Beowulf and the Comic Book: Contemporary Readings

09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd Beowulf Al- though with. this is begin not the to poetry,common cultural Germanic background of ancient most contemporary with readers, familiarity some and English requiring a considerable level of learning to read it —linguistic competence in Old sense Inthis (16). sumer con- its and art of work the both of enclassement the in derives which sumption, con- their determining competence and capital cultural the on depends products para adaptarla al gusto del gran público contemporáneo.público gran del gusto al adaptarla para altomedieval germánica épica la revisan que tanto en popular la y oficial cultura la entre ABSTRACT PALABRAS los consumo, de objeto como mental de canon literario inglés. En el contexto de la actual construcción de la Edad Media funda- pieza como legitimación su a paralela forma de independiente medio como cómic texto ha sido revisado por diferentes autores a lo largo de las distintas fases del desarrollo del siglo del distintiva tan artística tación Este trabajo explora la apropiación del poema anglosajón RESUMEN KEY This paper explores the appropriation of the Old English poem early Germanic epic to render it suitable for the taste of wider,of taste the for rendersuitable to it epic audiences. Germanic early contemporary comic book become a of territory negotiation between high and low culture as they revisit canon. In the context of the modern commodification of the Middle Ages, the pendent genre in a process parallel to its legitimation as a central part of the English literary revisitedas aninde- byseveralauthorsatdifferentstagesofthedevelopment ofthecomic tive 20th-century art-form as the comic book. Since 1941 to present day, the text has been

WORDS

As PierreAs lowand culture high differenceBourdieu between the indicates, CLAVE has attracted wide audiences beyond the academic circles among those among circles academic the beyond audiences wide attracted has : Beowulf R : EVISTA Beowulf , Anglo-Saxonliterature, popularculture, comicbook. BEOWULF C ANARIA 107 , literatura anglosajona, cultura popular,cultura anglosajona, literatura , cómic. CONTEMPORARY READINGS Beowulf María José Gómez Calderón

DE Beowulfs E STUDIOS AND THE COMIC BOOK: UniversidadSevillade , as a medieval text, is clearly a high culture item culture high a clearly is text, medieval a as , XX del cómic se convierten en terreno de negociación de terreno en convierten se cómic del I NGLESES como es el cómic. Desde 1941 hasta hoy día, el día, hoy hasta 1941 Desde cómic. el es como , 55; November55; , pp.107-127 2007, Beowulf Beowulf por parte de una manifes- 10/10/2007, 10:50 by such a distinc- Beowulfs in

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 108 was written in a Danish dialect. On this topic, see governmentDanish consideredthat the who for Icelandicworking and scholar Thorkelin, research.its promoted and princeps The editio tion Studies, see Allen J. Frantzen, York: Random, 1971). For the study of the “archaeology of the discipline” in the field of Old English since the poem was recovered and first edited in 1815. culture low and high of scope the within both revisitings numerous of object the an early stage, yet before being turned into comic book matter it had already been cializing companies. magazines started to be published independently and serialized by distinctive, spe- and journals in included strips comic daily the 1940s, the in readerswhen, young for entertainment of forms favourite the of one as rises book comic century,the the Comic Book Comic the form”established literary (16).SeeGerard Jones, terms can be termed as the “archaeology”the as termed poem. be this can of terms Foucaultian in what to connected intimately is scholarship Anglo-Saxon of tory the of pieces central English literary heritage and corner-stone the of Old English Studies; of actually, one the his- as legitimation its to parallel run however, has, was set —it Anglo-Saxons the for old already book, story legendary heroic, comic a that proves which the as art-form 20th-century distinctive a such in culture popular modern by poem English Old the of appropriationences. the explores paper This nium old and turned it into one more medieval product catering for popular audi- science-fiction and adventure novels have revisited this text more than one millen- rockgenresthe and musical, media the line, television, film, as or diverse opera as who can just identify the title as one of the classic texts of the English canon. In this aptations and imaginative rewritings. imaginative and aptations abridged, simplified versions appeared, which paved the road to later parodies, ad- English text was accessible for the average reader through modern translations many ing a Wounded and Andreas Haarder (London: Routledge, 1998) and KevinLegacy of Kiernan, “The Wiglaf: Sav- of relevance the acknowledged Turner,Anglo-Saxonist, Sharon amateur an when 1803 until not is It year. same the in compiled he manuscripts English employer,Hickes,George antiquarian the Oldof catalogue in the included later was poem the and “Los ‘otros“Los dissertation doctoral my of core the was which genres, and media popular contemporary multiple the modern world. modern the (New RutgersBrunswick: UP, 1990). in geardagum 5 4 3 2 1 As a derivation of the illustrated story that had become popular in the 19th See Michael Foucault,Michael See See MarijaneOsborn. The first reference to WarWorld of end the “By remarks, Harvey C. Robert As of appropriations modern the studying project wider a of part is paper This Beowulfs (London: WilliamHeineman, 2005). Beowulf,” 108 ’: reelaboraciones contemporáneas,” Universidadreelaboracionescontemporáneas,” ’: Sevilla,2003. de 1 2 , “the ancient days”— still elicits the interest of the audience in

The Beowulf Reader Beowulf Desire for Origins: New Language, Old English, and Teaching the Tradi- Beowulf appears in 1705 in a letter sent by Humphrey Wanley to his (New Sciences Human the of Archaeology Orderof An The Things: has in fact been present in the history of media from , ed. Peter Baker (New York: Garland, 2000) 195-218. 4 , however,, by1815 in Grímurpublished was Jónsson This process of “vulgarization”of of process This Beowulf: Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gansters andtheBirth of Beowulf

