Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath
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Alexis E. Fajardo
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ISBN: 978-0-9801419-1-7
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Publication: July 2008
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208 pp / b&w / 7 x 9 in. / Trade Paper
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Price: $15.95
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Preview |About | Reviews | Podcasts | Author Bio
About
The Adventure of a Childhood Gone Heroic!
Discover the extraordinary origin of twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel!
The heroes’ destiny is tied to the past, as a prince named Hrothgar begins a quest for power—one that leads him to a fiery dragon, an enchanted sword, and an oath sworn in blood. But when Hrothgar breaks his oath he breaks his kingdom, and the only thing that will save it is a family he’s forgotten and heroes not yet born… Inspired by the epic poem BEOWULF, the Kid Beowulf series follows the adventures of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein! www.kidbeowulf.com
Reviews
School Library Journal (via Diamond Bookshelf)
In the standard Beowulf story, the character appears as a full-fledged hero, with little concept of how he actually became one. Fajardo tells the backstory, using a blend of humor and soap-opera plot twists. [More...]
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Good Comics for Kids
While many readers struggle with the poem in their high school literature classes, there is nothing difficult about following the story of Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath, which is filled with magic, intrigue, betrayal, and all the other good stuff that makes for a good story. [More...]
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Fresno County Public Library
An ancient tale of northern Europe, Beowulf is that classic story: boy meets monster, boy kills monster, mommy monster comes after boy. This version is more complicated, a multi-generational saga where enemies are family, and family are enemies, and geopolitics leads to death and tragedy. The artwork is very simple, but the characters will get to you, like a dragon with a deathwish and a romantic monsterette with a fondness for flowers. Quirky, funny, and exciting, the 12-volume series promises to be interesting.[More...]
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The Graphic Classroom
Fajardo gives us a kid friendly book. The art reminds me of the original BONE series: black and white line art with little shading. It makes the book clean for young students. Fajardo also inserts a lot of humor in the illustrations.. [More...]
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Comics in the Classroom
Kid Beowulf – An Interview With Writer/Illustrator Alexis E. Fajardo
I just finished reading Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath, a graphic novel re-imagining of the thousand year old epic poem. I felt ill-prepared to review Alexis E. Fajardo’s illustrated version since my only exposure to this classic is the recent Angelina Jolie version so I decided to interview him instead so he can tell me all about it. [More...]
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Comics Worth Reading
Kid-Friendly Graphic Novels: CryptoZooey, Kid Beowulf, Capt’n Eli, Yam
I don’t normally read fantasy because there are frequently too many characters running about fighting over tribal differences and squabbling over whose father’s legacy land belonged to whom. I felt a little of that in the beginning, but the humor and interactions drew me through. I also liked the talking sword, Nagling, for comedic relief. [More...]
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EN/SANE World
Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath is a fun, character-building extension of the Beowulf mythos and illustrates how great art continues to inspire other great art from generation to generation, century to century. [More...]
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Quid plura?
“Tusk…tusk…”
Years ago, in days of old, I was an aspiring cartoonist. Pathetically, I still nurse vain daydreams about literally going back to the drawing board—so it made my week to learn that I helped inspire, however tangentially, a character in a forthcoming Kid Beowulf graphic novel. Can Charlemagne plush toys be far behind? [More...]
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Unlocked Wordhoard
Kid Beowulf is a much more ambitious and literary project than it might appear to be at first glance. The name and concept (“What was Beowulf like as a kid?”) could very well have been a Muppet Babies or Flintstone Kids approach. Instead, Fajardo is using a low-brow medium to play with high-brow literary ideas (averaging out into a medium-brow, I suppose). The treatment opens with a quote from Heraclitus — “Character is destiny” — that acts as a theme in the part I read, though it is never explicitly quoted in the text. [More...]
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Podcasts
Tall Tale Features
- Episode 85 – Lex Fajardo at Stumptown
- Episode 81 – WonderCon 2010
- Episode 56 – Jonathan Lemon Goes APE!
- Episode 44 – Comic Con Graphic Novels for Kids Panel
- Episode 40 – Comic Con 2009
Comics Coast to Coast
Fanboy Planet
Author Bio
Alexis E. Fajardo is a student of the classics — whether Daffy Duck or Damocles — and has created a unique blend of the two in Kid Beowulf. Alexis has taught cartooning throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and currently resides in Santa Rosa, where, when not penning Kid Beowulf, he “works for Peanuts” at the Charles M. Schulz Studio.
