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The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel
You've read the book. You've seen the movie. Now submerge yourself in the thrilling, stunning, and action-packed graphic novel.
Mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking out of the pages of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson's textbooks and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus.
Series creator Rick Riordan joins forces with some of the biggest names in the comic book industry to tell the story of a boy who must unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
Mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking out of the pages of twelve-year-old Percy Jackson's textbooks and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, he and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus.
Series creator Rick Riordan joins forces with some of the biggest names in the comic book industry to tell the story of a boy who must unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
135 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Robert Venditti
674 books364 followersRobert Venditti is a New York Times bestselling author of more than three hundred comic books and graphic novels. Some of his works include the monthly comic book series Justice League, Superman ’78, Hawkman, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, X-O Manowar, Armor Hunters, and Wrath of the Eternal Warrior for Valiant Entertainment, and the graphic novel Six Days, inspired by the story of his uncle’s participation in D-Day. He has also adapted Rick Riordan’s global bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus novels, as well as Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia and Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz. His graphic novel The Surrogates was adapted into a feature film by Touchstone Pictures, and his work on The Flash was the basis for season three of the CW television series.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
Venditti lives in Atlanta, where he both writes and serves as a storytelling consultant for some of the most recognizable entertainment brands in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,602 reviews
January 1, 2019
two minutes before I finished this book I got an email telling me my hold on the second one was available and if that isn’t a direct sign from god to keep reading I don’t know what it is
May 18, 2020
2020
Oops. Read this one 10 years ago and forgot.
This time around, I feel about the same way. It's decent but the art is kind of lacking.
Original Review: 2010
My 10 year old thought it was kind of cool, but he wasn't super excited about it. It stuck pretty close to the book, but it felt kind of choppy. Not a bad choice for a reluctant reader, though.
Oops. Read this one 10 years ago and forgot.
This time around, I feel about the same way. It's decent but the art is kind of lacking.
Original Review: 2010
My 10 year old thought it was kind of cool, but he wasn't super excited about it. It stuck pretty close to the book, but it felt kind of choppy. Not a bad choice for a reluctant reader, though.
November 9, 2013
1.5 stars.
The truth about graphic novels is that they arealmost always bad entirely carried by the illustrations. That's just how it is. So when you have illustrations that are, to be frank, rather bad and the characters do NOT look like how anyone, except apparently Attila, envisioned them, it all amounts to a poor graphic adaptation that doesn't hold a candle, nor even a crappy busted Bic lighter, to the original series. You don't gain anything except a minor headache from reading this.
I mean, honestly. Someone should have let Viria draw the illustrations:
Ah, much better. At least her Percy and Annabeth look like they have a personality.
The truth about graphic novels is that they are
I mean, honestly. Someone should have let Viria draw the illustrations:
Ah, much better. At least her Percy and Annabeth look like they have a personality.
September 24, 2017
1st buddy read in our binge week with the loser who cant decide on a book to read
Mark of Athena spoiler
uhhhhhh
so like it was a pretty good adaptation from the books in the sense that the main elements were there (aside from medusa)
and the graphics were pretty good
but why the heck are percy and annabeth so UGLY ???!!??? boi have you SEEN fanart ?!! THAT'S how they should be drawn ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
(s)
but hey, i read it in 15 minutes and it was nostalgic okay
Mark of Athena spoiler
uhhhhhh
so like it was a pretty good adaptation from the books in the sense that the main elements were there (aside from medusa)
and the graphics were pretty good
but why the heck are percy and annabeth so UGLY ???!!??? boi have you SEEN fanart ?!! THAT'S how they should be drawn ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
(s)
but hey, i read it in 15 minutes and it was nostalgic okay
June 6, 2020
A fun read, but I think I officially need to take a break from graphic novels. They're becoming a little boring to me.
May 24, 2016
I suppose the artist/writer wanted to keep this graphic novel as brief as possible, but in the process he/she completely omitted a number of important plot points from the Lightning Thief novel. I would have been thoroughly disappointed in the story had I not read the written version a long time ago.
March 12, 2020
Meh. I love the actual novel but this was a really poor interpretation of it.
August 17, 2023
Ya'll....
