Scan barcode
Reviews
The Lion Graphic Bible: The Whole Story from Genesis to Revelation by Jeff Anderson, Mike Maddox
secre's review
5.0
And so we are onto Bible no.4 in the epic search for a youth bible, which is (more or less) a far superior version of the manga bible...right, you know the basics now so anyone who is not interested can now disappear. Assuming that I still have any readers I will continue into the main review...and I know the title is not particularly original but its 6am and I've been up all night writing for the bloody vicar...can you blame me!?
===Boring stuff===
Title: The Lion Graphic Bible: The Whole Story from Genesis to Revelation
Author: Mike Maddox and Jeff Anderson
Publisher: Lion Hudson Plc (17 Sep 2004)
ISBN: 978-0-7459-4923-9
Price: RRP £6.99 and on Amazon it is going from £2.95 at time of writing
===Aim===
I'm sure you are all sick of hearing this by now, but it is another 'bridge' to the Bible. The authors are not attempting to do a 'new' Bible, their aim is to make a 'translation' of the bible that is accessible to adults and children alike in a graphic form. It supposedly contains the whole of the Old and New Testament...this is however a matter for debate. But anyhow, it is definitely a point worth noting that this is not meant to be a replacement for the Bible...just a way to lead people to it.
===Artwork===
Considering that this is a graphic bible, the artwork is a fairly important area...particularly in comparison to the manga bible (last review). And I have to say that whereas with the manga bible I was massively disappointed, I could not say the same for this one. The artwork in this was outstanding and no matter what the book, it would have been worth a mention. The pictures are well drawn, clear and in fully vibrant colour. It is not (unlike the manga version) an American comic book, they treat a spade as a spade, which means that they avoid the falsely artistic analogies. This really is a book that you could buy for the very young, because yes they probably wouldn't understand the story, but the pictures are fantastic...and chances are any generation would be fascinated by them.
===Language===
The language as a whole keeps the biblical form, this is obvious right from the beginning of Genesis; 'And God said let there be a dome to separate water from water! So God made an expanse to separate the waters above us and the waters below, and called the dome sky! There was evening and there was morning, and that was the second day.' Ignoring the annoying exclamation marks this is a pretty decent translation, it doesn't patronise and it sticks to the form of the Bible. And anything it doesn't expect the reader to know it explains...but again, not in a patronising fashion; ' they called the boat 'the ark' meaning chest or box, for it contained the future of all life on earth.' I mean, we all know that Noah built an ark, but to give credit I didn't know the actual explanation before I read this. While I am on the subject of not being patronising as heck (unlike certain other Bibles), I will note that it doesn't exclude long words or names purely because they might be difficult, an example here would be 'Mesopatamia', nor is the language overly Americanised...which would just make it annoying to read. (Even though they still change 'forsaken' into 'abandoned'...and I still say forsaken is better.'
One of my favourite points with the language use would be the scene with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, this is a scene I always look at because personally I believe it to be one of the most emotional and powerful scenes in the entire Bible. Many of the 'yoof' bibles don't get this, they miss the emotion because they are trying too hard to fit in with the youth stenotypes...this mistake has not been made in this Bible. The authors have managed to tread that very thin line between the Biblical version and making it accessible, they have managed to keep that emotion; "Please, take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, not what I want, but your will be done." It's not the exact words but the emotion is clear and poignant. "Look, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners, and here comes my betrayer...Judas, are you betraying the son of man with a KISS?" Point made.
However (yes another but!), I found that there were places in the same story where this bible would on some occasions keep the emotion...and on others lose it completely. The story of Absalom and his fathers heartrending cry of 'O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!' This, I think anyone can agree is a father crying out in absolute anguish...however this bible seems to lose this with their version; 'Absalom, if I could have died in your place I would have.' Now - it might seem as if there is very little difference between the two, but to me...well, one is a cry of passion...and the others something a father might say in front of the press to make himself look better...it's more calculated...or maybe that's just me...
