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aclopez6's review
5.0
Many times throughout this graphic novel, I found myself looking up additional information and context, and that's a good thing! I was curious and wanted to understand. Meanwhile, I've had maybe 2 - 3 copies of The Book of Mormon, and never did finish it. A unique work.
zoelle715's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
foofers1622's review
5.0
I've always been curious of the Mormon religion and how it got its start. This graphic novel answered a lot of questions I had.
lydiainspace's review
5.0
A careful, thoughtful, painstakingly-researched story of Joseph Smith's life that walks a precise historical line: sticking almost completely to verifiable facts, without attempting to either prove or disprove the spiritual experiences Smith reports to having. I felt swept along in the time period of this story, identifying with (and feeling critical of) Smith, but also empathizing with the perspectives of the many other figures in the story: especially Joseph's wife, Emma.
wesleyboy's review
4.0
A very even handed telling about the founding of the LDS church. Van Sciver doesn’t shy away from the more controversial aspects of Joseph Smith, but he finds a way to weave it into a part of larger story without drawing undue attention to it. Don’t read this if you’re just looking to dunk on the founding of LDS, but if you want a well-done and engaging piece on a fascinating time in the history of faith and belief in America, this is the book for you.
And I NEVER SAY THIS, but I would have liked more notes in the back! The material is presented so well and so evenly, that a bit more historical context at the end would have been really interesting.
And I NEVER SAY THIS, but I would have liked more notes in the back! The material is presented so well and so evenly, that a bit more historical context at the end would have been really interesting.
ghostmouse's review
3.0
The art is good and the story is interesting- but it’s also confusing often who the characters are and what is going on for me a non-Mormon. the story has no narration which is an interesting idea but makes it difficult to keep track of more minor characters and also sometimes what’s going on. Also because a lot of it are direct quotes sometimes the dialogue is dense and boring.
rachelhelps's review
4.0
I don't think that Joseph Smith's life is very book-friendly. There isn't a neat narrative arc if you are telling the story of his life. There are just too many weird and interesting things to say. It's so caught up in the history of the church, too, that it's difficult to tell the story of his life without getting into the entire early history of the church. I do a lot of summarizing of secondary sources in my Wikipedia work, and it ends up being extremely dry. This is my roundabout way of saying that... I found parts of this book a little boring, mostly because it was difficult for me to hold the narrative threads together, despite me knowing a lot about Mormon history. I don't fault Van Sciver for that. It is because the history is just that complicated.
That said, I loved how Van Sciver treated the visions with his blue-outlines of the vision-receiver relaying the story to another person. I feel like it really encapsulated something about most visionary experiences, which are that we have to imagine them for ourselves. The way Joseph Smith goes about trying to found the bank, despite having no expertise in it, is portrayed sympathetically. At the same time, I was like "what about all the speculators on the Mormon side of things?" I know that Van Sciver had to skip over a LOT of things and combine people and simplify for the sake of storytelling. The way he portrayed Joseph Smith getting into polygamy was interesting too. It definitely brings up topics that any church history buff would want to discuss. Van Sciver presents them in a neutral way, like I would in my Wikipedia writing, but of course, there is bias in what ideas and incidents we choose to include. I think Van Sciver tried to do a very fair portrayal of Joseph Smith, and I admire that.
THE ARTWORK is incredible. Van Sciver is a complete pro, and the whole thing is in COLOR. He can summon the emotions of panic or peace with a mere palette selection, but he goes further than that. The facial expressions of the characters, the line art, and the pacing of the action between the panels all work together to create settings that drip with expressiveness. There are a lot of talking heads. But they are interspersed with panels that take up an entire page and could be framed art on your walls at home.
The book design of this graphic novel is another very pleasing part of it. The foam layer in the front hard cover, the ribbon bookmark, the gilded edges, the brown of the book that is reminiscent of the brown of the first edition of the Book of Mormon--they combine to create a beautiful, serious-looking graphic novel.
That said, I loved how Van Sciver treated the visions with his blue-outlines of the vision-receiver relaying the story to another person. I feel like it really encapsulated something about most visionary experiences, which are that we have to imagine them for ourselves. The way Joseph Smith goes about trying to found the bank, despite having no expertise in it, is portrayed sympathetically. At the same time, I was like "what about all the speculators on the Mormon side of things?" I know that Van Sciver had to skip over a LOT of things and combine people and simplify for the sake of storytelling. The way he portrayed Joseph Smith getting into polygamy was interesting too. It definitely brings up topics that any church history buff would want to discuss. Van Sciver presents them in a neutral way, like I would in my Wikipedia writing, but of course, there is bias in what ideas and incidents we choose to include. I think Van Sciver tried to do a very fair portrayal of Joseph Smith, and I admire that.
THE ARTWORK is incredible. Van Sciver is a complete pro, and the whole thing is in COLOR. He can summon the emotions of panic or peace with a mere palette selection, but he goes further than that. The facial expressions of the characters, the line art, and the pacing of the action between the panels all work together to create settings that drip with expressiveness. There are a lot of talking heads. But they are interspersed with panels that take up an entire page and could be framed art on your walls at home.
The book design of this graphic novel is another very pleasing part of it. The foam layer in the front hard cover, the ribbon bookmark, the gilded edges, the brown of the book that is reminiscent of the brown of the first edition of the Book of Mormon--they combine to create a beautiful, serious-looking graphic novel.
rayofhope's review
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
I think every LDS home should have a copy of this book.
One of the struggles facing Members of the Church is Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that we don't talk about the ugliness in our histories, and we don't know how to view prophets as flawed. When people learn about the more difficult parts of church history, it jars them and often ruptures their faith.
This book forced me to look head on at some of the more unknown and uncomfortable aspects of the founding of my religion. It portrays Joseph Smith as very human, complex, and varied. It presents events largely as they are recorded in journals/letters, refraining from offering justifications or condemnations of actions, letting the reader decide for themselves what to think.
It's not always easy to read, but I think it's important for us to know this version of the story, warts and all.
One of the struggles facing Members of the Church is Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is that we don't talk about the ugliness in our histories, and we don't know how to view prophets as flawed. When people learn about the more difficult parts of church history, it jars them and often ruptures their faith.
This book forced me to look head on at some of the more unknown and uncomfortable aspects of the founding of my religion. It portrays Joseph Smith as very human, complex, and varied. It presents events largely as they are recorded in journals/letters, refraining from offering justifications or condemnations of actions, letting the reader decide for themselves what to think.
It's not always easy to read, but I think it's important for us to know this version of the story, warts and all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Slavery