The Critical Heritage in the history of English culture English of history the in 3 10/10/2007, 10:50 In fact, as soon as the Old 5 Nowadays, those beyond II , the comic book was an was book comic the , , ed.Tom A. Shippey by Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd StrangeJourneyA Landscape: throughMiddle the Ages of being rewritten as a superhero story, which is the basis for the media. For a start, lar medievalism. keting” (254). mar- targeted carefully throughout serviced and research market through defined more in a series of niches responding to lifestyle/lifestage market segments each one good, a phenomenon that, in Watson’s words, “leads to pastiche as it becomes one Middlethe of marketable a (re)inventionhaveinto the Ages it turned forgery and resort, tourist medieval postmodern the or classics technicolor Hollywood the to tradition articulated by the popular genres themselves. From Victorian Arthurianism As a consequence, it becomes a becomes it consequence, a As period. the of aspects fantastic and picturesque the by attracted are audiences ern nal texts and academic research —that is, the core of medieval scholarship— mod- school amusing,the English-speakers who might find the updating of the literary classic they studied in virtues of the Anglo-Saxons. the of virtues political and national the by inspired be to poem the reading recommended they when envisioned scholars American and British early the what than audience of English and Germanic Philology EnglishGermanicand Philology Past(1776-1850),” Saxon the of UsesNational America: in English Old of Study “The Saxon Language,” Saxonism scape of adventure, heroism and magic. set the pattern for subsequent readings of the medieval past as the enchanted land- has Germanicthat and traditions Celtic early the of pretationglamourization and inter- imaginative an implemented fantasy,have epic others, or among role-game the park, theme the as diverse as productions modern medievalism, 19th-century on Drawing nowadays. operative still is that and sensibility Romantic in lie roots wider cultural phenomenon of the popularization of the Middle Ages, a trend whose (Las Vegas), The High Elven Kingdom Theme Park and Resort (Elven Glen, Virginia), and the DisneylandParkof attractions medieval Angeles). (Los and Virginia), Glen, (Elven Resort and Park Theme Kingdom Elven High Vegas),The (Las Excalibur Hotel as products American or Park(Lancashire) Theme Camelot the as ones historical cated at medieval sites as The Exeter Medieval Jousting Tournament (Exeter) in England, to the less lo- ones the —from parks resorts/theme holiday and fairs, and markets medieval rolegames, films, to createproducta audience. global a of tastes the to appealing just narrative adventure the of aspects the emphasizing while text— original the of articulation the in element relevant —a heritage historical defined clearly of kind any with connection the obviate markets, international addressing media (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1981); Stanley R. Hauer, Jefferson“Thomas and the Anglo- 7 6 8 The Old English poem actually provides authors with elements susceptible The appropriation of the poem by popular genres actually shares in the in shares actually genres popular by poem the of appropriation The The commodification of the Middle Ages englobes phenomena as different as “medieval” See Umberto Eco, See Reginald Horsman, 8 The PMLA 98 (1983): 879-87; and María José Mora and María José Gómez Calderón, Beowulfs Beowulfs 109 Travels in Hyperreality 97.3 (1998): 322-36. (1998): 97.3 of comic book are inscribed in the frame of this popu- Race and Manifest Destiny: The Origins of American Racial Anglo- of the popular genres are more far-reaching in terms 6 The neo- The locus for new narratives that depend mainly on a on mainly depend that narratives new for 7 While ignoring historical evidence, origi- Beowulfs (London: Pan, 1987), and Christopher Frayling, (London: BBC, 1995). BBC, (London: of film and comic, to speak of speak to comic, and film of 10/10/2007, 10:50 Journal of Journal