As a fan of both Percy Jackson and graphic novels, I was expecting to love this so much. Was that the case? Absolutely not. This adaptation is proof that everything doesn't necessarily need a graphic novel adaptation because things don't always translate well to graphic formats. So much of the original story is lost on this adaptation and while I know everything couldn't be covered, I personally feel as though some major details were left out. As many readers have stated before me, the Lotus Palace scene is probably one of the highlights of this initial start to the series and Venditti didn't do it justice. Honestly, I also wasn't a fan of the artwork. The characters looked too old. Percy and Annabeth looked about 16/17 when in actuality they're both only around 11 or 12. This adaptation is better suited for reluctant readers who want to be a part of the fandom, but may struggle with longer middle grade novels. In that sense, it's great, but if you're a hardcore fan that's read the original text, this adaptation won't really do much for you.
As a fan of both Percy Jackson and graphic novels, I was expecting to love this so much. Was that the case? Absolutely not. This adaptation is proof that everything doesn't necessarily need a graphic novel adaptation because things don't always translate well to graphic formats. So much of the original story is lost on this adaptation and while I know everything couldn't be covered, I personally feel as though some major details were left out. As many readers have stated before me, the Lotus Palace scene is probably one of the highlights of this initial start to the series and Venditti didn't do it justice. Honestly, I also wasn't a fan of the artwork. The characters looked too old. Percy and Annabeth looked about 16/17 when in actuality they're both only around 11 or 12. This adaptation is better suited for reluctant readers who want to be a part of the fandom, but may struggle with longer middle grade novels. In that sense, it's great, but if you're a hardcore fan that's read the original text, this adaptation won't really do much for you.
February 29, 2016
I felt like it didn't portray Percy as well as the book did, he wasn't as funny in the graphic and I felt that the story didn't flow very well because of key parts that were missing. However I really liked the art and it was easy to follow.
January 12, 2016
image: 
I haven’t read the book but I guess that is better than this. Percy is a normal teenager or at least that’s what he thinks. One day a crazy thing happens at school and Percy will find out that he is actually the son of Poseidon, god of sea. A war between Poseidon and Zeus is going to start in couple of weeks and all because of a misunderstanding. Of course the one who can end this before our world ends is Percy.
So the story doesn’t seem so bad right? The problem was that I didn’t care about the characters and the art also is kind of… meh ok.
2,5 stars
I haven’t read the book but I guess that is better than this. Percy is a normal teenager or at least that’s what he thinks. One day a crazy thing happens at school and Percy will find out that he is actually the son of Poseidon, god of sea. A war between Poseidon and Zeus is going to start in couple of weeks and all because of a misunderstanding. Of course the one who can end this before our world ends is Percy.
So the story doesn’t seem so bad right? The problem was that I didn’t care about the characters and the art also is kind of… meh ok.
2,5 stars
September 26, 2017
oooo boy it's time graphic novels and i part ways never do i want to see one again i never thought i would ever give a rick riordan book less than three stars but i'm going to assume he knows nothing about this because iT'S SOMEHOW WORSE THAN THE MOVIE TOO
- the lightning bolt looks like a fucking spindle
- luke? who's luke
- half the plot is lying in a ditch somewhere
- not to diss anybody's drawing i mean i couldn't draw a candle to save a life,, but
- WHY THE FUCK DO ALL THE CHARACTERS LOOK LIKE UGLY DISPROPORTIONATE BARBIES
- I'M SORRY I CAN'T
- the dialogue is also taken randomly from the book idk man
- who allowed this to exist
buddy read #1 with "the only person i don't leave on read" aka the fake percy jackson fan
- the lightning bolt looks like a fucking spindle
- luke? who's luke
- half the plot is lying in a ditch somewhere
- not to diss anybody's drawing i mean i couldn't draw a candle to save a life,, but
- WHY THE FUCK DO ALL THE CHARACTERS LOOK LIKE UGLY DISPROPORTIONATE BARBIES
- I'M SORRY I CAN'T
- the dialogue is also taken randomly from the book idk man
- who allowed this to exist
buddy read #1 with "the only person i don't leave on read" aka the fake percy jackson fan
March 17, 2023
If you haven't read the graphic novel, you're missing out. The art is beeee-autiful.
