Samson: Judge of Israel

    (Metron, 2003)
™ and © Metron

Comic adaptations of Bible tales are nothing new. From E.C.’s Picture Stories from the Bible to Kyle Baker’s King David, every generation produces a new batch of what is really a no-brainer of a concept. Like every other genre, there are good adaptations and bad ones. Samson is one for the “good” pile.

Ruiz and company have enough space to fully develop the character and story of Samson, one of the most misunderstood Biblical figures. In a fairly straightforward adaptation, they have strangely truncated some incidents, such as Samson tying torches to foxes’ tails and Delilah binding him with fresh bowstrings. They have also spent a lot of time ascribing motivations to Samson’s actions which do not appear in the Biblical Book of Judges. While this normally would run the risk of confusing readers regarding what is in the Bible’s account and what isn’t, this trade paperback includes the story of Samson in text form after the adaptation. (What do you expect from an imprint of the American Bible Society?)

The art is powerful, with Samson looking like someone who could give Thor a run for his money. Scenes such as Samson carrying off the gates of Gaza demonstrate that this is a force with which to reckon. His hair is likewise not the shoulder-length ’do usually depicted, but the long braids one would expect of a life-long Nazirite.

The story is mostly told in flashback. At one point there’s a flashback within a flashback. That’s just silly.

— Jack Abramowitz
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