Manga, a Japanese art form, is associated with inspiring television classics like Dragon Ball Z. Merging Christian tradition with Manga can be considered a marriage of two powerful epic narratives, and for one thing, Manga heightens the emotional quotient of any story. Melodrama can impact readers and leave them with a memorable experience in the long run. The Manga Bible is based on The Holy Bible: New Living Translation. In this second edition printed in 2004, the illustrated story commences with a very brief narrative of creation. Adam was the first man to walk the earth, and God gave him Eve as a companion. The Serpent tempts her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge that will make them like God. Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden. Then begins the tale of Noah’s Ark. It was a time of moral decay, and so God commands Noah to build an ark to save himself and his family, along with two of every species on the planet. Once it rains on the world, everything is flooded. Thus, Noah’s family survives. Then the plot jumps to Abram (Abraham) settling in a new land as per God’s calling. The fall of the sinful city Sodom is displayed. However, the account of Abraham’s son Isaac stands out, beginning from the angel predicting his birth to the command of God to Abraham to sacrifice him. Once this part of the Bible is covered, the text resumes again for quite a few pages. The text-illustrations-text interspersing occurs at three points. The second part of the graphic presentation introduces Moses, a Jew brought up in Egyptian tradition. He becomes the deliverer of the enslaved Israelites. The 10 plagues strike Egypt till Moses shepherds the multitude through the Red Sea. He gets the Ten Commandments and then the narration shifts. Joshua pioneers judges who protect Israel from external threats. They include Ehud, Deborah, Gideon and Samson, who feature in a box each. Following Samuel’s entry, the focus shifts to Israelites wanting a king. Saul is anointed, but is succeeded by David. The narration focuses on the legend of David, Elijah and the other prophets. The second section ends with Isaiah prophesying the coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament, the major events of Jesus (here called Yeshuah) are highlighted. Even Joseph and Mary are addressed as Yosef and Miryam, respectively. Yeshuah’s callouts, like the ones of strong characters in the Bible, are sharply defined and it is only when he prays to God to take away the cup of suffering that the callout is hazy, expressing uncertainty. Then, in the text, all the words of Jesus are in a different font colour, matching the New Living Translation. The philosophy behind any translation is divided into two methodologies: formal-equivalence (word-for-word) or dynamic-equivalence (thought-for-thought). Yet a real conversion will have to maintain a balance of literal and functional, otherwise the meaning is lost. Manga readers worldwide have to understand the text, which implies the use of contemporary English and the modernisation of measuring units. A cubit is one such sample word that needs to be quantified more in 21st century terms. What ices the cake is the artwork. Look out for the plague on the first-born children of Egypt. The visuals might make the heart skip a beat. Furthermore, the artist has extensively used the sun. The colour of the sky matches the characters’ facial expressions, and in the New Testament, Satan is angel-like in an eerie sort of way. There is also an aura surrounding the lettering of a large chunk of the narration, especially in the New Testament. The healthy alliance of art and text form a good publication for modern readers.
— Nithin D Koshy blogs at www.atlasreborn.blogspot.com