Lore Olympus

Lore Olympus is a romance webcomic created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe. The comic is a modern retelling of the relationship between the Greek goddess and god Persephone and Hades. It began publishing weekly on WEBTOON in March 2018. "Lore Olympus" is currently the most popular comic on the WEBTOON platform; as of January 2020 it had 299 million views, and as of August 2020 WEBTOON reported that it had 4.1 million subscribers. The comic has been nominated for an Eisner Award and a Ringo Award, and a television series based on the comic is under development.
Plot and themes.
"Lore Olympus" is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth, ‘The Abduction of Persephone' in a mostly modern setting. The webcomic includes modern technology such as smartphones, sports cars, and tabloids. However, scenes in the realm of the mortals take place in the time of the original myths. The comic deals with strong themes of rape, harassment, abuse, and trauma.
The story begins with Hades attending a party of Zeus's after his partner Minthe breaks up with him. Persephone has been allowed to leave the mortal realm and visit Olympus by her mother, Demeter. Hades takes notice of Persephone and comments to his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon that Persephone's beauty rivals that of Aphrodite. Out of jealousy, Aphrodite calls on her son, Eros, to get Persephone extremely intoxicated and dump her in the back seat of Hades' car in an attempt to have her embarrass herself in front of Hades. After their initial encounter from this incident, Hades and Persephone both express an interest in each other and become a couple.
Plots in season one of the webcomic include Persephone seeking Hades' help to bring back friends who died when mortals uprooted sacred plants, a scheme by Minthe, Thanatos and Thetis to ruin Persephone's reputation, the rape of Persephone by Apollo, and Persephone's conflicted thoughts over a college scholarship that requires her to refrain from sex.
Major characters.
The following characters are central to plot lines in the comic and make regular appearances:
The characters in "Lore Olympus" are each defined by a particular color. According to columnist Nahlia Bonfiglo, "Hades is depicted in dark colors—blues, purples, and blacks—that match his setting. The underworld is likewise illustrated in dark hues, making Persephone and all of her bold, bright colors pop even more."
Publication.
The webcomic updates weekly on Webtoon, and readers with the "Webtoon Fast Pass" can access pages earlier. By August 2020, 120 episodes had been published, and Smythe said that she had an ending in mind for the series.
Smythe creates "Lore Olympus" using Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq Pro drawing tablet.
Influences.
On her website for "Lore Olympus", Smythe lists some of the sources that she uses for the comic:
Reception.
In 2019, WEBTOON announced that "Lore Olympus" had been viewed over 299 million times, making it the most viewed webcomic on the platform. As of May 2020, "Lore Olympus" is the most popular webtoon on the platform, with over 3.9 million subscribers.
In an article for "The Daily Dot", columnist Nahila Bonfiglio recommended the webcomic, saying: "There are many reasons to read Lore Olympus, but the simplest is to see Smythe’s brilliant take on the myth. Her story is flawlessly enthralling, heartwarming, and painful. The characters confront timeless issues through a modern lens, breaking down the romanticization of rape and abduction with grace and intrigue. Smythe updates the series every Sunday, and new readers will find themselves awaiting that notification with bated breath." Bonfiglio also praised the art, saying: "[Smythe's] captivating way of telling her tale often involves carefully considered colors, panels completely without words and even—sometimes—music."
"The Beat" declared "Lore Olympus" to be one of the 100 best comics of the 2010s, describing Smythe's art as "breathtaking" and making good use of the webtoon format, and saying that the modern setting made the story "feel as fresh and urgent as eavesdropping on your (very wealthy, very messy) neighbors."
"Critical Darlings" reviewer Kaitlin Konecke said that "the drawings allow us to "see" how Persephone "feels". It’s a visceral way to tell a story, with graphics allowing us to see inside the mind of Persephone and convey the complicated array of emotions that follow a trauma such as sexual assault and rape." Konecke also praised the depiction of assault from a female writer, saying that Smythe and others "are not just telling us, but showing us. And in doing so, they make women and survivors feel seen."
A reviewer for "Love in Panels!" praised the decision to give Persephone more agency than in the original story, saying that "it's that agency, her claiming of her own body and sexuality, that pulls me like a magnet to these tales." Nicole Mejias of "Crunchyroll" said that while the story is a "bit mature and dramatic," the suspense and romance between Hades and Persephone is gripping, while the "art is colorful and gorgeous."
Awards.
! scope="row" | 2020
! scope="row" | 2019
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Television series.
In October 2019, "Deadline" reported that the Jim Henson Company had entered into a partnership with WEBTOON to create an animated series based on "Lore Olympus". This partnership is WEBTOON's first adaptation deal. It is unclear whether Smythe would be involved in the adaptation.