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 110 Altieri’s do Caím. and in the successful Grendel and his mother lend their names to evil figures in narratives as Matt Wagner’s series lovers. protagonist’sWitch’sthe the Kathrina one presents of which name the is Beowulfhereadventures; ated by John Warner and Len Wein for Marvel Comics series Maker Willingham, who has also written two modern short novels on a new hero named Beowulf, some other cases, a modern superhero assumes the name of the Geat prince —as in artist. graphic main and writer not dealing with superheroes, as for instance in Richard Moore’s erotic detective story story detective Moore’serotic Richard in instance for as superheroes, with dealing not HollyGollighty’sand HolliherBill of episodes new or the appearance of dragons in the story.the in dragons of appearance the or poem is the of intervention evil figures vaguely related to Grendel and his mother, della antica Danimarca topic has the received throughout treatments time: different Enrico Basari’sthe of Italianrepresentative as chosen been have works lowing new the young reader. As these assets of the poem seem to be universally appealing, the which connect the narrative to the “sword and sorcery” genre much to the taste of dragon’selements a lair, even and caves, monsters’ submarine gloomy halls, cent ing Scandinavia of the Dark Ages where the characters find strange lands, magnifi- with many possibilities in their artistic design. The setting is rendered as the allur- a with antagonists evil, wicked monstrous, and of series a good opposing protagonist warrior between muscular conflict eternal the on grounded plot a is there Beowulf a included have who artists comic other many are there but plot, central their as by Attila Adorjany. Slayer; Jerry Bingham’s for their characters. the comic artists just use the evocative names of some of the characters of the poem service service of a superhero inserted in this early medieval pseudo-historical background. the to them put to fiction junk in operative clichés and topics the reproduce they often most and culture, popular of genres the by constructed as Germania dary BeowulfGrendeland superheroes. brothersareand mischievoustwelve-year-oldtwin entitled children young for comic a is there Likewise, Beowulfs and episode in the course of their own heroes’ adventures. 13 12 11 10 9 the rule, a As In order to present a comprehensive history of Beowulfian comic, the fol- the Beowulfiancomic, of Inhistory ordercomprehensive present a to A Different Shade of Greyof DifferentShade A Further references in this paper to Basari’s work follow its Brazilian version as As for instance in Brian Augustyn and Humberto Ramos’ Thus, Beowulf is an alias for superheroes as Ulysses Bloodstone, a monster-hunter cre- monster-hunter a Bloodstone, Ulysses as superheroes for alias an is Beowulf Thus, for This example, can in be Stanobserved, Lee and Jack Kirby’s the of names the list just I case each in art, of form collaborative highly a is comic As Hyde & Seek address the imagination of readers worldwide and across generations. 110 Captain Marvel 10 12 . All these works characteristically take the exploits of Beowulf Quite frequently, the only connection with the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf Beowulf ; 9 Michael Uslan and Ricardo Villamonte’s of comic books share in the aesthetics of the legen- the of aesthetics the in share books comic of ; Gareth Hinds’ V , among others. The name of Beowulf also appears in comics ; and Brian Augustyn’sBrian and ; 13 Sabrina, the Sabrina, Teenage Witch Beowulf Kid Beowulf Kid Strange Tales , Francis Lombardi and Kevin 10/10/2007, 10:50 Beowulf: Leggenda crisitiana Crimson Beowulf by Alexis E. Fajardo, where Fajardo, E. Alexis by 11 and Also, in other cases Thor 22 (“Blood and Tears”). —late continued —late (“Just Dreamy”). In Beowulf, Dragon- Marvel Marvel Presents, and 337, and lately in Coventry by Bill O Monstro Deja VuDeja Monster Grendel , 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd crude crude age of violence and heroism. a as it presented has chronicles, historical the and sagas the of reading biased by kind of literature this has tended general, to oversimplify In the Scandinavian generations. past and, followinginfluenced the for Norseman brave the of image the The Pirate is still secondary to the textual. On this topic, see Harvey (1-15). Harvey Onsee textual. topic, the this to secondary still is speeches and the panels, depicting framed of the the action in are timed, contained and are there images are their large narrative magazines; captions and as the journals visual of strips comic original createdDikby Browne 1973. in Jones’Terry as film irreverent Janetand Leigh. The Vikings culture.and interestliteraturein history medieval or limited a just with teenager male a fundamentally is comics of reader the all, after that, forget consumer’sWecannot modern taste. the for suitable story adventure the behaviour of the characters in the medieval text is displaced in order to create an English poem is, however, simplified and the sophisticated social economy shaping pion, are tested in a never-ending sequence of battles. The heroic ethos of the Old physical strength, since their their courage of and means loyalty,by danger typical in virtues community of the the defend Viking and cham- heroes muscular true as Dragon and the Raven 1982) 262-73. kingdomofScandiaatKingArthur’sking princefrom theimaginary court. Vi-exiled an of Foster,adventuresHarold the by presents 1937 series in this ated characters, book comic Scandinavian famous most the of one ing with the archetype of the Viking as Noble Barbarian. turn be traced back to 19th century historical romance, particularly to novels deal- in can heroes neo-Beowulfsgraphic these as of characterization the of origins The Basari’s work approaches the spiritual conflict between good and evil as represented Wiks, 1976); Peter Sawyer, Margaret1903); Omberg, Scandinavian Englishin Themes Poets, 1760-1800 the Italian magazine ordered text captions, and usually penned in just black and white ink (13-15). ink white and black just in penned usually and captions, text ordered of early comics is relatively simple, resorting to a traditional strip sequence division, design artistic the indicates, Harvey as FeaturesComics; King DC publishers and early comic books, which followed the model established by the American leading 17 16 15 14 The first quest their accomplish InBeowulfscomic followingarchetype,the of this 18 See Krístjan Eldjárn, “The Viking Myth,” The artistic concept of the comics of the 1940s is not very different from that of the of that from different very not is 1940s the of comics the of concept artistic The an such by represented world Viking the of side comic a offers also culture Popular There isafilmversion, See F.E. Farley, (London: Phillimore.1982). (London: , and later novels as G.W. Dasent’s Beowulf Il Vittorioso , and H. Rider Haggard’s 111 Scandinavian Influences in the English Romantic Movement The Age of the Vikings in comic format is Enrico Basari’s; published in 1941 by Erik the Viking the Erik Prince Valiant , this work reflects the formal features common in 15 This is indeed the narrative tradition framing (1989) and a comic strip as strip comic a and (1989) (London: Edward Arnold. 1971); and R.I. Farrell, . Henry Hathaway. Henry . Robertstarring 1954, Wagner The Vikings Vikings of the Baltic Eric Brighteyes , ed. R.I. Farrell (London: Phillimore. 17 14 Works as Walter Scott’s , among others, shaped 10/10/2007, 10:50 Prince Valiant (Uppsala: & Almqvist , G.A. Henty’s Hagard the Horrible the Hagard (Boston: Ginn, 16 ; cre- ; The 18 ,

