Ari Handel

The story of Noah is as simple as well-known. How could they make a full comic out of it? To my surprise, they did and they did surprisingly well.

Noah as a tormented man with apocalyptic visions, condemn to see everything perished is a compelling point of view and I found very amusing the irony of a "post-apocalyptic" world in a "pre-apocalyptic" time. It actually has a point, because the deluge came to "reset" an earth that had gone completely astray from God's design. These and other twists made this comic surprising. Drawing is also top-level, with special mention to the constructions and ruins in a fascinating style that gives a fantastic air to the story.… (mais)

Chose because I'd read one of Aronofsky's and found it ...unique, and more especially I'd been enamored of Niko Henrichon's art in Pride of Baghdad.

The Story
Aronofsky & Handel manage to make what is generally looked at as a rather absurd story (man builds boat to hold every animal on the planet and keep them there for over a month? what??) into a brilliant and touching graphic novel. From the first panel of the first page it is powerfully evocative and it continues that way throughout. Rather than a wacky bible story, they have managed to put together a story about human trials, about human greed and selfishness vs human empathy and suffering. I wasn't so sure what to expect of a story about Noah, but it turned out to be something that far surpassed any expectations I could have had.

The Art
Niko Henrichon's art is nothing short of spectacular. It is realistic and perfectly colored and belongs hanging on a wall! There are several pages that I simply sat gazing at before moving on because they were just that stunning. The color palette, the pacing and layout, variation between pages, everything is perfectly orchestrated. Not a single panel is wasted. The faces of the characters are as expressive as though they were photographs, making only minor dialog needed between characters in many instances—as their faces say so much more than words could.

Overall
Even for someone not at all interested in bible stories, this is a brilliant worthwhile read, recommended for all!… (mais)