For a couple of reasons, I’ve not done many reviews on my blog over the years. One of them is time. (It takes time to track down review opportunities, especially paid ones) The other is I only want to review things that are pertinent to what I’m trying to do here.

While this is a review, I am not being paid to review this product. I received a free copy, and I was interested in it for one reason: I have boys. I have an 11 y.o. and another about to turn 14 y.o. Anything that takes the timeless truths of the gospel and puts it into a format that middle-school and highschool aged boys will actually look at, well that’s something that’s interesting to me.

What I love about these comics is, they are word-for-word. They took the NIV translation, word-for-word, and illustrated it using a medium that is relevant to young people. And, as popular as comics are among many men of my age, I have to believe that it will be helpful for them as well.

I have to confess, I’m not super fond of attempts to visualize the life of Christ, particularly of the crucifixion. For instance, I’ve never seen Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” I know many people love that film, but I just feel like if God wanted that to be on film He would have had Christ come at a time when film existed. I don’t condemn or judge anyone who watches them, it’s just a personal feeling.

That said, I do appreciate the illustrations throughout the novel, including the portrayals of the torment and crucifixion of Jesus. I think it will help add a layer of reality to Jesus’ death that may not exist in some young minds. Their target audience is 12+, so keep that in mind.

One more personal reason I love this work is because of its creativity. If you know me, you know I love creative pursuits. And I love to see people use their creativity to tell the story of God.

So, if you’ll consider checking them out, here’s a link: https://www.wordforwordbiblecomic.com/buy 

Gospel of Mark: Word for Word Bible Comic: NIV Translation 9781914299063   = $19.99. 

El Evangelio de Marcos: : Verso a Verso Bíblica-Cómic : Traducción NVI 9781914299070  = $19.99. 

ALSO, Word for Word is currently in the process of crowdfunding $20,000 for our forthcoming title The Gospel of Luke. If you’d like to help them fund the next novel, check out their Kickstarter here:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/word4wordbiblecomic/the-gospel-of-luke-word-for-word-bible-comic-niv-and-nvi?ref=424wph