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 112 of the heroic Norseman. Film is also a recognizable influence in the implementa- the in influence recognizable a also Norseman.Filmis heroic the of Wars of the Gods the Warsof (1957), 1967) 193-213. vittorioso.htm>. father, to seize the throne of Denmark. of throne the seize to father, Beowulf’s brother,own his murdered has Rogar story this in as revealing, much comic, the of version Brazilian the of (Hrothgar). title The Rogar king, heathen the of ally Grendel, of figure the in Satan of power evil the and the Cross TreeceHenry — as fiction Viking in specialists by novels best-sellers later line, this In fiction. popular in prevalent ter of the century, but they are coincidental with Basari’s Viking archetype, the one moral message of his work (Fig. 1). the about serious absolutely is Basari audiences, later for amusing somehow seem nize here the connection with of Coloring Beowulf,”the in Coloring Christian and Haarder’s the main concerns of early Anglo-Saxon scholarship; on this debate see the Introduction to Shippey PraiseLord.the it.” be So deeds of peace and love only. Scorn the glory of the world and the gold of treason, plots and villainy. Europeanthe of by values destruction moral the of that comic, World War ries centu- 20th early and 19th the in scholarship Beowulfian of preoccupation tral version of the Old English poem esentation (351). pr of His this conflict —a cen- by the Christian and the pagan in what Osborn defines as a “highly Catholicized” Louvai ao senhor. Assim seja.” senhor.Assim ao Louvai de e amor.paz Desprezai de as obras honrarias do para mundo somente e o estandartes ouro os das traiçoes, Erguei as santos. intrigas e seus as dos vilanias. chamado fact a declaration of his Christian faith: “A minha alma se engrandece atendendo ao is to have his soul carried to heaven last by wordstwo archangels. Beowulf’s are in reward for having overcome Grendel’s dark magic and defeated the powers of Hell tion often distributed through Catholic parishes. of awarewere also who readers, the to ted with the occupation of the nation by the German army— could not pass undetec- war the of development the and Germany with connections fascist —the history 19 — becomes particularly relevant in the immediate historical context of this of context historical immediate the in relevant particularly becomes — Interestingly, Basari transforms Beowulf into a Christian prince fighting prince Christian a into Beowulf transforms Interestingly,Basari The following 22 21 20 19 Viking’s Sunset Most readers, no matter their cultural background in English literature, probably recog- in elements Christian and pagan of blending the of discussion The My translation: “My soul enlarges by following his saints’ call. Rise your banners for banners your Rise call. saints’ his following by enlarges soul “My translation: My See on-line the on-line See Beowulf Beowulf: (1988) and 112 (1997)— and Harry Harrison and John Holm — Holm John and Harrison Harry and (1997)— ,” Old English Poetry: Fifteen Essays Fifteen Poetry: English Old The Critical Heritage (London: Routledge, 1998) and F.A. Blackburn, “The (1958)— Poul Anderson — Beowulfs Catalogo dil Fumetto Italiano Fumetto dil Catalogo Hamlet One King’s Way 12 (1897): 205-25; and Larry D. Benson, “The Pagan “The Benson, D. Larry and 205-25; (1897): 12 PMLA 22 means by of this case of fratricide in the royal Danish family. in comic format do not appear until the last quar- Although the distortion of the original plot may plot original the of distortion the Although Viking’sDawn 20 (1995)— popularized this positive image The parallel with contemporary Italian contemporary with parallel The Il Vittorioso , ed. R.P.Creed ed. , 21 At the end of the story, Beowulf’s

(Providence: Beowulf (1973) and The Hammer The

was one of one was Brown UP Brown II . The , is , 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd Mythos. in the wake of fantasy narratives connected to the circle of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu 1990); and Daniel Harms, “Cthulhu,” pride” (125). “has structured the to story reveal that Grendel has qualities worthy of admiration too, courage and heroica Kane has Bob still author chord.massacreswho indicates, but inhabitants their Harvey As and towns plunders who being human cruel a but poem the of monster the not is Grendel.This located in later periods as the aforesaid comics for true is same the but book; comic the of Beowulfs the with similarities or Warlord,many have too, times ancient defined loosely aresome settings whose as superheroes barbarian/pre-historical Thor,other Unqueredsentation; the Claw historical totheearlymedievalperiod. pre- the from comprises chronology peculiar whose age heroic Barbarian defined Cimmerian warrior, his imaginary world has become Age the Bronze a popular as image presented of is a Conan loosely although and, future the for genre the fined Barbarian in special that of the title featuring the most remarkable ancient warrior, tant influence on these comics is, obviously, that of the comic book tradition itself, Bengtsson’sHowever,(1941-45). Swedishtitle same the novelof impor- most the Longships The film “Vikingness”of reading attractive this of tion Richardas products with Fleischer’s The Vikings 23 24 repre-time in accuracy with showconcern general little in comics Infact, 24 See Donald R. Burleson, in episode an Thereis Howard’s peculiar codification of the “sword and sorcery” world has de- . 23 Fig. 1.Enrico Basari, Created by Robert E. Howard in the 1930s, the (1963, with Richard Widmark) and based on Frans Gunnar Frans on based and Widmark) Richard with (1963, (1958, starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis) and Jack Cardiff’s 113 Brazilianas version Conan Beowulf:Danimarcaantica della cristiana Leggenda Lovecraft: Disturbing the Universe (Lexington: UP of Kentucky, The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana (Oakland: Chaosium, 1998). 17 in which the Cimmerian hero faces an evil foe named foe evil an faces hero Cimmerian the which in 17 Prince Valiant O MonstroO Caím. do and Shining Knight 10/10/2007, 10:50 Conan stories appear . Conan the (5th cen-

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 114 main.html>. ing readers,ing with familiar equally be would who poem English Old the for help study for sites line zenegger featuring Conan the Barbarian in the film of the same title as illustration for one of its on- tury) and tury) and tury), introduction to the series as “that thing educational” (vol. 19). (vol. educational” “thatthing as series the to introduction their in scorn they that something format, comic the to classic literary a adapt to refuse from the start to take Dragon-Slayer, Villamonte’sRicardo and Uslan Michael book, comic as poem English comics. all in appearing Grendel-like characters incorporate features and corresponding attitudes the of comics, the these modern of supervillain plot the in part central a play usually sorcery and magic As human. and monstrous both foes, awesome of victims the rescue to outstanding warriors who, accompanied by not less brave “sidekicks,” always come 26 25 All these influences are present in the second attempt at rewriting the Old American comics are generally distributed in an international marketEnglish-speak-international of an in aredistributed comics generally American It is not strange that an institution as Pace University used an image of Arnold Schwart- The PrinceViking Black Knight Fig. 2. Michael Uslan and Ricardo Villamonte, Beowulf Dragon-Slayer. published by DC Comics in 1974-75 (Figs. 2, 3, 4). The editors The 4). 3, 2, (Figs. 1974-75 in Comics DC by published 114 (6th or century), the more Scandinavian (10th century). (10th Beowulf seriously and claim that their intention is not Beowulftopic. a as . 25 See