===Narrative Structure===
In a sense it is very similar to the manga bible in narrative structure because you have the same differentiation between narrator and characters. The speech styles are less obviously different, but even so there is a difference between them that is noticeable, and makes it easier to read as a story. And there is another similarity to the manga version, and that is that all of the stories are told by people, normally to children...this does actually make it easier to read - what would normally be a very heavy story such as Samson finishes with: '"And he died?" "Yeah, but he took the Philistines with him. Don't you listen?" "Excellent!" "Now get to bed the lot of you!" The narrator is always different - it is always someone who has a definite interest in the story, whether that is because it is from their own youth or they are retelling a tale told for generations. This in itself adds interest to the book...
A point that I felt really marked this book out as one of the better 'Bible bridges' was a fairly simple one, and that was the fact that the story is interspersed by the Pharisee's reactions to Jesus' actions...you almost feel as if you are looking backstage at something that you shouldn't be. This leads to a very subtle and slow lead up to the Pharisee's finally blowing and Jesus ending up being crucified. You can see them getting more and more annoyed as you go through, and it does a fairly decent job at explaining how he managed to annoy the Pharisee's to the extent that he did...This does work very well, and actually explains the build up better than most Bibles manage.
===Biblical Telling===
By and large it is easier to focus on individual points in the biblical narrative, but there are a couple of general points, the main one of those would be the amount that this bible skips or skims over. On a general basis it picks and chooses very well and keeps the story line running, however (yes, you knew there would be a but somewhere!), there are no psalms or proverbs, and the gospels are the only points really covered in the New Testament section. I mean, there are two pages which are meant to cover the entirety of Paul's letters...how can that even cover one of his letters? And other than Revelation (which is covered quite nicely) there is almost nothing of the rest of the New Testament...which to Christians is supposedly the most important part of the Bible (or at least that's the impression I've been given). Granted, the Old Testament is easier to put into picture form...but surely some imagination could have been used?
Other than that however I have very few complaints. I was particularly impressed by their depiction of Abraham taking his son Isaac to be sacrificed, it was very realistic...and because of that rather freaky. The age of the child, the absolute trust that the child has for his father...and equally the absolute trust that the father has in his God...this is all perfectly pictured. However much of an issue I have personally with this story, I cannot fault the artwork or the storytelling...I mean I know this particular story back to front, but even I was caught up purely due to the expertness of the authors...
There is also a certain amount of psychology added to the biblical stories, which intrigued me to no end...a very simplistic example would be; 'Esau lived only for the moment, a fact which cost him dear as he grew older.' (By the way, if anyone doesn't know what happens next - he sold his birthright for a bowl of stew or soup depending on which translation you are using.) The other occasion would be the addition of cause and effect in relation to the plagues, it makes it understandable;
'And so it started. Ten plagues in all came on Egypt, each worse than the last. First was the plague of blood - the river Nile, lifeline of the Egyptian people, turned to blood. Then a plague of frogs driven from the filthy waters and the rotting fish. They invaded the streets and houses where they died adding to the stench. Then a plague of gnats, and a plague of flies, feeding on the rotting fish and flies.'
Most Bibles wouldn't include this kind of cause and affect psychology, and whether it's just because I have a fairly logical mind (providing logic and common sense are not the same thing!) ...but I felt that this kind of explanation was very well done...and very well judged.
I think one of the most impressive points however was Judas' death. Most re-writes skip that bit because it's unsavoury...and a bible in pictures would have even more reason to do so. However, this Bible doesn't try to skip the difficult issues, it shows a tasteful image of Judas' death done entirely in shadow, which again works very well...
===Format===
The entire graphic novel is in capital letters...which may make it more difficult to read...however I do have to take this opportunity to stick my tongue out at my former English teacher who had a go at me for writing in capitals...moving on however, the format is in general very clear. The authors have headed the different parts of the Bible, so you know exactly where you are in the Bible at any given point...
A point that is worth noting about the format is the way that the parables of Jesus intersperse the story, in an organised fashion that doesn't make them confusing...if anything they are light relief! They are also drawn in a far more simplistic fashion which means that you can immediately tell just by looking at the page if you are reading a parable. They are less realistic than most of the artwork, but equally they were meant originally as stories, not as a real life narrative, so this does fit.
