The Picture Bible

    (Faith Kidz, 1981, 1998)
™ and © Faith Kidz

Drawn by Eisner Studio artist Andre Le Blanc, the material was originally a series of comic strips. Now a handy, comic-book version of The Bible, it’s better than many others, although not without its own shortcomings. For starters, certain stories are inexplicably truncated. The Tower of Babel, for example, is retold in a page of three panels. Jonah gets a single panel. At the other extreme, there are odd “continuity implants.” Abraham’s upbringing, his courtship of Sarah, and training as a trader get eight pages—without Biblical basis.

On the plus side, the New Testament section is fuller than many other comic-book adaptations. New Testament often translates into “Life of Christ,” which means starting with the birth of Jesus and ending with the resurrection. This edition starts earlier, with Elisabeth and Zacharias, and goes straight through Acts of the Apostles, with summaries of the various Epistles along the way. (Revelation is skimmed over, but it’s for kids, so whatchagonnado?)

It’s an indispensable Sunday school tool and fine reading otherwise.

— Jack Abramowitz
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