Punderworld, Volume 1 (Punderworld, 1)

Product Information

Punderworld is a webcomic by Croatian comics artist Linda Luksic Sejic of Blood Stain fame. Set in the era of Antiquity, it tells the tale of how Hades met Persephone and they fell in love. Reused Character Design: Persephone's and Hades's character designs were originally Greek Mythology Alternate Universe counterparts to Elly and Vlad of Blood Stain.

Sacred Hospitality: Zeus invokes the Rules of Xenia - the idea that a host will offer food and care to a guest if the guest does not act like a burden - to get Hades to stop bothering him with work in the middle of the party. 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.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. I was kinda down in the dumps because this next chapter is all work and no fun forme, and I felt like I lost that enthusiasm and most importantly "inspiration" I had in chapters 1 and 2 of bloodstain, but doing these random doodles made me appreciate how long I've actually gone with Blood Stain and how much dedication and planning it takes the longer you work on something. Cool Crown: Those aren't horns on Hades' head. That's his crown that grants him the power of Invisibility. Related Differently in the Adaptation: Many of the Greek gods in sexual relationships are no longer relatives, Hades and Demeter are never referred to as siblings or Persephone as his niece for instance. Though it seems the mortals in the comic believe the same myths as in the real world since Oedipus' shade asks Charon why incest is a crime for mortals when the gods supposedly do it so often.

Anyone who likes sweet Hades and Persephone retellings, fun characters and interactions, and gorgeous art that's full of life and detail. My Beloved Smother: A given when Demeter is in your story. She is portrayed as a Control Freak who believes that she and Persephone, as Earth goddesses, are above attending parties with "lesser gods" and should not waste their valuable time on "idle frivolities." Since the only festival they ever go to (Thesmophoria) is for women only, it is implied that she does this to keep her away from boys. And also how it is easy when you start something new because there is so much left unexplored and you can basically just draw anything that drops on your mind with no regard of it being attached to previous strips. its like a one-night stand of stories XD you do it for a day, get your creativity recharged, and move on XD Ambiguously Gay: Persephone seems to think the vow of chastity that Artemis took and which her mortal priestesses follow is because she's only interested in girls. Artemis strongly hints this is the case, and she's shown acting suggestively around her female followers.Mythology Gag: Vlad and Elly of Linda's other work, Blood Stain, get a cameo appearance as one of the many souls in the underworld in this panel . 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. So I might just post these fun brainfarts in the " punderworld" folder in my gallery. Think of it as Elly's fanfictions, or i dunno derpy romance novels she reads occasionally XD Demeter and Persephone are having an argument about attending Artemis's ascension as a goddess, with Persephone wanting to attend her party. Demeter at multiple points in the argument refers to it as "pointless frivolities", promoting such unspoken sarcasms from her daughter as, "Well, when she puts it like that...", And, "'Pointless frivolity'." 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.

Accidental Misnaming: One of Persephone's gripes about how she and her mother are worshipped is that her name is virtually unknown in contrast to Demeter's; she brings up that mortals consistently refer to her as "Lady Kore" and complains it's equivalent to being called "Lady Girl". Dramatic Irony: Demeter says if the god Persephone has a crush on was worthy of her he'd propose to her officially. Right at the same time Hades is walking towards their house with the intention to do exactly that. Expressive Hair: Demeter and Persephone, being nature goddesses, grow different types of plants in their hair depending on their emotional state (for instance, flowers normally, or thorns when upset).

Artist

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.* 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"). Pinocchio Nose: Persephone has difficulty controlling the flowers which grow in her hair because they're tied to her emotional state and she's been kept so sheltered. The flowers fully blooming is a sign of romantic interest, and when Demeter sees this, she instantly recognizes it.

Earthy Barefoot Character: Persephone is always barefoot and combines this with Fertile Feet, being the goddess of spring. 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 ;-) Adaptational Consent: In some retellings of the myth, Hades kidnapped Persephone and essentially forced her to marry him against her will. Here it is pretty clear that the relationship is way more consensual, Persephone finding every reason to return to the Underworld or stall for time leaving it.Bait-and-Switch: When Persephone notes that Hades doesn’t have a beard (unlike his brothers and statues of himself), she cheekily asks if anywhere else on him is shaved. He then offers to show her… his armpits. Daddy's Girl: When Artemis is officially inducted into the pantheon with her first temple, the party Zeus throws was done with the idea that she would be treated like a queen for a day. Nightmare Fetishist: Implied in Persephone's case in " first date ". Since lush meadows and waterfalls are already her domain, she is less than impressed when Hades tries to show her Elysium, instead finding interest in the more lava-cave areas of the underworld. Invisibility: Hades is shown to have this ability, becoming invisible when Zeus because too pushy about his crush for his liking. 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.