Graphic Gilgamesh

Many versions of Gilgamesh have begun arriving in the mail. We just received "The Graphic Canon," a 500-page anthology (1st of 3 projected volumes) of excerpts from illustrated versions of "the world's greatest literature." A selection from Gareth Hinds' "Odyssey" is included (the Cyclops episode, aptly).

"The Graphic Canon" opens with Kevin Dixon's version of Gilgamesh. Apparently he has been self-producing these over recent years. The style looks a bit like a cross between R. Crumb's "Genesis" and Elzie Crisler Segar's "Popeye" comic strip: black and white ink, with fluidly energetic lines. Intriguingly, the translation he uses is by Kent Dixon -- yes, that's a relation, his father. Dixon père clarifies that his is technically a "rendition," that is to say, a version that he has crafted drawing upon dozens existing translations in multiple language, with some introductory knowledge of the original cuneiform script.