Image Comics has announced that Santiago García and David Rubín have teamed up to put a fresh—and wholly blood-soaked—spin on the violent and savage tale of Beowulf in a new English translation of the 1,000-year-old myth, which will be released in a lush, full-colour hardcover this December.
BEOWULF tells of the tale of a Scandinavian hero in lands that would become what is now Denmark and Sweden. A monster, Grendel, has arrived in the kingdom of the Danes, devouring its men and women for 12 years until Beowulf arrives to save them. García and Rubín faithfully follow the original story for a new version that is neither revisionist nor postmodern, capturing the tone and important details of the poem, translating its potent, epic resonance and melancholy into a contemporary comic that isn’t standard swords and sorcery or heroic fantasy fare—but rather an ancient story with a modern perspective that remains respectful of the source material.
Beowulf will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, December 14th and bookstores on Tuesday, December 20th, priced $29.99.