Paul The Apostle: A Graphic Novel by Ben Avery and Mark Harmon

Paul The Apostle: A Graphic Novel is the first installment in a futuristic "sci-fi cartoon creature Bible idea" by Ben Avery and Mark Harmon. This graphic novel is very well illustrated with beautifully bright pictures and an easy-to-follow layout. The language and graphics used throughout are intended to appeal to an older child, I'd say 10-12+ unless they've got an expanded vocabulary or you're reading through it with them.

The storyline itself is thorough enough for adults to find it a worthwhile read, if you're the graphic novel reading type (my paw goes up). It's primarily excerpts from the book of Acts, with snippets and references from 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, John, Mark, Job, and Philippians. Almost every page has Bible reference verses listed at the bottom, so you can easily open your Bible for further study or to see the bigger picture behind each specific scene.

I got this book as a gift for my 10-year-old step-son who finds Bible time at our house to be "boring" and entirely unappealing. He would much rather read the adult-themed graphic novels he gets at his mom's house. This book seems to be a fair compromise for him, and is the third Christian-based graphic novel I've managed to get him to read (and put on his "keep" shelf to re-read) while at our house.

I did find one typo, and one place where they randomly refer to Saul as Paul in the middle of a conversation, before he says he's using a new name. For a project of this magnitude, that's not something I'm going to complain about, just mentioning it in case anyone else would find it off-setting. I'm giving this book 5/5 stars and eagerly await a chance to read the next installment, Peter The Apostle (not yet published).

*Disclaimer: I received a free print copy of this book from the publisher through BookCrash, for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

About The Authors (copied from inside book):

BEN AVERY is a children's pastor by day and a comic book writer by night. His comic writing career started when he adapted George R. R. Martin's The Hedge Knight novellas into comics. Since then, he has written over thirty graphic novels for publishers like Zondervan, Image, Marvel, Random House, Kingstone Comics, Lamp Post, and numerous smaller press publishers. He has also adapted numerous books of the Bible into graphic novels, including The Christ, a project putting all four Gospels into a single narrative. He lives in Indiana with his wife and five kids.

MARK HARMON is a professional illustrator for kid's books, comics, comics for kids, and anything in between. He currently lives in the small town of Mountain View, Wyoming with his wife and three kids. His professional career started at the age of ten when he won a coloring contest. Ever since then people have been breaking down his door to get him to work for them. Okay, so that might be a bit of a stretch. You get the idea though, right? His clients include Scholastic, Lamp Post, Benchmark Education, Warner Press, and many more. 

Helpful Links:

Beartruth Collective (they're currently offering a free download of the first 50 pages of the book here, and are working on a Study Guide for Paul The Apostle)

Purchase from Beartruth Collective (both e-book and print formats available)

NOTE: These pictures are to give you an idea of the format and overall graphics in Paul The Apostle: A Graphic Novel. The brightness of the colors has been dulled by my camera, and the actual book is much more brilliant with a beautiful contrast between hues.