Pantheon High: Volume 1
© Tokyopop

Mania Grade: A-
Story: Paul Benjamin
Art: Steven and Megumi Cummings
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen
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"Pantheon High: Volume 1"

Students attend high school under the shadow of fierce mascots: Tigers, Dragons, Eagles.  The implied ferocity is mostly a bluff.  My high school's mascot was a Lion, but the animal's kingly reputation didn't stop our lacrosse team from getting whupped.   

But what if a school existed where team mascots were flesh and blood creatures than hyperactive teenagers in smelly, sweat-stained suits?  What if the students did laps at the order of Coach Hercules, who might unleash a dragon to motivate his charges to run just a little bit faster? 

Pantheon High is a Los Angeles-based private school for demigods of Greek, Norse, Japanese and Egyptian heritage.  The curriculum is tailored especially for teenagers of divine descent, including Grace, the daughter of Tyr, and Griffin, the son of Hades.  When the youths get wrapped up in the ill-intentions of some fellow demigods to become full-blooded gods, they find themselves caught in the infinite coils of the apocalyptic World Serpent itself.  But as the rules of Pantheon High clearly state, the End of all Things is no excuse for tardiness. 

The premise of Pantheon High might be a turn-off for anyone who has gorged themselves on too much Harry Potter and feels the "Mystical Academy" angle is wearing a little thin these days.  Truthfully, the manga holds up nicely on its own.  While the two stories share parallels (mischief, mayhem, enchanted libraries and even rival magic schools), Pantheon High doesn't feel derivative of the boy wizard.   

Having edited titles like Olympus and I Am Legion, writer Paul Benjamin established roots in mythology before putting together Pantheon High.  While the demigod element is slathered on a bit too thick in manga's early pages, it's mostly to introduce the reader to the main cast and offer glimpses into the life of teenage demigods.  Once the stage is set, it's much easier to appreciate the fun Benjamin had with the title.  Aziza, the daughter of the high-ranking sun god Ra is appropriate in her portrayal as a valley girl.  Griffin, the son of the brooding and unlucky King of the Underworld, Hades, is lmoody and dark like his father.  Griffin's nasty disposition is made worse by his father's refusal to allow him to hide from life's challenges in the dim safety of his realm.   

Although the demigods are powerful, they still have teenage problems involving mood swings and identity.  Interestingly, some of the characters' paranoia can be traced to their parentage.  Grace is semi-obsessed about preserving her left hand, knowing the children of Tyr have a tendency to lose theirs much as their father lost his to Fenrir. 

But while serious themes are explored in the manga, the lighthearted fun of Pantheon High is never overshadowed.  Anyone who's remotely geeky about gods and heroes will enjoy Pantheon High.  Even novices can enjoy themselves with Benjamin's extended myth glossary included in the back of the volume.  Just be aware that while many gods and goddesses did actually produce children with mortals, not too many of them actually carried cellphones.