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 116 fiend) “Caines cynne”Cain’s“Caines of fiend) descendant (107a, “godesor kin), andsaca” aesthetics of pop art. the with connects that project artistic an in result dialogues, and texts descriptive of use the bright color and work; graphic conventions, with the sequenced panels and large of amounts of design plastic the by reinforced is that attitude an tone, comic clearly obliterates the dramatic character of the original poem and its elegiac This world. sorcery”“sword and his enjoying muscleman roisterous a as mulated refor- is superhero medieval new the here concern, Basari’smoral and seriousness and Magic of the medieval matter in the universe of comic: just entitled is volume first the If villains. modern comic of kinds all of these parade real a stories, Beowulf’s in included are comic the of typical elements these Indeed, tion. Westernof civiliza- values moral the saving in than girls sexy and zombies mons, de- extraordinary in interested more much readers, teenage at targeted is fantasy terror!”Fig.and 6, stories... 4, bawdy (vol. feasts, unending women, 5). free-for-alls,fiery drunken minstrels, wandering of songs for —settings mead-hall Spear-Danegreat the the of is warriors Housedstone vicious tribe! cold its within “ milieu: social Hrothgar and setting the of presentation the in commonplaces the to resorting by however,added “medievaltouch,” is the hall; Germanic historical the gloomyskyscrapersofGothamCityasdepictedin the in comic of 1970s. As a matter of fact, in the illustrations Hrothgar’sreaders dwellings resemble more the to familiar scenario Gothic a to it transfer they but danger, of atmosphere suffocating its recreating of that is Villamonte’sintention Uslanterror; and on focuses it that is text medieval the appropriating when mind in had have to seem authors the that element One genre. a as comic the of dition ries, the adventures of adventures the ries, according topopularfiction. evil of conceptions modern more to assimilated are and multiply poem English Old the of monsters the is, that mythology; classical from coming creatures with a femme fatale to vampires, UFOs and aliens or head-hunting pygmies side by side Stars tion of Grendel as a devilish creature.devilish Grendela of as tion different authors seem to trust the reader’s familiarity with the poem’s characteriza- the since book, comic as poem the of renderings further in constant a is gap tion emy Grendel —who in this case is a minor devil, Satan’s own servant. This res informa- and without any explanation of the origin of the conflict with his evil archen- evil his with conflict the of origin the of explanation any without and ; and 27 At several levels On the other hand, we cannot forget that this entertaining Beowulfian entertaining this that forget cannot we hand, other the On As in epic poetry and, conventionally enough, in many superheroes’ sto- superheroes’ many in enough, conventionally and, poetry epic in As [my italics] —towering tribute to a conquering king... shelter for the for shelter king... conquering a to tribute —towering italics] [my At different points of the poem Grendel is described as “feond on helle” (101b, hellish helle”“feond(101b, on as described Grendelis poem the of points different At The Labyrinth of the Grotto-Minotaur ; Valley in the Shadows of Death or, Beowulf Meets Dracula Beowulf, Dragon-Slayer 116 Beowulf Beowulf: Dragon-Slayer according to Uslan and Villamonte start start VillamonteUslan and to according , the other five illustrate the complete refashioning 27 Nevertheless, and in contrast with Basari’swith Nevertheless,contrast in and . In this way, we find anything from establishes a dialogue with the tra- The Slave Maid of Satan 10/10/2007, 10:50 Batman

(786b,God’s enemy). series than any ; Chariots of the ; Man-Apes in medias in Castle 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd here, the other two are completely independent from the poem. fromthe independent arecompletely two other here,the work, in work, and Klenzo, and a giant African, Sydriit. ately, Beowulf’s partners and companions are four “tough guys”: Wiglaf, Hondscio him the look of other comics’ heroes as Conan, Thor,gives or which Warlord.brawling, Quiteand appropri- boasting loves loincloth, scanty a and skull animal an with a peculiar Scandinavian look; the protagonist wears a horned helmet made of genre.the of formulas the to used the story in a specific cultural context, which again does not seem to trouble readers comic. Besides, there are no clear chronological or geographical references to frame of typical figure EvilOverlord the of part the in cast just is here Satan treatment; the classic to an amusing version of the battle contemporary of the sexes. The sexy replies by the female character as “you’re pretty clever for a man” and 14) (vol. woman”1, a (vol. 1, —with equal 15) an as update speaks “PrinceBeowulf as narrator the of part the on remarks Ironic Nan-zee. called girl dressed scantily equally an that is absolutely absent from the Old English poem; Beowulf’s favourite partner is 28 Thus, Uslan and Villamonte articulate Beowulf as a barbarian superhero barbarian a as Beowulf articulate Villamonte and Uslan Thus, The first two names respond to characters in Dragon-Slayer Fig.Michael5. Uslan Ricardo and Villamonte. 117 this is not a moral or religious issue receiving a serious a receiving issue religious or moral a not is this 28 But there is an addition to this war-band Beowulf BeowulfDragon-Slayer. and are presented as Viking heroes 10/10/2007, 10:50

