On Wednesday, Bigelow 7th graders attended a presentation by New York Times bestselling author, illustrator, and cartoonist George O’Connor. George is a Greek mythology buff and a classic superhero comics fan, and he’s out to remind us how much our pantheon of superheroes (Superman, Batman, the X-Men, etc) owes to mankind’s original superheroes: the Greek pantheon. Now he has brought his attention to OLYMPIANS, an ongoing series retelling the classic Greek myths in comics form.

The presentation of the Olympians series enriches the educational experience of our students, and is in alignment with their study of Greek mythology. This program is part of Creative Arts & Sciences and is funded by your generous donations to the Bigelow PTO.

More about the author: In his New York Times bestselling Olympians series, O’Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren’t sedate, scholarly works. They’re action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures, with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. O’Connor’s vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology. George talks to students about his path to being an author/illustrator of his series “The Olympians.” Through anecdotes, humor, a slide show of his art, George explains how a 7th grade skit stoked his interest in mythology. He shares images from his books, why he focused on a particular god, and the story behind that god. He is a charismatic, humorous, engaging presenter and an excellent story teller and artist.