of marriage and family and the Queen of the gods, and Zeus’ wife. 
• Eros: God of love, son of Aphrodite and Ares, and grandson of Zeus and Hera.
• Hecate: Goddess of witchcraft.
• Zeus: King of the gods.
• Apollo: God of the sun, music, and prophecy.
• Artemis: Goddess of the hunt and a member of The Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood.
• Demeter: Goddess of harvest and agriculture in the Mortal Realm.
• Ares: God of war, illustrated as a muscular orange man with red eyes.
• Poseidon: King and god of the sea and the younger brother of Hades and the older brother of Zeus.
• Amphitrite Goddess and Queen of the Sea and the wife of Poseidon.
• Hermes: God of speed and travel.
• Aphrodite: Goddess of love and the mother of Eros.
• Hestia: Goddess of the hearth and home.
• Athena: Goddess of wisdom and warfare.
• Minthe: Underworld’s scarlet red river nymph.
• Thanatos: God of death.
• Eris: Goddess of Discord.
• Hephaestus: God of fire and metalworking.
• Echo is a dark blue nymph with short hair.
• Daphne is a pink and blue flower nymph.
• Leto: Titan and the goddess of motherhood.
• Kronos: Titan of time.
• Metis: Titan of wisdom.
• Nyx: Titan of the night.
• Chiron: Persephone’s therapist.
• Rhea: Titan of motherhood and serenity.
• Leuce: Pink nymph.
• Morpheus: Goddess of dreams.

About the Writer:

Rachel Smythe is a comic artist and folklorist from New Zealand. Rachel Smythe is also one of the NYT Bestselling Authors and creator of Lore Olympus. Since March 2018 Rachel Smythe has been working on Lore Olympus at Webtoon Entertainment Inc.

She graduated from the Whanganui School of Design (Whanganui, NZ) with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics and Design (2005-2007).

Since 2007, Rachel Smythe has worked as a freelance designer/illustrator and she has been posting online since 2002.

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