At a New York Comic Con panel discussion, Hyperion showed off a graphic novel adaptation of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The Lightning Thief graphic novel launches today alongside the first book in the sequel series (The Lost Hero).
Robert Venditti wrote the graphic adaptation of The Lightning Thief. Venditti explained: “One of my own original creations, The Surrogates was recently adapted [into a film] so I wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the adaptation process.”
The original novel contains 375 pages, but the graphic novel clocks in at 125 pages. Editor Christian Trimmer revealed that The Sea of Monsters and The Titan’s Curse are currently in the works and are tentatively set for release dates in 2012. Trimmer said, “Children’s publishing is such a great place to be because you’ve got the library’s support and the school’s support and the parents’ support and these stories will just live on and on and on.”
Madrid-born Jose Villarrubia acted as the colorist for this project. Hungarian artist Atilla Futaki illustrated the book and was shy during the panel. Futaki’s portfolio includes extensive work in the French market for adult audiences. He chose the comic for his American debut because he wanted to work on a mainstream project for a younger audience.
Comic Con attendees were able to purchase the graphic novel a few days before the official release date.