RELIGION AND COMICS Strange prayer-fellows? No--throughout history, every art form has retold the compelling stories of faith. Two Jewish youngsters created Superman, who has been compared to that mythical Jewish avenger, the golem. Indeed, the Bible's superpatriarchs and supermatriarchs often called upon special powers to protect their people.

One such supermatriarch is beautifully realized in Megillat Esther (see review, p. 82). Likewise in King David (Vertigo), the striking color art carries the story with little text. In a more impressionistic take on the Torah, Testament: Akedah (Xpress Reviews, 8/29/06) and Testament: West of Eden (Vertigo) crosscut biblical story lines with modern-day plots in an edgy, cosmic drama mixing sin, skin, and grace. A Western frontier Solomon stars in the lighthearted Adventures of Rabbi Harvey (LJ 8/06), while The Rabbi's Cat (LJ 11/15/05) tells a mature, bittersweet family comedy of 1930s Algeria, with the impertinent cat as theological commentator. Two useful histories include Jews in America: A Cartoon History (Jewish Publication Society), more illustrated vignettes than narrative, and The Story of the Jews: A 4,000 Year Adventure (Jewish Lights), which covers Genesis to the post-9/11 era with irreverent quips and irony. Unfortunately, neither has a bibliography. For much more on Jewish comic art, see www.jewishcomics.blogspot.com from Toronto librarian Steven Bergson.

Christian Bible comics date back to at least 1940. The most complete current version appears to be The Lion Graphic Bible (Lion Hudson). Although not really complete (the violence and sex are discreetly minimized), the traditional stories are beautifully rendered in realistic color paintings and engaging dialog for all ages. Far less traditional is the compelling Marked (see review, p. 81). The modern-day Eye Witness trilogy (Head Press) follows a forensic archaeologist suddenly privy to a newly discovered account of the Crucifixion. International cover-ups, attempted assassinations, and general skulduggery ensue. For teens, the six-volume manga-style Serenity series (Barbour) stars an irrepressibly cute but spiritually challenged hellion adopted as a "project" by her Christian classmates. Although with rather shallow supporting characters and a predictable plot structure, Serenity has a fan base and has done well in Christian bookstores. The three new Guardian Line comics from Urban Ministries--Code, Joe & Max, and Genesis 5--feature striking art and multicukural young people who draw superpowers from divine sources to defeat evil (see www.theguardia nline.com.). For links and many Christian titles, see www.christiancomicbooks.net and www.christiancomicsinternational.org.

With Roman Catholic focus, The Life of John Paul II ... in Comics! (Papercutz) uses a realistic style to tell its story. In an unexpected follow-up, the Vatican recently released the partially animated DVD John Paul II, the Friend of Humanity. For children, the simplistic "Stories of the Saints" comic series (Arcadius Pr.) cover the spiritual lives of Joan of Arc and Francis of Assisi, among others. However, The Least Among Us (Ascendant Pr.) is for adults: probably the first graphic novel to fictionalize clerical child sexual abuse and subsequent consternation among small-town Catholic clergy (order from www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk).

Outside Judeo-Christian traditions, Osama Tezuka's eight-volume, Eisner Award-winning Buddha (LJ 1/04) has been...