September 17, 2020
Just read the books. They aren't my 100% favorite either, even though I am a huge fan of Greek mythology. This was just... not well adapted in my opinion.
December 8, 2016
Hace más de cuatro años que adquirí este tomo, y vaya historia que tengo con él. Una de mis mejores inversiones.
January 3, 2016
So on Christmas eve my two best friends and I exchanged gifts at work. Lindsay bought Andrea the first three graphic novels of the Percy Jackson series. Now, I had NO idea up to this point that these were a thing. Then when Lindsay and I opened our gifts from Andrea we realized she bought them for us! Can’t tell we spend a lot of time together!!!
We all read and loved the Percy Jackson series. It was something we shared together. The three of us read all the time and typically if one of us raves over something we all end up reading it. Our tastes are almost identical and honestly- is there anything better than talking books with friends?! No. There is not.
I flew through this book. It was a quick read and a really neat interpretation.
What I really enjoyed the most was that all of the darker elements of the PJ series are brought to light. Yes, it’s a children's series, I know. But guess what- the world isn't sunshine and rainbows. I love when “children’s books” show the harsher truth and reality of the world…even if it is done through a fantasy based theme.
I loved the artwork and thought they did a great job bringing the story to life. The characters looked how I pictured them and looked age-appropriate. This was a much better representation than the movie. Don’t even get me started.
I can’t wait for Andrea to finish the other two so I can borrow them!! ;)
We all read and loved the Percy Jackson series. It was something we shared together. The three of us read all the time and typically if one of us raves over something we all end up reading it. Our tastes are almost identical and honestly- is there anything better than talking books with friends?! No. There is not.
I flew through this book. It was a quick read and a really neat interpretation.
What I really enjoyed the most was that all of the darker elements of the PJ series are brought to light. Yes, it’s a children's series, I know. But guess what- the world isn't sunshine and rainbows. I love when “children’s books” show the harsher truth and reality of the world…even if it is done through a fantasy based theme.
I loved the artwork and thought they did a great job bringing the story to life. The characters looked how I pictured them and looked age-appropriate. This was a much better representation than the movie. Don’t even get me started.
I can’t wait for Andrea to finish the other two so I can borrow them!! ;)
December 19, 2014
Leer esta novela gráfica es la mejor manera de revivir esta historia una y otras vez en unas pocas horas.
Como ya amo la historia y a los personajes, solo diré que me encantaron las ilustraciones y como se adaptó la novela.
Como ya amo la historia y a los personajes, solo diré que me encantaron las ilustraciones y como se adaptó la novela.
July 20, 2016
This was a really fun and fast read, which I really liked. But what I didn't like is lack of Percy's humour, and most characters looked so different than as I imagined them.
March 20, 2019
Ich bin zurzeit wirklich sehr begeistert vom Percy Jackson Universum! Ich liebe die Bücher und auch den Film habe ich letztens nochmal gesehen... Als ich dann den Comic hier sah, musste ich ihn einfach lesen. Auch wenn ich nicht wirklich ein Comic Fan bin (ich mache mir lieber meine eigenen Bilder Kopf).
Dieses Exemplar hier konnte mich jedoch überzeugen. Die Geschichte hat mich so sehr gefesselt, dass ich um mich herum nichts mehr mitbekam. Allerdings bin ich nicht hundertprozentig überzeugt von den Bildern... Aber wer seine Freude an Comics hat und etwas mit der griechischen Göttersage anfangen kann, wird dieses Buch mögen.
Dieses Exemplar hier konnte mich jedoch überzeugen. Die Geschichte hat mich so sehr gefesselt, dass ich um mich herum nichts mehr mitbekam. Allerdings bin ich nicht hundertprozentig überzeugt von den Bildern... Aber wer seine Freude an Comics hat und etwas mit der griechischen Göttersage anfangen kann, wird dieses Buch mögen.
June 12, 2022
Both the terrible art style and the construction of story beats made this beloved story have little to no emotion to it. While this is a much more faithful adaptation of the original text than the film, it was still a bad one. Still, this is a good read if you want a quick review of the series.
May 30, 2020
Mehhhh
This has been my first shot at Perch Jackson! And it wasn’t great obviously. I mean, it could’ve been worse but there didn’t really seem to be a consistent flow to the story and it was all decently random.
