Abstract
Diacrotes the Mighty aims to use the advantages of a graphic novel’s framework and influences from antiquity to create a story of a classical divinized hero and to provide the reader with an experience unique to the genre. Diacrotes’ tale incorporates themes such as the tragic struggle between gods and mortals, lifetime trials of courage and endurance followed by apotheosis present in classical stories of divinized heroes. Furthermore, the hero’s origin story addresses the struggle between the Apollonian and Dionysian forces of control and disorder, developed by the philosopher and classicist, Friedrich Nietzsche. Constructing a classical style divinized hero in this medium allows the artists to engage the readers in a way distinctive to its attributes of juxtaposed images and text, thus virtually demanding the reader to embrace the information present while contributing their own input. Additionally, the space between panels offers moments for the reader’s imagination to construct the transition between scenes. This project unifies elements of classical story telling with a contemporary form, amalgamating techniques otherwise separated by thousands of years.