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 118 common her sex appeal. sex her common Smith’s female the character with redefines successful however,products as 1970s, the of comic erotic The attention. audience’s the deserved Beowulf-Manuscript (Toronto:of TorontoU P, Orchard, Andy 1981); mighty the fame, Spear-Danes’ the of songs many to listened have “We poem, (Lincoln: U of Nebraskaof U (Lincoln: P, 13-34. 1997) of Audience and Author, ments make ele- these All narratives. recurrentpopular in very and poem the ignoredby lutely sion of gender issues while at the same time allowing for romance, an aspect abso- this sense, this peculiar Beowulf’s In 19). figure”3, (vol.female the of command his retains Villamonte Mr if cially espe- advantage an be may poem, epic the warrior,in female non-existant a while benefit of a product more visually interesting for its target readers: “the inclusion of the publishers, scholarly fidelity to the medieval text might well be sacrificed for the elements that make the poem the make symbolic that elements the unite to attempting but textbook, history a publishing “we’renot popular culture of its time. As the editors state in their introduction to the comic, the time. figure of Nan-zee is connected to heroines of other comics that were very famous at proachprevalentcomics. be later will in girl, a including by besides, feminism; it reflects the social multiethnic reality of the US in the 1970s and echoes the rise of comics and creates a visual a creates and comics universe. Bingham’s historicist approach eschews the licences taken by the barbarous previous and violent this of portrait the in intention primitivistic a is there and other, perspective changes dynamically to stress moments in the certain narration, an- overlapone but sequenced always not are vignettes the modern; quite is book comic this of concept artistic the general, In art. plastic into poem the of dering Jerryby designed presentsBingham,morework an “archaeological”1984 his ren- of the text. translations scholarly in comic his documented he that work fromhis deduced be the in imagery medieval popular characterization of the Viking (Fig. 6). the to concession a be to seems again helmet the landscape realistically reproduce early medieval elements; only Beowulf’s horned of recreations the in details the and characters the by worn ornaments and ments gar- weapons, the of design the poem. Thus, the in places and objects characters, Red Sonja Red 30 29 A new A Bingham claims he has adapted an “8th century epic poem” (1), and it can 29 From early instances as Catwoman and Sheena, comic book superheroines have also have superheroines book comic Sheena, and Catwoman as instances early From of dating The And after all, as one of the readers of this comic remarked in his letter to 30 The opening lines of this comic are a summary of the first lines of the Beowulf, Dragon-Slayer (1973), or FrankThorne’s or (1973), Beowulf 118 (Cambridge:Brewer, 1995);andRobert E.BjorkandAnitaObermeier “Date, Beowulf,” Beowulf comic book appears in the following decade; written and written decade; following the in appears book comic Beowulf is still under debate. Seedebate. under still is A Beowulf Handbook Beowulf A Barbarella Beowulf comitatus a light and lively product representative of the -world that closely follows the descriptions of descriptions the follows closely that -world Ghita de Alizarr de Ghita the masterpiece it is” (vol. 3, 19). This ap- 19). This 3, is”(vol. it masterpiece the (Jean-Claude Forest, 1967), Roy Thomas and Barry Dragon-Slayer Pride and Prodigies: Studies in the Monsters of the of Monsters the in Prodigies:Studies and Pride addresses racial and social questions as , ed. Robert E. Bjork and John D. Niles D. John and Bjork E. Robert ed. , The Datingof The (1979), with whom Nan-zee has in has Nan-zee whom with (1979), opens the way to the discus- the to way the opens 10/10/2007, 10:50

Beowulf , ed. Colin Chase Colin ed. , 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd mind that the teenage reader of comics must have studied (no matter how matter (no studied fragmentarily) have must comics of reader teenage the that mind coverits in “graphicitself a as page novel.” Most likely, Bingham in have to seems breed. He was... Beowulf” (1). breed.He Beowulf” was... endure after the seas had turned to rivers and mountains to sand. He was of a noble long would that history of pages the in mark a make Northernto a crossedsea he the of description the in superhero: “Born of a time, legendary book coming from a land where comic legends are born, the of rhetorics but the tradition, to literary resorts ancient Bingham an of part as story the of character legendary the splendour of old, their mighty princes, and deeds” (2). His introduction insists on the superhero of comic but rather as one of the icons of modern masculinities, the Bingham’sprotagonist, the of characterization the as here depicted not Beowulfis less presented more as animal-like creatures than as supernatural beings. Regarding areneverthe- which monsters, the of participation powersbeyondthe fantasy and magical for space little leaves approach realistic Bingham besides, eliminated; are text EnglishOld the of villain”episodes vs. many “hero and the conflict to duced world. legendary Germanic the and narrative original the with acquainted beforehand is one if sense make only protagonists the of actions and characterization the and story the in appear which as situations and facts the schools. most in readinglist of explanations thereareno compulsory Thus, the of We may detect an educational intention underlying this work, which styles In updating the epic matter to the comic book formulas, the story is re- is story the formulas, book comic the to matter epic the updating In Beowulf 119 as part of the literature syllabus, as by the 1980s it was part Fig. 6. JerryBingham, Beowulf . 10/10/2007, 10:50

