The Mythmakers by John Hendrix

Today’s book features my two favorite Inklings: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In that sense, it’s on par with many other books I’ve read, enjoyed, and recommended. However, there’s a little something that sets this one apart: it’s a graphic novel.

Not A Comic Girl

Technically, The Mythmakers is also considered a “highly-illustrated biography” since not every page is in comic strip format. It has a smattering of full-page text spreads with illustrations woven throughout, but the majority is, indeed, in comic strip style.

My previous experience with comics is limited to the “Sunday funnies” I read growing up and the complete collection of Calvin and Hobbes that I still read regularly. As an adult, I’ve never (yet) delved into the world of superhero comic books or graphic novels. In that sense, this book was a new concept to me, but I have to admit that I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

The Friendship of the Mythmakers

John Hendrix is a fairly-well-known and widely-published illustrator who has written and illustrated a few of his own books as well. I’ve read two of them so far—The Mythmakers and The Faithful Spy, a graphic novel biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Both were truly great reads. Who knows? Maybe graphic novels will become part of my regular reading!

As for the content of The Mythmakers, that was delightful as well. The book is subtitled, “The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien,” so I already knew that it was going to be a home run for me. Hendrix’s story covers the whole of their friendship: a brief look at each of their childhoods, World War I, their friendship at Oxford, the formation of the Inklings, and the gradual drifting apart of the two friends.

Some Non-Canon Bonus Material

At a few points in the book, the story offers a deep dive or “portal” to a related but possibly-overwhelming topic—for example, the roots of myth or the origin of the fairy tale. These multi-page end notes are still illustrated in the same style but offer more information that would have bogged down the story. As a writer who tries to refrain from using parenthetical clarifications in every sentence, I appreciate this format.

In the end, Hendrix gives us one lovely detail that we don’t get in their real biographies—a resolution to their friendship. Hendrix crafts a moment where Lewis and Tolkien thank each other for the formative role their friendship played in their lives, souls, and books. He ends it with a quote from each of the writers, and if you can read it without a bit of moisture blurring the words, then you’re a tougher nut than I am.

A Hearty Recommendation of The Mythmakers

So whether you’ve read multiple biographies of Lewis and Tolkien or whether this is your first time hearing any of their backstory, I know you’d enjoy reading The Mythmakers. It’s well written, intricately illustrated, and thoroughly delightful. You’ll get a great thematic look at their friendship, but it’ll go down so smooth that you’ll hardly notice you’re reading.

It’s the milkshake of Inklings biographies.

And if that doesn’t sell you on it, I don’t know what will.