The cat is out of the bag.

I collect action figures.

It shouldn't shock anybody. After all, various action figures have appeared for almost two years in my book reviews. And if you've ever stopped by my church office, you've seen at least a dozen figures hiding out on my desk (up high so the little ones don't touch them)!

But! For the first time I actually talk about my collecting habits. Paeter Frandsen over at the Spirit Blade Underground Podcast interviewed me on this topic a few weeks ago.

We talked about my collection, the philosophy behind collecting, and the appeal of such a hobby.

Listen to the interview here.

And be sure to file this blog post under: "Things That Will Get Nathan Fired."
(Cross index: "Things The Orchard Church Tolerates")

I purchased the trade paperback version of the Valiant Entertainment title, Unity, last week at my local (and awesome) comic book store.

As I opened up the book, the words "Geeks of Doom" caught my eye on the back cover. To my surprise, the publisher quoted my review I wrote for the Geeks of Doom!

I'm thrilled Valiant thought well enough of my review to reprint a part of it on such a great title!

You can read my original review here!

Summary: For millennia the fierce archers known as the Scythians have stood against demonic hybrids knows as the Nephelim. As the End of Days draw near, Alany-El de Tany, cursed by the bite of a were-lion, and under the guise of Luna stands against the malevolent Nephelim in the form of monstrous minotaurs and werewolves in London's darker places.

Review: This is a rather unique book. There are some rather distinct features in the book that deserved to be addressed individually. Because of this, I'll look at the Art, Story and Theology in that order.

Art: From what I understand Jeff Slemons (who drew Job) illustrated the lion's-share of the book. Alan Lathwell, and "Buzz" also worked on the book.
The art is stunning. It is beautiful and brutal all at once. Forgiving a few blurry scans/transfers, this large book shows epic battles, unique (yet familiar) hybrid creatures, and a wide range of emotions on the faces of the characters.

Slemons and the team draw scenes depicting hellish, angelic, urban and even pastoral locations.

I particularly liked the design of Lucifer as a cherub, with the faces of a man, eagle, lion and bull. I've never seen the dark one portrayed like this, and it works well. The four faces don't look out of place, but communicate the might of this fallen angel. Positioning the bull's head behind the face of the man was particularly visual, since it gave Satan horns.

The illustrations are consistently fan-flipping-tastic throughout the 145 pages of the story.

The art exceeds most of the contemporary work found on comic stands today.

Story: The story is described as an "Epic of Biblical Proportions" and author Rob Hughes certainly draws in a number of epic elements. Our heroine, Luna, is not only from a long line of warriors, but also has a bloodthirsty, shape-shifting curse coursing thought her veins. There are werewolves, giant nephilim, the anti-Christ, Lucifer, cathedrals, castles, towers, and a pet baby fox!

Hughes' dialogue is believable and well-written. The narration, and characters' interactions sound modern - except in ancient flashbacks, where they understandably sound ancient. The book spans centuries of history.

And that's the weakness of the story. It is filled with so many elements, plot points, and timelines that the tension of the story is never rightly established. Conflicts are brought up, then left unresolved as Luna is thrust into yet another conflict. As I read, I hoped that these seemingly unconnected battles and intrigues would culminate in the climax, but they really didn't. In fact, the book climaxed with an awesome battle, that would have worked much better if the story had built toward that end. Once I reached the end, I expected to read that this was an ongoing saga and the second volume was being produced. But there was no such note.

This isn't to say that the story was not enjoyable. On the contrary, I enjoyed it a great deal. But even though the book is rather large, there simply was too much going on, too many plot points and unresolved conflicts to give the reader a satisfying conclusion.

Theology: The end of the comic, after the conclusion of the story, features a number of articles on a variety of theological topics.

This was the low-point of the book.

First, there is a one-page "How to Be Saved" article that espouses baptismal regeneration (baptism in the name of Jesus to be saved) over and against salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (i.e. John 3:16; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 2:8). This, in and of itself is problematic enough.

But we're also given an extended article about how werewolves - and were-bears, were-loins (I pray to God that was a typo), were-orangutangs and were-tarantulas - are real. The biblical "evidence" demonstrates a demonstrably horrendous hermeneutic, of which I would have required my students to write a five page paper enumerating all the reasons their abuse of the text and its genre was wrong.  The article further ponders weather or not the pseudepigraphical (false writer) book of Enoch was divinely inspired on the level of Holy Scripture!

