BEFORE THE HOBBIT, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, AND GAME OF THRONES THERE WAS THE EPIC THAT INSPIRED IT ALL! A stunning comic adaptation of the Finnish epic The Kalevala, which inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. It's the foundational epic of the fantasy genre. The story tells of the adventures and fates of wizard Väinämöinen, warrior Lemminkäinen, blacksmith Ilmarinen and other larger-than-life characters seeking love, riches, and magic in the faraway lands of the ancient North.   This is a bold approach to by an established talent - visually powerful and accessible. Creator Sami Makkola brings the Kalevala adaptation to a whole new level, emphasizing the elements of horror in the story, which are often left in the background when the main events of Kalevala are discussed. Internationally renowned, Makkola is best known for his four volumes of the Eisner Award nominated Hatter M series, which has made the NY Times best-selling list. He has received the Sarjas Award for Best Fantasy Comic and has been nominated for a number of other awards, including the Ghastly Awards for horror work.   "...my attempt to write legends of my own to fit my private languages was the tragic tale of the hapless Kullerva in the Finnish Kalevala.  It remains a major matter in the legends of the First age..." -J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 257, 1964     "You come one fine day upon the Kalevala, the land of heroes. Then you are indeed in a quite new world and can revel in an amazing new excitement..." -J.R.R. Tolkien     "The colours, the deeds, the marvels, the figures of the heroes are all splashed onto a clean bare canvas by sudden hand; even the legends concerning the origin of the most ancient things in the world seem to come fresh from the singer's hot imagination of the moment." -J.R.R. Tolkien