Beowulf: The Monsters and the Comics

Abstract

The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf has steadfastly resisted efforts to popularise it or translate it into an easily dispersible medium. One of the least successful attempts to do so was the mid-70s comic book Beowulf Dragon Slayer that lasted only six issues. Close reading of this comic, however, reveals a number of salient convergences between the graphic novel and the poem. The modern Grendel would still be recognisable to a tenth-century audience, as would the pre-occupation with fate. More interestingly, though, the failure of the comic-book series parallels the transmission history of the poem itself. Show more