Olympia #2: That Don’t Impress Me Much

It would be unfair to say that I dislike issue #2 of Olympia as much as I disliked the first issue. There is some improvement as far as things go in this issue than the first (for example, Olympian and Elon are both far less insufferable); however, the changes were not enough to charm me or sway my overarching opinion on its quality.

The problem I’ve found thus far with Olympia is that it tries too hard to be something it will never be; it is, in essence, a Thor fanfic that got made into a comic. This on its own is not something I would qualify as an insult; I often enjoy fan fiction. However, when turning fan fiction into a piece of semi-original media one must take care to not veer too far from homage and into wholly derivative. Olympia…well, it certainly veers. I would almost go as far to say it veers straight past even derivative and into parody territory. This is problematic as Olympia is not funny at all nor is it trying to be. 

For all of its attempts at saccharine charm, though, it attempts to throw the viewer off in the last few pages with shock value. As a fan of the horror genre, I do somewhat value the use of shock value when done correctly. However, this was less Sixth Sense and more Lady in the Water, as far as twists go. Perhaps I should be grateful it was not The Happening.) As it is, the “twist” is predictable yet shocking for their willingness to explicitly show it in a book that might otherwise be well suited for an audience of young readers. I certainly hope no one children have been reading this comic without an adult pre-reading. 

I don’t think Olympia is irredeemable as far as series go. I am sure it has found a niche audience that appreciates the nostalgia pop that it brings, and I am merely one reviewer. However, I do believe it has a long way to go before it reaches a broader audience and any sort of acclaim from me as a reviewer. With its rapid fire switching between cloying wish fulfillment and its highly problematic choice of cliffhanger image, Olympia needs to find footing… fast.