Bea Wolf is a graphic novel that re-imagines the classic epic poem Beowulf. I’ve reviewed Seamus Heaney’s award-winning translation of Beowulf as well as Maria Dahvana Headley’s Beowulf-inspired novel The Mere Wife (an excellent read) but this Beowulf is a little different. And it is also outstanding! Bea Wolf is Beowulf for kids. It is clever and hilarious with incredibly good black and white drawings by Boulet. Much like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, kids could read this and get a good laugh out of it, but grown-ups would laugh just as hard. You don’t have to have read Beowulf to enjoy this story, but I do think you can appreciate the creativity of Weinersmith more if you are familiar with the poem.
Bea Wolf focuses on the first part of Beowulf, the part where a king has a monster problem and one of the neighbors comes to help. In Bea Wolf, however, we are not dealing with traditional kings and monsters; the action takes place in a contemporary suburban neighborhood with a kid king ruling over a tree house (Treeheart) full of candy, toys and every treasure a child would crave but a parent would forbid. The monster, Mr. Grindle, is a middle aged man who, like every other adult, is the enemy of fun but who, unlike the other adults, decides to actively fight the noisy, rowdy, dirty neighborhood kids. Mr. Grindle does not kill the children; instead he murders joy by cleaning up the tree house and by turning children into teens and adults with the mere touch of his finger. King Roger and his faithful lieutenant Wendy are left to survey the wreckage of Treeheart and are desolate. That is when a group of kids from across the river led by Bea Wolf come to help. The kids party in anticipation of the battle to come, and just as in Beowulf, one of the king’s men questions Bea’s past exploits, giving her the chance to tell her tale. The battle between Bea and Mr. Grindle is silly and wonderful with Bea’s victory leading to a surprising result. I hope Weinersmith and Boulet write another volume dealing with Mr. Grindle’s mother a la Beowulf.
The writing of this story is just an utter delight. Weinersmith mimics the language of the epic poem, using alliteration and a variety of humorous and witty epithets to describe people and events. He explains this practice, known as “kenning” at the end of the book. Every page has some funny expression that made me giggle. Here are a few of my favorite passages:
“Songs of those battles were sung well beyond bedtime.
By night, when butts bent benches, Roger broke bars of chocolate,
Doling dolls, gum, games containing content not intended for kids.
Roger: hall-crafter, fence climber, bar-breaker. That was a good king.”
On the monster:
“Mr. Grindle he was called, for his father was Mr. Grindle,
And his mother was Mrs. Grindle, and that is how names work.
From Grindle’s family grew all the fun-grinders!
The grim-faced joy-gobblers!”
From Bea Wolf’s speech on the eve of battle:
“Call forth what you have of cake, of candy, and colas!
Let us drink sweet nectars of colors unknown to nature!
Ring Treeheart’s rafters! Let mature-rated games riot the night!
TONIGHT WE SUMMON THE JOY-SLASHER FROM SLUMBER!”
Boulet’s illustrations in black and white somehow make the kids look both adorable, with their big eyes and fat cheeks, and menacing as they brandish foam swords and water balloons. This would be a fun family read. Maybe it would even inspire some creativity in the realms of alliteration and kenning!