I always had an interest in mythology but this just sooooo fell short of my expectations. I mean, also all the weird demon creature stuff was a little bit of a turn off for me. Especially when they went into the underworld.
Content:
Basically appropriate. A few swears. One or two shots depict slight immodesty (a crop top in one, maybe very slight cleavage in a few others). But basically totally clean.
Will I read the next one? *hesitates even tho he knows he already has a hold for it aheeem* probably lol
Happy reading guys!
This has been my first shot at Perch Jackson! And it wasn’t great obviously. I mean, it could’ve been worse but there didn’t really seem to be a consistent flow to the story and it was all decently random.
I always had an interest in mythology but this just sooooo fell short of my expectations. I mean, also all the weird demon creature stuff was a little bit of a turn off for me. Especially when they went into the underworld.
Content:
Basically appropriate. A few swears. One or two shots depict slight immodesty (a crop top in one, maybe very slight cleavage in a few others). But basically totally clean.
Will I read the next one? *hesitates even tho he knows he already has a hold for it aheeem* probably lol
Happy reading guys!
April 23, 2020
I hate this adaptation. I hate this book. I hate this adaptation. I hate this book. I hate this adaptation. I hate this book. Now repeat that a 100 times and you'll get how I feel.
.
.
This graphic novel did not do justice to the book. They changed the story, it was too short, and the art wasn't good.
.
.
This graphic novel did not do justice to the book. They changed the story, it was too short, and the art wasn't good.
February 7, 2017
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2017 - A book based on mythology. It is based on Greek Mythology. 1/52
Percy Jackson thinks he's a normal 12 year old who has dyslexia and ADHD until he gets attacked by a teacher on a school trip and finds out he is the son of a god. He travels to a camp filled with other demigods(sons of a god and a human) where he gets sent on a quest for Zeus' stolen lightning bolt.
So begins Percy Jackson's journey fighting angry gods and all kinds of mythical creatures.
Percy Jackson is one of those stories that stick with you and you can pick at any moment and you'll have fun reading.
It is the perfect story to get a kid into reading and falling in love with books. They are filled with monsters, adventure and the perfect amount of comedy. And in comic form is no different. It is a shorten version of the book, but it is fun and lighthearted and will make you have a good time.
Obviously it will never beat the book, but it is a good addition to the world and for those hardcore fans who can't get enough of Camp Half-Blood.
Percy Jackson thinks he's a normal 12 year old who has dyslexia and ADHD until he gets attacked by a teacher on a school trip and finds out he is the son of a god. He travels to a camp filled with other demigods(sons of a god and a human) where he gets sent on a quest for Zeus' stolen lightning bolt.
So begins Percy Jackson's journey fighting angry gods and all kinds of mythical creatures.
Percy Jackson is one of those stories that stick with you and you can pick at any moment and you'll have fun reading.
It is the perfect story to get a kid into reading and falling in love with books. They are filled with monsters, adventure and the perfect amount of comedy. And in comic form is no different. It is a shorten version of the book, but it is fun and lighthearted and will make you have a good time.
Obviously it will never beat the book, but it is a good addition to the world and for those hardcore fans who can't get enough of Camp Half-Blood.
February 16, 2020
RTC
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This graphic novel is incredible, I love the art and how easy it is to read. I only had to spend like maybe an hour and a half to finish it. However, that might be because I just love this series :D
I'm soo sad that in my country only the first and second one arrived, all the other ones (if they exist) probably won't come :/ I guess I'll have to try and find them online because they truly are gorgeous <3
--------------------------
This graphic novel is incredible, I love the art and how easy it is to read. I only had to spend like maybe an hour and a half to finish it. However, that might be because I just love this series :D
I'm soo sad that in my country only the first and second one arrived, all the other ones (if they exist) probably won't come :/ I guess I'll have to try and find them online because they truly are gorgeous <3
February 11, 2021
I just Dnf'd this book on page 32 because of the art...I HATE THE ILLUSTRATIONS ... THE ART IS AWFUL..and I loved the original book so it would hurt to continue any longer..
