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Reviewed by Jeff Needle
8/4/2005 2:17:57 PM
In a rather serendipitous act of timing, these volumes arrived just as the annual ComiCon convention was ending here in San Diego. It is lauded as the largest animation and comic-oriented event in the U.S. One can be endlessly amused by gathering around the Convention Center and watching the fans, many clad in costumes reflecting one comic character or another, filing by, dreamy-eyed and blissful.
I am old enough to remember when comics were comics. We watched the racks at the local store for the latest installment of Superman, Batman, and even Archie and Jughead (remember them?). Reading comics was a rite of passage for us. We bought them, swapped them, and some were smart enough to save and sell them later when they were really worth something.
Enter the age of the “graphic novel.”
The inside front cover of each volume in this series of Book of Mormon stories is a personal essay from Allred proclaiming his absolute belief in the Book of Mormon and its centrality to understanding the deep things of God. This series, projected to cover the entire story of the Book of Mormon, is Allred’s attempt to reach out to a generation of readers (perhaps non-readers?) who may not pick up the Book of Mormon itself, but may be led to do so after reading his books.
Given Allred’s devotion to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, I wondered whether he ought not to come up with some other term to describe his own work than “graphic novel.” Does not the word “novel” imply a work of fiction? Allred clearly believes the Book of Mormon to be a historical record. As this series is a work in progress, he may opt for a different way of describing his effort. A new genre is about to be birthed?
The inside back cover of each volume contains what can be described as a quick course in apologetics. Titled “The Truth of All Things,” Allred takes the reader through a short course of the essentials of the gospel message. He explores what the church calls “the plan of happiness,” some evidences for the Book of Mormon, etc.
Now, to the book itself. It’s been many years since I’ve looked at a “comic book,” and I’ve never so much as glanced at a “graphic novel.” I had no idea what constituted a *good* graphic novel. I gathered a group of children together and passed the books around, asking questions like, “Are these good illustrations? Do you think the words are too small?” To a person, the children oohed and aahed with such expressions as “cool,” “woah,” and other things the kids say these days. I took that to mean approval. When I asked whether they would actually buy this book, only one spoke up, the prescient son of a good friend of mine. “I’d rather have Batman.”
This was a revelation to me. For any such effort as Allred’s to succeed, there must be some recognition that it is in competition with the “superheroes” of our time. Put Lehi’s sons next to X-Men, and the latter will win out in this generation. It must have been a real temptation to turn Nephi into a superhero, but then you wouldn’t be telling the story. Allred wisely avoids such a temptation, maintaining the integrity of the Book of Mormon account.
Most of the text is directly from the Book of Mormon. There is, however, dialogue supplied in order to keep the story moving. It has the potential for being intrusive and distracting, but Allred maintains a good balance between text and supplied conversations.
As the story reaches a point where there is a modern fulfillment of the words, Allred illustrates with that fulfillment. Joseph Smith and the modern church appear, for example, where the record of Nephi prophesies of the latter-day Joseph.
All in all, I thought the books were very nicely done. Young children will enjoy the easier approach to the story of the Book of Mormon. Allred’s wife, Gloria, an “award-winning colorist,” does a fine job of filling in the illustrations.
But given the reaction I had from some local children, as good as the books are, it may be that the children themselves would not choose these books over other “graphic novels.” It will be up to parents to purchase them for their children, sit down and read them with their children.
As these books have been discussed on the Internet, they have had their detractors. I’ve read the arguments pro and con, and have come down on the matter thusly: if you are sincere in believing the Book of Mormon’s message to be essential to understanding our times, if you believe it is the very word of God, then proponents of this view should explore every possible medium for promoting this view.
Putting the Book of Mormon into an illustrated fashion is nothing new. I have several such volumes in my collection. This, however, is the first I can remember that offers the story in serialized form. And, clearly, the illustrations are far better in Allred’s series than in previous efforts.
I look forward to seeing future volumes in the series.
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Jeff Needle
Association for Mormon Letters
jeff.needle@gmail.com
www.aml-online.org
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