Bible Books
Truth, Justice and the Judean Way
King David
Kyle Baker (New York: Vertigo/DC Comics, 2002) 160 pp., $19.95 (paper)
Holy Philistia, Batman! DC Comics, the pop culture icon that introduced the world to the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, has added a 160-page graphic novel, King David, to its repertoire. Highly decorated cartoonist Kyle Baker masterfully captures the intense drama of the biblical crusader.
You know the story. Born in smallville Bethlehem, a young, mild-mannered shepherd overthrows his evil nemesis Saul, becomes king, and fights for truth, justice and the Judean way. But David’s kryptonite of lust soon overpowers him. While his soldiers try to take an Ammonite fortress, David takes Bathsheba into his fortress of solitude. Then…Pow Bam Crash!
She’s pregnant, her husband’s murdered, and David would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for those meddling prophets and their parables. The graphic novel ends chillingly, right before David and Bathsheba’s first child dies, as prophesied by Nathan. David is playing peek-a-boo with the chubby baby, when Bathsheba enters the room:
“I don’t like his breathing,” she says. “Does his breathing sound funny to you?”
“He’s fine,” David says.
And with those words Baker’s work suddenly closes.
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