A Hyattsville illustrator will soon release a graphic novel version of Homer’s Iliad.
Gareth Hinds has illustrated classic literature for several years, including King Lear, Beowulf, the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe and The Odyssey, so it was natural that he’d tackle the prequel.
Hinds got his start in drawing the classics with a Grimm fairy tale he made for a senior project in art school. That experience led to a grant from the Xeric Foundation, which he used to self-publish a full-length version of Beowulf.
Marketing that book himself taught him a valuable lesson. At most comics shows, he wouldn’t get much visitors, but the first time he went to an English teachers’ conference, he was inundated.
Hinds said he loves the local arts scene along the Route 1 corridor.
“My wife and I recently moved from Takoma Park, where we were renting a small apartment,” he told the Hyattsville Wire. “We wanted to buy a house, and we have friends who turned us on to how wonderful Hyattsville is.”
Hinds will hold a launch party for the Iliad at Vigilante Coffee in Hyattsville starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 15. He’ll give a half-hour presentation and drawing demonstration on how he does his work as well as