===Conclusion===
Overall I can give it a blumming good 5/5..there are some minor issues - but they are minor. As a whole, the art is fantastic and should have been given an award...and in general I can say that I had very few complaints with any of this...It definitely ranks on my list of best 'yoof' bibles...
===Boring stuff===
Title: The Lion Graphic Bible: The Whole Story from Genesis to Revelation
Author: Mike Maddox and Jeff Anderson
Publisher: Lion Hudson Plc (17 Sep 2004)
ISBN: 978-0-7459-4923-9
Price: RRP £6.99 and on Amazon it is going from £2.95 at time of writing
===Aim===
I'm sure you are all sick of hearing this by now, but it is another 'bridge' to the Bible. The authors are not attempting to do a 'new' Bible, their aim is to make a 'translation' of the bible that is accessible to adults and children alike in a graphic form. It supposedly contains the whole of the Old and New Testament...this is however a matter for debate. But anyhow, it is definitely a point worth noting that this is not meant to be a replacement for the Bible...just a way to lead people to it.
===Artwork===
Considering that this is a graphic bible, the artwork is a fairly important area...particularly in comparison to the manga bible (last review). And I have to say that whereas with the manga bible I was massively disappointed, I could not say the same for this one. The artwork in this was outstanding and no matter what the book, it would have been worth a mention. The pictures are well drawn, clear and in fully vibrant colour. It is not (unlike the manga version) an American comic book, they treat a spade as a spade, which means that they avoid the falsely artistic analogies. This really is a book that you could buy for the very young, because yes they probably wouldn't understand the story, but the pictures are fantastic...and chances are any generation would be fascinated by them.
===Language===
The language as a whole keeps the biblical form, this is obvious right from the beginning of Genesis; 'And God said let there be a dome to separate water from water! So God made an expanse to separate the waters above us and the waters below, and called the dome sky! There was evening and there was morning, and that was the second day.' Ignoring the annoying exclamation marks this is a pretty decent translation, it doesn't patronise and it sticks to the form of the Bible. And anything it doesn't expect the reader to know it explains...but again, not in a patronising fashion; ' they called the boat 'the ark' meaning chest or box, for it contained the future of all life on earth.' I mean, we all know that Noah built an ark, but to give credit I didn't know the actual explanation before I read this. While I am on the subject of not being patronising as heck (unlike certain other Bibles), I will note that it doesn't exclude long words or names purely because they might be difficult, an example here would be 'Mesopatamia', nor is the language overly Americanised...which would just make it annoying to read. (Even though they still change 'forsaken' into 'abandoned'...and I still say forsaken is better.'
One of my favourite points with the language use would be the scene with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, this is a scene I always look at because personally I believe it to be one of the most emotional and powerful scenes in the entire Bible. Many of the 'yoof' bibles don't get this, they miss the emotion because they are trying too hard to fit in with the youth stenotypes...this mistake has not been made in this Bible. The authors have managed to tread that very thin line between the Biblical version and making it accessible, they have managed to keep that emotion; "Please, take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, not what I want, but your will be done." It's not the exact words but the emotion is clear and poignant. "Look, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners, and here comes my betrayer...Judas, are you betraying the son of man with a KISS?" Point made.
However (yes another but!), I found that there were places in the same story where this bible would on some occasions keep the emotion...and on others lose it completely. The story of Absalom and his fathers heartrending cry of 'O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!' This, I think anyone can agree is a father crying out in absolute anguish...however this bible seems to lose this with their version; 'Absalom, if I could have died in your place I would have.' Now - it might seem as if there is very little difference between the two, but to me...well, one is a cry of passion...and the others something a father might say in front of the press to make himself look better...it's more calculated...or maybe that's just me...
===Narrative Structure===
In a sense it is very similar to the manga bible in narrative structure because you have the same differentiation between narrator and characters. The speech styles are less obviously different, but even so there is a difference between them that is noticeable, and makes it easier to read as a story. And there is another similarity to the manga version, and that is that all of the stories are told by people, normally to children...this does actually make it easier to read - what would normally be a very heavy story such as Samson finishes with: '"And he died?" "Yeah, but he took the Philistines with him. Don't you listen?" "Excellent!" "Now get to bed the lot of you!" The narrator is always different - it is always someone who has a definite interest in the story, whether that is because it is from their own youth or they are retelling a tale told for generations. This in itself adds interest to the book...
