The Catholic Comic Book Bible: The Gospel of Luke (TAN Books)

I am always on the look out for new Catholic Bibles. If I'm being honest with myself, I'm a bit of a collector. There are several translations out there (NAB, NABRE, RSVCE and Douay-Rheims), and within those translations, there are different footnotes, maps, commentaries, etc. It makes me happy just thinking about it! Lately, I've been looking for a Bible for my son. Granted, he has several already, but I haven't quite found the one I am looking for. That's why when I heard about The Catholic Comic Book Bible, I was excited to read it.

The Catholic Comic Book Bible is currently composed of two volumes - The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. This is very fitting, because these two books actually read like one book broken into two parts. Each volume is $14.95, which can be a little steep, if this turns into a 73 volume set, but as a Bible collector/enthusiast, I wouldn't hesitate to pay it. The translation used is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) and illustrations are done by Neely Publishing. The illustration style has a pencil-sketch feel to it and at times it comes off a little crude. However, it serves its purpose and is not so garish that it distracts from the text, which is where the real value lies.

The book does a wonderful job of creating a Bible but giving it a fresh take for younger eyes. For starters, this isn't an abridged version or paraphrase, your child will get the complete text of Luke and Acts. Your child will also be able to reference exactly where they are, as there are headings on the top of the pages, chapter breaks, and each verse is individually numbered. The text is formatted in a way that the narrative parts and the spoken parts are distinctly separate and it creates a nice flow and presentation.There are also footnotes at the bottom that give alternate translations of the text as well.

Overall, I am highly impressed with these two books. The Catholic Comic Book Bible is another example of the New Evangelization. This is a very appealing Bible for tweens and teens and perhaps even young adults. I hope to see this series continue, perhaps with some Old Testament books like Genesis or Exodus. If you have teenagers in your household and want them to read the Bible, then I recommend this series for you and them!

These books were provided to me by TAN Books in exchange for an honest review.