Braddy Reads Megillat Esther

My continuing search for comics that MEAN something has taken a few depressing turns of late. I've been reading almost voraciously nearly every comic I find on these "Best Graphic Novel" lists, and I'm finding that... well... a lot of these writer/artists really like to show off what they learned in their figure drawing classes. Which, okay, doesn't make these stories BAD. When I read comics (or books in general), I'm not looking for a lot of graphic nudity and violence. I'm looking for a good, solid story with compelling visuals and (hopefully) some thought-provoking material.

So I figured what better way to avoid violence and immorality than by reading a story from the Bible.

Ah-Ba-Dum-Tish!

I found Megillat Esther by J. T. Waldman on a list of great comics for Hannukah. It's a graphic novel adaptation of the story of Esther, complete with rabbinical commentary.

I have to say that I enjoyed the experience of reading this book... but I wonder if maybe I'm not... JEWISH... enough to understand it.


That said, even I can appreciate artistically what's going on in this book. As you can see, the art is incredibly stylized. It's not quite my taste, but I still thought it fit. What's most impressive, though, is how the artist uses the comics space to tell the story.

About halfway through the book, about the point where the king rewards Mordechai after Haman's unintentional encouragement, the reader has to turn the book upside down to continue reading, forcing the reader to start reading the panels from right to left. It's a bit difficult to get the hang of (at least it was for me), but I found the effect fitting. Flipping the book creates a more "authentic" experience, as the original text would have been written from right to left. There's also a thematic connection, as the certain destruction of the Jews turns into a miraculous military victory, effectively turning predicted events on their heads.

Additionally, there are several nods throughout the text towards earlier Jewish history. There are quite a few of these references, so I won't mention them all. The most noteworthy to me appears towards the end of the text, as Esther draws nearer to her ultimate victory. Rachel and Leah, the mothers of the kingdom of Israel, appear in the margins and begin to argue over whose lineage is more successful. Again, I'm not sure I grasp the full significance of this moment, but the effect is pretty fantastic - and, really, it could only be done in graphic novel form.

I don't know that I LOVED the book, but I'm almost certainly not the target audience. Still, Megillat Esther was a fascinating read from a scholarly standpoint and well worth the time spent.