8 Comics That Turn Mythology On Its Head

Gods! Monsters! That’s how old-timey people survived before we had Marvel movies. (Although, to be fair, Marvel wouldn’t be the same without a dollop of god-y monster-y stuff.) Whether you’re looking for smackdowns, ancient wisdom, insight, or just a good time, start with these comics about mythology. Then go find some more mythology books to get way into before the Equinox rolls around.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

As Jin Wang struggles to fit into a predominantly white school, another struggle takes place: that of a divine monkey with a deep desire to be a human. This beautiful book will remind you how good it is to be who you really are, and also that bananas are yummy and should be enjoyed.

Cairo by G. Willow Wilson, M.K. Perker, and Travis Lanham

A wannabe suicide bomber. A hash pusher. A revolutionary journalist. A jinn trapped in a hookah. They all find themselves working together to confront an evil that lurks beneath the Nile in this fun and thoughtful story about finding out what you really believe in.

The Encyclopedia of Early Earth: A Novel by Isabel Greenberg

We’re kind of cheating here because this book involves an invented mythology. You’ll recognize a lot of these stories because they’re based on archetypes that inform real mythology comics, but everything in it takes place on early Earth—a place lost to time and memory!

The Goddamned by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra

Marked murderer Cain has been alive for over 1,600 years, and he’s done. He wants to die. But since he’s cursed, there’s not many people who can help him. His best chance is the warlord Noah and his gang of angel-human hybrids. But the weather’s starting to turn, and nothing’s going to work out how Cain hopes…

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanai

Transported by a magical scarf, Priyanka learns about her family’s origin in India. But what’s that shadow lurking in the background? This is a great story for younger readers, but adults also enjoy it.

Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos

When Death falls in love, the West trembles. This is a story about a princess, but it might not be a great idea to save her. Based on archetypes, it might be a bit of a stretch to group this in with mythology comics, but you’ll recognize plenty of major mythological symbols in this gorgeous and haunting story.

Promethea by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III

Altering and incorporating the legend of Prometheus into a metaphysical superhero narrative, this cerebro-spiritual techno-mythology is about as geeky as you get, if you get geeky about ancient Jungian symbols and mystic snakes and things.

The Wicked + The Divine: Book One by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

They are loved. They are hated. In two years, after revolutionizing everything that the world knows about art and technology, they will die. Or will they? The gods walk among us in this hip series.