It's not.

No theologian has ever, in the history of Judaism or Christianity, claimed that it was.
The book of Enoch is useful in two ways. First, it helps us understand what the dead literary genre of "Apocalypse" is really about. Second, it gives us a glimpse into one of the interpretations of the more difficult passages in the Hebrew Bible (namely Genesis 6).

Frankly, it's stuff like this that muddies the real supernatural issues in scriptures. I have a personal goal of preaching through every word of the Bible, and I can say with confidence that werewolves (or were-loins) will never come up. Recall Paul's admonishment to Timothy: "But have nothing to do with irreverent and silly myths" (1 Timothy 4:7a).

But, the theology is not all bad. I did appreciate, in the actual comic, how the Hebrew names for Yahweh, and Yeshua were frequently invoked. It gave this modern story both a Jewish and ancient framework that added to the overall setting of the story.

Conclusion:The artwork is amazing. I want to go out and find all of Jeff Slemons' work now and enjoy his artistic imagination. The story was rather enjoyable. It could have stood to be more focused, but it moved along at a rather rapid pace. The theology in the concluding articles (and a teensy bit in the actual story) range from absolutely wrong, to very unfortunate.

Art: 5/5 (I Loved It!)
Story: 3.5/5 (I Liked It)
Theology: 1.5/5 (I Really Didn't Like It)

Find the book on the official website.

Summary: When Satan strikes at God-fearing Job, this man of great sorrows tries to understand why God has allowed all this evil befall him.

Review: The book of Job is what theologians call "complex wisdom." There are no easy answers in this book. Just like there are no easy answers in life in the face of suffering.

Modern readers often find the biblical book difficult to access because it begins as a standard narrative, then shifts into a series of long discourses, before shifting again to standard narrative.

Ben Avery's script in this graphic novel, Job, is very true to the text. He follows the basic outline of the book in this hyper-faithful interpretation. There's plenty of artistic interpretation and imagination in this comic, though. Satan is seen in opening (and closing) scenes lurking in the background of the frames. The settings Avery chose to hold the discourses communicates the dire situation Job is in.

Jeff Slemons' artwork is awesome. His characters communicate a wide range of emotions that help the reader feel their pain. Likewise his action scenes are as powerful as they are imaginative. His scenes of the heavenly council show both the majesty of the sons of God, and Satan's out-of-place presence there. The accuser looks arrogant, while the angels look peaceful. Slemons drew in some wonderful subtleties into the comic the enhance the overall experience.

I think the real value of this comic is that it helps modern readers conceptualize what is happening in the biblical book. Ben Avery faithfully summarizes the discourses, which readers often get bogged down in.

Job  is a faithful adaptation that translates an ancient text for contemporary audiences.

Readers young and old trying to understand the biblical book will find a wealth of helpful imagination in this comic. Likewise, those struggling with the "problem of evil" or personal tragedy will also find great wisdom in these pages.

Find it here on Amazon.

I've always been a DC Comics guy. Now, I'm leaving them for someone else.

And no. It's not Marvel.

I grew up with DC characters. I love them. I like Marvel stuff too, but the truth is I have a limited budget (because I'm a pastor) and limited time (because I'm a pastor). Because of this, I just stuck with DC so I wouldn't get sucked into another universe and buy more comics than I could afford, or could read within my limited schedule.

Lately, though, I haven't been enjoying the books coming out of DC. With constant creative team change-ups, character re-boots (and re-re-boots), and massive 18-part crossover mega events, I'm just tired of the whole rigamarole and not loving what I'm reading.
Well, that's not entirely true. The books that I thoroughly love have been cancelled. Reading has become a chore instead of a joy.

I was ready to just throw in the towel and give up.

Then I checked out Valiant.

It wasn't a whim. I used to buy comics from their sales manager Atom! Freeman back when we both lived in Southern California. I'd kept up with his goings-ons via Facebook. I wasn't interested in jumping onto a new upstart, re-booted company, though. So I never gave it much thought.

But when the frustration grew, I turned to Doug over at my new comic store, Top Comics and asked him about this whole Valiant Universe thing.

He raved. He made suggestions. I bought trade paperbacks.

I fell in love.

(Not the kind of love a man has for a woman, or even a man has for his numerous cats. No this is a different kind of love. Like the love a man has for his sports team, or his car... only deeper.)

