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.
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.
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