In this graphic retelling of the Greek myth, young Perseus is ordered to slay Medusa, a monster whose gaze turns men into solid stone.

Originally published: Turnbridge Wells, Kent: Ticktock Media, 2006.

Perseus is sent to slay Medusa and also saves a princess from a sea serpent.

In graphic novel format, retells the story of how King Polydectes planned to get rid of young Perseus so he could wed his mother, Danae, by tricking him into slaying Medusa--a snake-haired monster whose look turns humans into stone.

Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa, one of Renaissance Italy’s most complex sculptures, is the subject of this study, which proposes that the statue’s androgynous appearance is paradoxical. Symbolizing the male ruler overcoming a female adversary, the Perseus legitimizes patriarchal power; but the physical similarity between Cellini’s characters suggests the hero rose through female agency. Dr. Corretti argues that although not a surrogate for powerful Medici women, Cellini’s Medusa may have reminded viewers that Cosimo I de’ Medici’s power stemmed in part from maternal influence. Drawing upon a vast body of art and literature, Dr. Corretti concludes that Cellini and his contemporaries knew the Gorgon as a version of the Earth Mother, whose image is found in art for Medici women.

When an oracle told Acrisius, the king of Argos, that his grandson Perseus would one day kill him, Acrisius forced his daughter Danae and her baby, Perseus, out of his kingdom. Acrisius did not know just how special his grandson was, though. Nor did he think of the fact that no human being can change his destiny or thwart fate. Perseus overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles, including slaying snake-haired Medusa, to earn his place among the Greek heroes.

A retelling of the Greek tale of how Perseus, a good and brave young man, is helped by the gods to cut off the head of the monster Gorgon Medusa. Suggested level: primary.