Eva Widermann's character designs for the Inuit Mythology Project

Click thumbnail to view full size illustrations in artist's portfolio:

Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues

Animator/cartoonist Nina Paley's interpretation of the Ramayana utilizes diverse styles and novel approaches in the retelling of a traditional epic as an animated feature film.

Click left thumbnail to learn more about the film on the Sita Sings the Blue site.

Broeck Steadman's cover art for "The Ear, The Eye and the Arm"

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is an award-winning science fiction novel first published in 1994. Set in 22nd century Zimbabwe, the plot follows three mutant detectives hired by General Matsika's wife to track down the three missing Matsika children.

On the left is the cover art for the first edition. Click thumbnail to view larger image on artist's site. The leftmost character is the Arm, whose mutant powers include the ability to sense what others are feeling and peer into their memories, the latter skill being something that he tries not to use out of respect for others' privacy. He is described as "black" and is a member of the Shona ethnic group.

Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie's Zarafa

Described by Variety as a 'fanciful retelling' of the journey of the first giraffe taken to France, Zarafa (Arabic for Giraffe) is set in 19th century Sudan, Egypt and France:
Maki, a young Sudanese boy, escapes from a French slave trader and befriends a giraffe calf.  When the giraffe is captured by an Arab man Hassan, Maki tags along with Hassan to protect his animal friend. The trio head to Europe when the giraffe Zarafa is sent to France by the Egyptians as a gift to the French king...

Zarafa links:
Official site
Zafara at 2012 Fantasia Film Festival
Zarafa: Berlin Film Review (The Hollywood Reporter)

Stephen Smirl's Island Tales Comics

Island Tales, created by Stephen Smirl, is a comic anthology based on folklore and mythology from the Pacific. Some stories are adapted from traditional stories while others are modern retellings of the classics.

To the left, art from Nanaue's Bite, a modern version of the Hawaiian folktale of the Shark-man Nanaue. Nanaue's Bite is available for purchase at the Island Tales store.

To the right, Goddess #1 print from the Island Tales print shop.

Visit the Island Tales site to view more art from the various comic book artists who worked on the project.

Leo and Diane Dillon's illustrations for Mansa Musa

The Emperor Musa of Mali was a historical person, so do book illustrations about him belong in a blog focusing on fantasy and mythology?

In this case, the children's book Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali, published by Harcourt Inc, is a fictional account that abundantly weaves magic and allegory throughout the plot. According to an Africa Access review, "The names are authentic African names. All else... is invented or imagined....It would be tedious to document all the errors of history and background...Teachers looking for reliable African material... should avoid this book."

The first image above depicts Musa and his Tuareg companion in the Sahara against a sensitively-colored backdrop of giant spirit beings who appear like mirages. The lushly detailed second image shows Musa returning to the pomp and splendor of his brother's royal court.

Daxiong's Water Margin series

Angoulême International Comics Festival honoree Daxiong reinterprets the 12th century Chinese classic Water Margin. Water Margin, aka Outlaws of the Marsh, retells the legends surrounding a group of 10th century outlaws, from their fantastical origin as 108 ancient spirits released into the world, to their involvement in human history.