After reading the first issue of John’s bible drawings I was very curious to see how he’d progress, and this one is if anything even more engaging than the first issue. If you’re not familiar with the book, or only familiar in the sense that it’s been in the culture for just about forever and you’re bound to learn a few things about it, don’t fret. John goes into great detail in his notes after the comics about the sources he uses, his basis for shifting to opinion a few times, even the debates about which translation is best. So yeah, even if you barely know anything about the bible, you’ll know a lot more about it after reading his notes. This one (no big shocker here) starts off right after the stories in the first issue, which John rightly refers to as the “patriarchal/matriarchal tales” of the first section of the bible. And, as those of us who have read the book know (it was ages ago, yes I read the whole thing, ask me about it sometime), those stories get problematic in a hurry. They’re also very much about the characters and/or actual historical figures, so expect to learn a lot about mistresses, kidnappings, exiles, sexual assaults, etc. Yes, including stories that involve some of the biggest names that are still revered today. It makes you think, and explains why so many of these stories were barely ever mentioned in church or Sunday school. It’s fascinating stuff, and his art really makes these dusty old stories come alive. I’d recommend checking both issues out, but if you can only afford one I’d suggest this one. $15
