TOP TEN Testament, by Jim Krueger, ill. Bill Sienkiewicz et al. Metron Press, 2003. 978-1585167654

Summary: Several Biblical stories are retold through the words of a barkeeper, illustrated by different different artists in a variety of mediums.

Analysis: This is gorgeous and original. It is particularly refreshing after a "Bible stories for children" comic book from the 70s that I won't even dignify with a review (eeegh, where is the brain bleach?!). This is definitely "Scripture as story" rather than as theology, though it does mention various theological interpretations different people have given these stories over the years. The narrator frames God as the "author", writing the world. The language is simply beautiful, and while it's jarring at first, the differing art styles really fit with the different stories. Abraham and Sarah look like awesome wrinkly old people, rather than mysteriously white-haired forty-year-olds. Joshua is told in traditional superhero/soldier-comic art, while Job is this haunting digital collage. Jonah, on the other hand, is done in silly, vaguely Far Side-esque cartoons. The fact that the stories are presented as story is a great way to deal with differing interpretations -- someone else's "Cain and Abel" might be completely different, but this telling doesn't rule out that possibility; it's just presenting this teller's version.

Illustrations: Many media -- see above for examples.

Rating: 5Q/5P

Curricular connections: High school comparative religion or religious school class. It would also work well for a literature class or an art class discussing why the art fits (or perhaps doesn't fit) the different stories.

--SLH