Suspended Animation Review
David's Mighty Men #1, published by Cross Culture Entertainment, 64 pages, $4.99.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I like well-done treatments of Biblical- and/or Biblically-related material in comics. And, folks, there are precious few out there. I've now added one more to the list, however, called David's Mighty Men.
D.M.M. is Biblically-related, as it places established Biblical individuals in fictional adventures. This particular volume features David, Shammah, Eleazar and Josheb Basshebeth (or "Adino") in two different adventures, "Trust" and "The Giant Mole Hill."
Written and illustrated by Javier Saltares, this is no great work in theology, nor is it meant to be. Rather, it's an entertaining romp filled with plenty of action and adventure by a creator who has respect for the source material. Saltares takes plenty of creative license in fleshing out three characters about which the Bible shares very little, and he proves his considerable talent in doing so. They are as diverse as they are interesting, convincing as they are well-crafted. What steals the show, however, is Saltares' art. Dynamic and action-oriented, his work clearly sporting a Manga influence, the characters fairly leap off the page in a highly-stylized and wonderfully expressive manner. And, while I generally hope for storytelling and characterization to be the driving force of a comic or graphic novel, I still love great art work. Besides, despite Javier's considerable talent at the drawing board, given time, I could easily imagine these characters stealing the show no matter how they were drawn, or by whom.
Well-versed fans will recognize Saltares' name, as he has done work for comics companies Marvel, D.C. and Dark Horse. He knows what he's doing, and he does it well.
David's Mighty Men is sometimes dramatic, sometimes humorous and always fun. How can you go wrong? It's recommended for all ages, and for Sunday school teachers to place on the bookshelves for their students. Find it at www.communitycomics.com, comic shops, and online retailers and auctions.
Mark Allen
For information on the exciting Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection and Toy and Action Figure Museum go to fourcolorcommentary.blogspot.com/