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 120 1910 translation of the poem, who is credited by the author. publishing company no longer holds the copyright. the holds longer no company publishing Published in 1999-2000 (later republished as compact book), it focuses on the on hero’sfocuses personal it battle with book), the compact monster. as This republished (later 1999-2000 in Published Bingham’swith concept. similarities artistic many presentsits which in work, ing (Fig.folk-tales and poetry epic in 7). portrayed dragon reproduces the well-established model of the zealous guardian of treasure as the while vampire, the or zombie the of one remind looks his as dead, walking or folk and horror both of narratives. On his Grendelpart, is a blending of troll and the clichés Scandinavian the to respond monsters the while novels, ture horrormovies,in frequentlywarrior” seen have the “lone we Western, adven- and hero’s and the monster’ point of view alternate. The different size and distribution the as focalization visual in changes reinforcedbythe is which darkness, and light of use masterly a of because strength and movement with endowedare characters stylized Hinds’ up.very close the to shot panoramic wide, the from changes cally dramati- that perspectives unconventional and ellipsis narrative montage, of use its of because videoclip the of reminiscent is comic Actually,this of aesthetics the sequence the of images, in and the rhythm inclusion of narrative very limited text quick captions in a the vignettes. drawing, anatomical detailed and colour of use as a superb comic book all art, the modern design techniques of late 20th-century 31 One more recent Gummere’s translation is nowadays outmoded; probably Hinds chose it because the because it chose Hinds probably outmoded; nowadays is Gummere’stranslation 120 Beowulf Fig. 7. JerryBingham. in comic format is Gareth Hinds’ visually engag- Beowulf Beowulf. depends greatly on Gummere’s 10/10/2007, 10:50 31 Hinds incorporates draugr 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd Uslanand Villamonte’sBingham’sor previous adaptations. As most contemporary comics, this one seems to address a more mature reader than zation with the Old English poem and early medieval, Germanic material culture. evocative character rather appeals to an audience with a deeper degree of familiari- readersteenage to only,oriented be to productseem this not tication, does its but reconstruction, also documented in Beowulfian scholarship. Because of its sophis- archaeological by influenced much world visual a in elements same the scribing of wake the in early medieval metalwork. In this sense, this late script handwriting, and quite often frames the vignettes with fringes that reproduce for the texts bits that certainly remind the readers of runes and Old English manu- universe a very original and distinctive one. For example, he employs archaic fonts Hinds Interestingly, stand. enhances his work last with an archaising, primitivistic Beowulf’s style that makes ageing his Beowulfian an with dealing section the in “sword and sorcery” comic in the first part and resorts to black, white and gray inks incomprehensiblebe would narrative the (Figs. otherwise, sequence; 9). 8, story elliptic presentation oftheplotseemstoassumethatreader already knows the of the narrative material in the panels stress the fight between the hero and the postmodern a and in as monster hero the between fight the stress panels the in material narrative the of The author also adapts the use of contrasting light and brilliant color of the Conan 121 and the epic fantasy genre and re-medievalizes them by in- by them re-medievalizes and genre fantasy epic the and Fig. 8. Gareth Hinds, tableau , as text is almost eliminated, and the author’sthe and eliminated, almost is text as , Beowulf. Beowulf revisits the earlier comics 10/10/2007, 10:50

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 122 of Gray , by Francis Lombardi and Kevin Altieri, published in the French magazine A more recent rendering of 122 Fig. 9. Gareth Hinds, Beowulf in comic is Beowulf . 10/10/2007, 10:50 Beowulf: A Different Shade 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd However, the hero’s strict delimitation of good and evil seem to be no longer valid one has no time to consider his enemy’s reasons right in the middle of the combat. has claiming moral that consequences for the monster-killers in spite of Beowulf’s The Tower ofBeowulf fiction works, rewriting novels redraw the borders of the conflict. and Altieri revisit Lombardi Nevertheless, elements. irreconcilable as presented were monstrous the and human the since terms unmovableontological clearly in was evil and good of the humans’ reasons to kill the mother dragon. In previous comics the delimitation preoccupation turns to the ethical with the sad end of the story as Wiglaf questions life. This wild of understanding and for respect is principle basic whose ideology pro-ecological of sort a from question the addresses and environmentalism, issue, she- the and nest monster’sthe eggs. other in monster little born newly friendly, the save to late too territory where she had nestled. Wiglaf is the one to find out, but when the he into does advance it their is prevent to colonists the Grendel’sattacked which mother, for substitute somehowa dragon, female a be to out turns stock. foe pitiable This its hoard hidden, as expected in any dragon coming from the Germanic legendary assault the humans out of hatred, like Grendel in the poem, or just in order to keep to moved not was creature the that revealed is it end the in ity,when particularly Beowulf fact, the dragon looks in rather power; like supernatural a dinosaur,any has a nor characterization fire that spew —as in not Bingham’sdoes However,it dragon. eyed Grendelof instead mother,his and three-a creatureis evil version only this the in when, subverted monster’speople’sis a narrative undergoing attack. The colonies his of one at “drakkar,”arrives his of board on who, prince Viking a is Beowulf Scandinavian: remarkably is story the of setting tone. The pessimistic very a with the hero, accompanied by his war band, and the monster, and endow the narrative spells. his with monster the who, in a clear concession to the formulas of the epic fantasy comic, tries to defeat hero’swar-band the more once includes an archer as woman warrior; oddly enough, poem there is a sorcerer the named Higlac in ones the to respond not do ters nistically as serves page to Beowulf. Likewise, except for Beowulf the other charac- verse by choosing as narrator a boy. This is Wiglaf, a bold youngster who anachro- uni- teenage a to again it takes and poem original the to approaches morefaithful Hurlant Metal — stresses— more natureanimal its (Fig.monstrosity its than 10). 32 As a consequence, the hero’s combat against the monster loses its epic qual- This comic revises the Beowulfian narrative in the light of a contemporary between combat single one into plot the condense Altieri and Lombardi This reading of monstrosity has a parallelism with the rendering of the story in some in story the of rendering the with parallelism a has monstrosity of reading This The Legacy of Heorot , as for example Larry Niven, Jerry Pournell and Steve Barnes’ science- Barnes’ Steve and Pournell Jerry Niven, Larry example for as Beowulf, in 2003. This ten-page story contrasts to Bingham’s and Hinds’ Bingham’sand to contrasts story ten-page This 2003. in (1995). Beowulf 123 in the light of other modern treatments of the poem and (1987) and 32 The tragic event of the slaughter of the dragon Beowulf’s ChildrenBeowulf’s (1995), and Parke Godwin’s novel 10/10/2007, 10:50