January 19, 2024
Why they did everyone so dirty
LIKE I know they all are not beautiful but this is another thing
PERCY SEEMS LIKE A 30 YEAR OLD SCHOOL DROP OUT
I swear-
LIKE I know they all are not beautiful but this is another thing
PERCY SEEMS LIKE A 30 YEAR OLD SCHOOL DROP OUT
I swear-
January 1, 2024
Zeus's Lightning Bolt has been stolen, and Percy Jackson stands accused. Can he and his pals find the missing relic and return it to Zeus before a war breaks out between Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon?
I enjoyed this graphic adaptation of the first entry in Rick Riordan's best-selling series that is based on The Odyssey. The artwork was good, and the chemistry with three main characters was well done. I think this is a great entry point for middle grade readers to learn about Greek mythology in a very accessible format!
I enjoyed this graphic adaptation of the first entry in Rick Riordan's best-selling series that is based on The Odyssey. The artwork was good, and the chemistry with three main characters was well done. I think this is a great entry point for middle grade readers to learn about Greek mythology in a very accessible format!
April 14, 2023
The pics were lowkey disturbing
October 2, 2019
I really liked it, but I would recommend reading as normal book instead of graphic novel.
July 12, 2020
I really love Percy Jackson and I really enjoy graphic novels, so I'd thought this would be an easy, nostalgic 5-star read for me! It's also been a crazy long time since I've read the original series as well, so I thought the distance would mean I wouldn't be comparing the two too much. In the end... I think the graphic novel lost a lot of the charm I loved from Riordan's books (namely the humor, tbh), and I don't know if I'll be reading the rest of these...
I get that graphic novels can often feel a lot more rushed than the books they're based on, and this is definitely true here. However, I did expect that going in since the series was adapted 1 to 1, instead of multiple volumes per book (like with the Maximum Ride manga), so I didn't necessarily feel this hindered my experience too much. Yea, explanations were a lot faster and there was almost no build up between anything (kinda just a bunch of action scenes tied together), but I didn't necessarily need all the exposition to enjoy the book because I had read the series already, I knew the characters already. (I do think that first time readers should start with the books though, this graphic novel is way more plot than character background/development, and I feel like you miss out on a lot).
My biggest issue was the lack of humor though. Part of this comes from the style of the comic itself, it's a serious style of art and that definitely affects the tone of what you read. But beyond that, there just wasn't any of the jokes that Riordan is known for. I missed the wacky chapter headings (one of my favorite things as a kid), the character's barely joked around with each other, and overall the entire adventure just felt way too serious. It's honestly as if it was supposed to be aged up to YA or something and in order to make it feel 'older', they cut all the jokes. It made the characters feel more like shadows of themselves, and I didn't end up liking the dynamic they had together at all in the end.
I probably won't be continuing the graphic novels, but I definitely want to reread the actual books even more now!
I get that graphic novels can often feel a lot more rushed than the books they're based on, and this is definitely true here. However, I did expect that going in since the series was adapted 1 to 1, instead of multiple volumes per book (like with the Maximum Ride manga), so I didn't necessarily feel this hindered my experience too much. Yea, explanations were a lot faster and there was almost no build up between anything (kinda just a bunch of action scenes tied together), but I didn't necessarily need all the exposition to enjoy the book because I had read the series already, I knew the characters already. (I do think that first time readers should start with the books though, this graphic novel is way more plot than character background/development, and I feel like you miss out on a lot).
My biggest issue was the lack of humor though. Part of this comes from the style of the comic itself, it's a serious style of art and that definitely affects the tone of what you read. But beyond that, there just wasn't any of the jokes that Riordan is known for. I missed the wacky chapter headings (one of my favorite things as a kid), the character's barely joked around with each other, and overall the entire adventure just felt way too serious. It's honestly as if it was supposed to be aged up to YA or something and in order to make it feel 'older', they cut all the jokes. It made the characters feel more like shadows of themselves, and I didn't end up liking the dynamic they had together at all in the end.
I probably won't be continuing the graphic novels, but I definitely want to reread the actual books even more now!
April 22, 2017
It's not as the same quality as the second one.. the drawing was very simple, no much details and the story missed a lot of things .. I read the book a six months ago and I forgot things so while reading the graphic novel some parts were confusing.
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