Rumble! Zap! Pow! by Diane Startz and Luke Dabb is a Bible…or a comic book…or really both. Designed to make Bible stories come alive for children, Diane Stortz and illustrator Luke Daab give the most popular stories the comic book treatment—something sure to hit home for many families.

As someone who has written comics for Christian publications over the years, I can truly appreciate the effort put into a piece like this. It’s not always easy to tell a story in 8-10 frames, especially if you want to use as few words as possible. In addition to telling each story, the author includes a “Mighty Thought” (the basic take-away value of the story), “Power Words” (a scripture that supports the story), and an activity (a hands-on extra which is nice, but really not needed).

Overall, Startz did a decent job of making the comics come to life through her words. Some stories are better than others, but I especially appreciate her ability to use sound effects (thus the title). Sometimes she commits the biggest faux pax of comic writing—that is, explaining what you’re watching. For instance, in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, nearly every frame starts off with “the king roared…” “the king yelled…” “the king told them…” and then you see the king performing those actions. While this probably looked great in script format, once the artist illustrated the actions, these captions could easily be removed which would help increase the pace of the story.

For his part, Dabb’s illustrations are colorful and unique. You almost always know exactly what’s going on. If I had a nitpick it would be that the dialog balloons look like they were added post-production. They’re darker and more vibrant than any of Dabb’s illustrations, making it appear as though someone pasted them on top of his drawings…which somewhat diminishes the quality work he’s done.

All in all, kids should really enjoy Rumble! Zap! Pow!–a fresh approach to Bible storytelling. Startz and Dabb have provided parents with a great tool.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the Tyndale Blog Network book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I really enjoy Frank Viola’s blog and his books on Christianity and the Church’s place in the world today. (Yes, this is Frank Viola the author, not the baseball player!) Recently, we were emailing back-and-forth and here are some of his answers to questions I thought might also bless my readers, too. Be sure to check out his book Pagan Christianity? and Reimagining Church.

After reading Pagan Christianity? and Reimagining Church, readers may find themselves processing words like “church” or “communion” different than the rest of our culture. What adjustments have you had to make to the way you communicate since most of us initially define the words you use through the filter of our pagan traditions?

Frank: I try to define them when talking to people in the IC and we’re conversing on the subject.

The books in your ReChurch Library fit together very nicely as a continuous narrative. Clearly, even when you wrote The Untold Story of the NT Church (the first book in the series), you had the final books (From Eternity to Here and Jesus Manifesto) in mind. The kicker is that these books were written over the span of a many years. How did you go about writing this series as a cohesive whole?

Frank: It was really the sovereign ordering of the Lord. When publishers were interested, they contacted me and were interested in certain books. so we put them out in the order in which the publishers were interested. The order, I think, works well. The Untold Story of the New Testament Church came first. Pagan Christianity? came second, then the other three with David Cook, who did them in the order I wanted.

Some of your titles have stirred up controversy, a risk I’m sure you had to weigh when writing them. Do you see yourself as a risk-taker and what advice would you give to writers of fiction or non-fiction material when it comes to risk-taking in their writing?

Frank: The only advice I have is to write what God has given you and be faithful to His calling. Don’t worry about the results.

Finally, because I have strong roots in children’s book writing, I’m always thinking about ministry to kids. What role does ministry to kids play in an organic church?

Frank: It varies from church to church. Since we have strong community life, the children are exposed to the Lord through the other members constantly. They look at the adult believers as their heroes and role models and spiritual aunts and uncles. It’s really neat to watch.

Be sure to check out Frank’s blog and his books today!