Tags
Beartruth Collective, Ben Avery, Book Review, BookCrash, Graphic Novel, Mark Harmon, Paul the Apostle, Sci-Fi
Title: Paul the Apostle: A Graphic Novel
Author: Ben Avery
Illustrator: Mark Harmon
Published by: Beartruth Collective, LLC; 1st edition (2016)
Page Count: 144 Pages (Hardcover)
Blurb: Looking for new ways to inspire your children to read the Bible? Experience the biblically based account of Paul the Apostle in a COMIC BOOK format kids LOVE! Paul’s life story, told to us in the Book of Acts, is filled with bravery, adventure, miracles, faith, and salvation, yet many people are not aware of Paul’s amazing life. In Paul the Apostle: A Graphic Novel, we have made the action packed Bible story of Paul more accessible for kids of all ages, using a visual language they love and understand: science fiction COMIC BOOKS! Our 144-page full color graphic novel (a fancy term for a really long comic book) uses awesome looking cartoon creatures, set in an action packed futuristic science-fiction universe. Kids LOVE it! And parents do too!
My Take: I always find myself enjoying the opportunity to read a graphic novel; sadly, they simply don’t surface on my reading radar often enough. So I jumped at the opportunity to read a Sci-Fi-themed retelling of the story of Paul the Apostle. After reading this book, I am convinced that I really, really need to read more graphic novels in the future because this one was a lot of fun to read.
First off, the visuals in the book are amazing. Mark Harmon did an excellent job in bringing a diverse futuristic universe come alive on the pages of this book. This is packed with colorful images that contain immersive scenery and a plethora of alien beings that are plentiful. This is a very appealing book to flip through even apart from the experience of reading the text. And if that was all there was to this book, that would be enough to make this a wonderful experience.
But the text itself is great. It follows the story of Paul, recounting scenes such as his transition from being Saul the Pharisee to becoming Paul. The scenes stay true to the source material, being innovative yet faithful along the way with this retheming of a familiar figure from the Bible. And, to boot, there are frequent references at the bottom of the pages to where a person can find the corresponding scenes in their Bible. It all works well together to take a story that is exciting and well-known and transitioning it to a medium where many can really enjoy the story. This is perfect for children and for adults, and makes a good material for a father to use as bonding time with their children.
I can’t recommend this enough. While some might hesitate due to the idea of taking a Biblical story and putting it in space, the author stays very true to the material and always points the reader back to the Biblical source. It functions as a great way to build interest early, even in those who already know and are interested in the Biblical stories. I cannot wait to see what other volumes they release through the Beartruth collective, although I’m hoping for Joshua, Judges, Elijah’s story, or King David’s stories. All of those would be great in graphic form.
**The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book through BookCrash in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase the book at the following link:
Author David Wiley 