A point that I felt really marked this book out as one of the better 'Bible bridges' was a fairly simple one, and that was the fact that the story is interspersed by the Pharisee's reactions to Jesus' actions...you almost feel as if you are looking backstage at something that you shouldn't be. This leads to a very subtle and slow lead up to the Pharisee's finally blowing and Jesus ending up being crucified. You can see them getting more and more annoyed as you go through, and it does a fairly decent job at explaining how he managed to annoy the Pharisee's to the extent that he did...This does work very well, and actually explains the build up better than most Bibles manage.
===Biblical Telling===
By and large it is easier to focus on individual points in the biblical narrative, but there are a couple of general points, the main one of those would be the amount that this bible skips or skims over. On a general basis it picks and chooses very well and keeps the story line running, however (yes, you knew there would be a but somewhere!), there are no psalms or proverbs, and the gospels are the only points really covered in the New Testament section. I mean, there are two pages which are meant to cover the entirety of Paul's letters...how can that even cover one of his letters? And other than Revelation (which is covered quite nicely) there is almost nothing of the rest of the New Testament...which to Christians is supposedly the most important part of the Bible (or at least that's the impression I've been given). Granted, the Old Testament is easier to put into picture form...but surely some imagination could have been used?
Other than that however I have very few complaints. I was particularly impressed by their depiction of Abraham taking his son Isaac to be sacrificed, it was very realistic...and because of that rather freaky. The age of the child, the absolute trust that the child has for his father...and equally the absolute trust that the father has in his God...this is all perfectly pictured. However much of an issue I have personally with this story, I cannot fault the artwork or the storytelling...I mean I know this particular story back to front, but even I was caught up purely due to the expertness of the authors...
There is also a certain amount of psychology added to the biblical stories, which intrigued me to no end...a very simplistic example would be; 'Esau lived only for the moment, a fact which cost him dear as he grew older.' (By the way, if anyone doesn't know what happens next - he sold his birthright for a bowl of stew or soup depending on which translation you are using.) The other occasion would be the addition of cause and effect in relation to the plagues, it makes it understandable;
'And so it started. Ten plagues in all came on Egypt, each worse than the last. First was the plague of blood - the river Nile, lifeline of the Egyptian people, turned to blood. Then a plague of frogs driven from the filthy waters and the rotting fish. They invaded the streets and houses where they died adding to the stench. Then a plague of gnats, and a plague of flies, feeding on the rotting fish and flies.'
Most Bibles wouldn't include this kind of cause and affect psychology, and whether it's just because I have a fairly logical mind (providing logic and common sense are not the same thing!) ...but I felt that this kind of explanation was very well done...and very well judged.
I think one of the most impressive points however was Judas' death. Most re-writes skip that bit because it's unsavoury...and a bible in pictures would have even more reason to do so. However, this Bible doesn't try to skip the difficult issues, it shows a tasteful image of Judas' death done entirely in shadow, which again works very well...
===Format===
The entire graphic novel is in capital letters...which may make it more difficult to read...however I do have to take this opportunity to stick my tongue out at my former English teacher who had a go at me for writing in capitals...moving on however, the format is in general very clear. The authors have headed the different parts of the Bible, so you know exactly where you are in the Bible at any given point...
A point that is worth noting about the format is the way that the parables of Jesus intersperse the story, in an organised fashion that doesn't make them confusing...if anything they are light relief! They are also drawn in a far more simplistic fashion which means that you can immediately tell just by looking at the page if you are reading a parable. They are less realistic than most of the artwork, but equally they were meant originally as stories, not as a real life narrative, so this does fit.
===Conclusion===
Overall I can give it a blumming good 5/5..there are some minor issues - but they are minor. As a whole, the art is fantastic and should have been given an award...and in general I can say that I had very few complaints with any of this...It definitely ranks on my list of best 'yoof' bibles...
More...