I've now made the decision to ditch DC and jump into the Valiant Universe.

Here's Why:

1. Full Universe Submersion
Because there's only eight on-going series right now, I can afford to be fully involved in the universe. Unlike the Big Two companies, I don't have to make sacrifices and hard decisions on which characters to follow. I can follow them all.

2. Character Driven
So far, the vast majority of issues I've read are dedicated to character-driven stories. While the series all have very interested premises of their own, the plot devices don't drive the story. The story isn't about the technology. It's about the characters. (Even in the case of Bloodshot where the character is the technology.)

3. Quality
I haven't read anything I didn't like. The writing is solid. The art is great. Certainly there are issues better than others, and weaker storylines than others, but it has all been enjoyable. Never a chore.

4. Theology
Unlike the vast number of modern stories (movies, tv, books, comics) the Valiant Universe doesn't pretend like people's belief in God doesn't exist. Most people believe in the divine. And while I certainly wouldn't agree with all the theology of every book... Valiant at least acknowledges the existence of religion, and even gives Christianity a fair shake-down in characters like Archer in Archer & Armstrong. There's also been nods to Christianity historically in X-O Manowar. And a sympathetic Christian support character in Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps.

5. Realism
Moral conflict. Defeated heroes. Loss of dreams. Beauty in the midst of pain. This universe presents, what philosophers call "complex wisdom." It's not just a simple black-shirts versus white-coats sort of conflict. (Okay, there is some of that too....) Characters like Toyo Harada and Aric of Dacia have some very positive and negative intentions lurking behind their actions. Just like in real life! We also get a glimpse into family life (which comics often neglect), which includes foster families!

6. Humor
Certainly humor is not in all the titles. But in particular Archer & Armstrong and Quantum and Woody have moments where I laugh out loud. That's a hard feat to accomplish in book form. And Valiant does it consistently for me.


So, I've been reading Valiant now for about three months. I love it. I'm looking forward to continuing with them!

Don't get me wrong, I still love all my childhood heroes, but in the end story wins out. Story is king. And Valiant is telling extraordinary stories.

Every single year an inordinate number of my friends attend either San Diego Comic Con, or New York Comic Con. While I have lived in both NY and LA, I have never attended either.

And this makes me sad.

Year after year, I vicariously experience the cons through the photos and blog posts of my very geeky and very cool* friends!

But this year is different. This year, everything changes. No more will I have to sit in envy of my friends, because tomorrow . . . a mere twelve hours from now, I shall be attending:

BapMi Con!

What is BapMi Con? Well, let me tell you… it’s the Baptist State of Michigan Convention!

And I don’t know a single person who’s going!*

That’s right I am going to be the envy of all my friends! Now, they will have to follow all the awesomeness online! (Stream it live here!!!)

There is one drawback, though. I hear there isn’t a lot of cosplay at these things.

So, I’m working on my costume tonight! Here’s what I have it narrowed-down to:

I was thinking about going as Jerry Falwell (Zombie-Style) but I was told it was in poor-taste!

BapMi Con!!!!!!!

*This statement has not been reviewed by the FDA.

So,  I’m now a contributor over at Geeks of Doom! So far, I’ve done reviews on comics and trade paperbacks. I’m really excited to be a part of this community of writers from all sort of walks of life.

I write over there under the name “RevN4” (because I’m a Reverend AND I have four Ns in my name)!

But there are weightier issues to be considered… like, what exactly do they mean by “Geeks of Doom?”

Being the hyper-mediocre Greek student that I am, I know enough that this is in the genitive-form and that this translation “of Doom” is the simplest of possible understandings. So, what does the “of” mean?

Here are some options:

Geeks characterized by Doom

Geeks described by Doom

Geeks belonging to Doom

Geeks possessed by Doom

Geeks family relationship to Doom

Geeks whom are a part of Doom

Doom Geeks (Attributive Genitive)

Geeks made out of Doom

Geeks consisting of Doom

Geeks full of Doom

Geeks containing Doom

Geeks whom are Doom

Geeks destined for Doom

Geeks produced by Doom

Geeks who produce Doom

Geeks away from Doom

Geeks out of Doom

Geeks originating from Doom

Geeks related to Doom

Geeks in association with Doom

I, for one, prefer the “Geeks originating from Doom” interpretation myself.

