[5]By Randy Alcorn
Eternal Perspectives Ministries, Sandy Oregon
Please visit his blog [6]
The Apostle is my second graphic novel, and is based on the epic life and missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul. I’ve included, with painstaking accuracy (though having to condense), most of what the Bible tells us about Paul, while adding fictional details and dialogue to make the story work as a graphic novel. For instance, based on Paul’s fondness for his friends, it was only natural to portray them talking and joking together.
The biblical content of The Apostle is inspired by God. The added speculative elements are not. My design is never to contradict Scripture—only to fill out the story on these pages.
[7]I recently read through the finished book. I felt I wasn’t reading a story I wrote, but one which I merely assembled in a creative way (which of course is the case!). Luke is the narrator, which I feel gives the story an immediacy and personal connection that really pays off in the end when he invites the reader to join the beloved characters of the book by turning to Jesus. I was weeping tears of joy at the end, not as a writer, but as a reader. This surprised and touched me.
Because it includes a large amount of Scripture, and because the gospel is so woven into the story line and there are many people coming to faith, my prayer is that God might choose to use The Apostle powerfully. I hope that the warmth of the relationships between Luke, Paul, Timothy, Titus and Peter, as well as Paul’s good humor along with his failings, will make it seem real and attractive.
The graphics took two artists, a colorist and a letterer (who’ve worked with Marvel Comics, and who also did the art for my first graphic novel Eternity [8]) over a year to complete. I think they did an amazing job. I’ve loved writing The Apostle, and working with these marvelous artists. I hope you enjoy the results.
If you like my other fiction, I think you’ll like this as much, maybe more. And for sure, you’ll know a young person to share it with!