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 124 Fig. 10. Frank Lomabard and Kevin Altieri, A Deeper Shade of Grey 124 10/10/2007, 10:50 . 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd resources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4693>. Augustyn’sto conforms idea. original Adorjany,still Attila but artist, different a by on taken later was it 7 volume to 5 volumeFrom 4. greyerbit eyes.” my to ons, but now they’ve learned to blend in.” nice a drag- be still Herethere world. modern the specialty of dangers and evils the for metaphor old his saw —and hero dragon-slayer the loved always I’ve but too, Finn“familiar”worked or have GilgameshMcCool might added]. [emphasis Arthur,but King or Alexander Hercules, as overexposed as not “someone for ing choose him made reasonsthat the about interviewed book. When comic the of art the of of television and films novels, popular comics, other many in seen have we setting apocalyptic industrialized, post-nuclear, the is world endangered This come. to catastrophe undefined an for watch superheroes’—to most is —as task his as future, the into lar to Grendel in the darkest streets of New York, on the other his mission projects the one hand, the modern Beowulf still fights against giant troll-like monsters simi- ronment, and even his name has been shortened to a more colloquial “Wulf.” If, on envi- urban new his to adapted been have ways and day.personality his Likewise, present until survived has who poem English Old the of character same the is he ers are his exceptional physical strength and longevity, as in spite of his young looks not a Viking warrior but hero a living 20th-century in Manhattan. His superpow- combattions devintàmesyeux unpeuplusgrise” (23,Fig. 10). nous que ténèbres des noirceur “Aprèsla brood: experiénce, her cette and dragon for young Wiglaf, who thinks that they made the wrong choice by slaying the she- genres, drawing on the apocalyptic vision of contemporary neomedievalism; as Fradenburgnotices, neomedievalism; contemporary of vision apocalyptic the on drawing genres, popular in evil and good of economy the to according universe this reshapes Ages intrinsic violence of the heroic society it recreates. The comics’ reading of the Dark the knowledge of the poem does not matter any longer beyond the interest for the point in the history of the revisitings of the medieval text by diverse popular genres, and still in course whose title is Beowulf Beowulf 33 bricolage, technological postapocalypse, postplague, preparedness, of cult and as cult survival, as culture of fantasy the survivalism, present:[...] the of Real the tion of “medieval” privation and risk in a future that prophesies certain aspects of The neomedievalism of our period often takes the form of the fantasmatic reloca- latest The 35 34 Augustyn’srecreation its in elements new many add really not does comic See this interview at the comic site Comic Book Resource,

series (Fig.11). except for his incorporation of the latest graphic techniques and trends as inspiration, creatorinspiration, as Brian Augustyn search- was he that claimed Beowulf 125 in comic is a series created by Brian Augustyn in 2005 in AugustynBrian by created series a is comic in Beowulf: Gods and Monsters 35 The understatement here is that, at this . 34 10/10/2007, 10:50 This new Beowulf is 33

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MARÍA JOSÉ GÓMEZ CALDERÓN 126 126 Fig. 11. Brian Augustyn, Beowulf . 10/10/2007, 10:50 09 MaríaJoséGómezCalderón.pmd H B U O L A F N B W H work of the literary imagination into terms that, far different from the original the from poet’s,different readersfor compelling be still may own our in time” (859). far that, terms into imagination literary the of work “aconvey powerfulthey as languages, modern into poem medieval ancient this of offers the same advantages that John D. Niles notes about the “serious” translations classic, the reappropriating of form a As culture. low and conditions of the original to make it saleable, thus erasing the borders between high belong. readers “aggiornamento”This contemporary literary the ignore to chooses this cosmic fight, already present in the Old English poem, into the world to which media. In the comic book the figures of the superhero and the monsters contextualize continuous redefinition and construction of the parameters of the epic the genre on directly by depend renderingsthis new the that probably is matter book comic as known story with heroes and monsters. The explanation for the recurrence of tation as an eye-catcher to entice new audiences with the glamour of an old, vaguely tural heritage of English-speaking communities. But the new creators use this repu- cul- the in piece central a as recognition and canonization its is, that culture, high popular culture is a consequence of the parallel process experienced by the poem in —— “ “Beowulf:Danimarca.”—— antica della cristiana Leggenda B RADENBURG OMBARDI OURDIEU INGHAM ASARI UGUSTYN SLAN ILES SBORN ARVEY INDS ATSON , John, “Locating D. , Michael, & Ricardo V , Gareth. , , Enrico. “Beowulf: Leggenda cristiana della antica Danimarca.” O Monstro do Caím.” , Robert C. , Marijane.“Translations,, Versions,Illustrations.” and , Steve. “Touring the Medieval: Tourism, Heritage and Medievalism in Northumbria.” , Jerry. 28.2(1997):205-30. History Bjork and Johnand Bjork Niles.D. Nebraskaof U Lincoln: P, 341-382. 1997. vigilance, living to fight and tell. (209-10) tell. and fight to living vigilance, monkish techniques of preservation of knowledge, fully militarized hypermasculine As this panoramic revision of in Medievalism 1984. Routledge, don: , Francis and Kevin A , Pierre. Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste . Trans. Richard Nice. Lon- , Brian. , Louise. “‘So That We May Speak of Them’: Enjoying the Middle Ages.” Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf. Toronto:Speakeasy 2005-2006. Comics, The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History . Cambridge: TheComic.com, 2002. . Chicago: First Comics, 1984. 11(2001):239-261. 127 in Literary History.” Literary in Beowulf Epopeia ILLAMONTE LTIERI . “A Different Shade of Grey.” 30 (1955): 1-35. WORKS CITED . Beowulf: Dragon-Slayer Beowulf in comic shows, its appropriation by 5.1 (1993): 79-109. Exemplaria(1993): 5.1 Il 1-4. Vittorioso(1941): 5 A . New York: DC Comics, 1975-76.

. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1996. Beowulf Metal Hurlant Il Vittorioso Beowulf 10/10/2007, 10:50 Handbook 137 (2003): 13-23. as comic book comic as 4 (1940): 44-51. . Ed. Robert E. Robert Ed. . New Literary Beowulf Studies

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