Head on over to Geeks of Doom to see what it’s all about.

It is no secret that I have the best mother-in-law ever!

(You might have a really great mother-in-law, but in a cage match, mine wins. Hands down. No contest. And why are you trying to put your mother-in-law into a cage match with my mother-in-law? You know she's going to lose . . . so you must not love her all that much . . . because she's not as awesome as mine!)

Back in June, she bought me this gigantic action figure set with all seven members of the new Justice League!

I set the box on my desk, knowing that one day I would release them from their containment units and display them in my office.

That day finally came!

But instead of just setting them on top of my desk so that one day batismal candidates can make fun of my geekiness (true story), I decided to put them to "good use."

I am a book reader. I somehow procure books faster than I can read them. So, both at home and at church I have rather unsightly "to read" piles.

This is what my office "to-read" pile looked like moments ago:

But struck with Kryptonian genius, I not only displayed my action figures, but ALSO created categories for my "to read" books.

Here's what it looks like now:

Wonder Woman/Superman: Beefy theological books that I'm going to have to be strong to read!

Batman/Cyborg/Aquaman: Important, contemporary books that I will have to read with a critical mind. Also, possibly lame books (that's why Aquaman is there!)

Green Lantern/Flash: Popular level books that I need willpower to get through... but can be finished in a flash.


So that's my "to read" pile now!


p.s. Just kidding about Aquaman. His comic is one of the best things DC has going right now!

2007 saw the release of the motion-capture computer animated Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis. Along for this adaptation were superstar writers Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary. Armed with the digital acting abilities of actors Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich and Angelina Jolie, the film looked like it was going to be a hit on all levels.

What I Didn’t Like

• Hrothgar is a weak-minded, drunk, Bacchus-like character. Unlike the Poem, he has no sons and no heirs. This simply doesn’t work, though. To be an effective king in Denmark in those times, he needed to have physical strength and mental prowess. This Hrothgar should have been deposed long before the film begins.
• The Grendel design is more disturbing than monstrous (see comic below).
• Unferth is portrayed as a Christian and he is an abusive, weak, conniving and imbecilic man.
• The film is verbally, and visually aggressive against Christianity.
• Some of the animation (especially of arms and hands) was particularly choppy.
• The script tries really hard to get the “story behind the story” of the original Poem instead of just trying to tell the excellent story that already exists.
• The script tries to “marry” the third act of the story to the previous parts. In doing so, the historical narrative of the Geats and their ultimate fate at the hands of the Swedes is obliterated.
• Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel naked. It feels like a bad SNL skit as the camera tries to hide Beowulf’s parts behind various objects (vases, swords, etc.).
• (Also, in what universe does fighting a monster nude make any sense?)
• The film is obsessed with nudity while trying to maintain a PG-13 rating.
• Grendel’s Mother is portrayed as a seductress instead of a monstrous she-demon.
• The focus of the narrative is on the sexual sin of leaders. This theme overshadows the heroic aspects of the story.

What I Liked

• Grendel only speaks in Old English. That was cool!
• Some of the computer animation, even six years later, is amazing!
• Beowulf’s overall demeanor is spot-on. He’s bombastic, prideful, boastful and focused on glory-getting!
• This film has a pretty good pronunciation of “Hrothgar.”
• The soundtrack is amazing. It is at once energetic, then becomes touching and moving.

I am conflicted here. On the one hand, I don’t like this film as a Beowulf story at all. It is a deconstructed parody of the original poem. While it portrays the tension between paganism and Christianity, the latter is (illogically) shown to be the weaker of the two worldviews. Furthermore, Beowulf’s heroism is mostly a farce in this story in light of his sexual sins.

But here’s where I’m conflicted. Here’s where I’m torn. Whereas the “Big Idea” of the Poem is, “When you have great abilities, you should train others so they will be equipped when you’re gone,” the big idea of this film is “Avoid sexual sin because it destroys much more than just yourself.”

The film actually has a phenomenal message embedded within it! A message our whole culture needs to understand. (Don’t believe me? Just ask any foster parent! Our private, sexual decisions affect the entire culture!)

[Spoiler Alert: It humors me to no end that the filmmakers brag about how original it was to have Hrothgar father Grendel. I’m pretty sure the Christopher Lambert version beat them out by at least eight years!]
 
Rating: 3/5 (I Reluctantly Liked It)

Find it here on Amazon.