Comic Book Hero Bible
The Lion ComicBook Hero Bible, by Siku, Richard Thomas & Jeff Anderson
(Lion Hudson, 2015), hb. 192 pp.
This is Bible story book meets Marvel Comics.
According to the publisher, this is the first Bible retelling to engage with
and challenge the superhero genre. Here is an excerpt of the publishers
description:
“The Lion Comic Book Hero Bible is
a dynamic expression of the Bible's depth and power, produced in the style of
Marvel Comics. You've heard of Spiderman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Now meet
Earthman, Lawman, Warrior Man, and many others. With dynamic illustration using
a range of styles, Siku (Old Testament) and Jeff Anderson (New Testament) bring
the Bible stories alive for a new and graphically sophisticated generation.”
The Bible does indeed have grand, epic stories and
this fact is often missed by potential Bile readers. I heartily welcome efforts
to help people grasp the power of the biblical stories. This retelling is
generally faithful to the text, though of course it must be selective and move
fast. At points I think it captures well the dramatic realities of the story.
However, in general, I fear the truths of the text get lost in the medium. Is
it really helpful to portray Deborah as a warrior with a spear known as “the
Iron Maiden”(that's her just to the right of center on the cover picture)? Were the giants referred to in the OT, including Goliath,
animalistic? It is not always clear when they present a character in a factual way or take some artistic license for another purpose. To their credit, they do make clear that Jesus is the ultimate
hero of the biblical story.
In the end, I cannot recommend the book. It could
be fine, but it manages to over-dramatize. I would commend instead The
Picture Bible, which I have commented
on previously.