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Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament
Anthology graphic novel
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
4 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Kim Deitch
75 books48 followersKim Deitch has a reserved place at the first table of underground cartoonists. The son of UPA and Terrytoons animator Gene Deitch, Kim was born in 1944 and grew up around the animation business. He began doing comic strips for the East Village Other in 1967, introducing two of his more famous characters, Waldo the Cat and Uncle Ed, the India Rubber Man. In 1969 he succeeded Vaughn Bodé as editor of Gothic Blimp Works, the Other’s underground comics tabloid. During this period he married fellow cartoonist Trina Robbins and had a daughter, Casey. “The Mishkin Saga” was named one of the Top 30 best English-language comics of the 20th Century by The Comics Journal, and the first issue of The Stuff of Dreams received the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue in 2003. Deitch's recent acclaimed graphic novels include The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Shadowland, Alias the Cat and Deitch's Pictorama, done in collaboration with his brothers Simon and Seth. Deitch remains a true cartoonists’ cartoonist, adored by his peers as much as anyone in the history of the medium.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 21, 2022
Despite featuring work from comics greats like Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Kim Dietch, and Dave McKean, I found these tales of endless depravity and violence (though true to depictions in The Old Testament) too repetitive, and with not much to say other than, "The Bible's pretty fucked up, amirite?"
The stories are amusing at times, but I doubt I'll be remembering much of this book at all come next Tuesday--possibly the Gaiman and Moore entries will stick. Very little of the B&W artwork stood out to me, either, though Mr. McKean is in top form as usual.
The book's not terrible, more so just sort of pointless, imo. Though I imagine it would be fun to gift a copy to a friend or relative who's a hardcore Christian. If they say it's horribly offensive and vile, you can say, "It came straight from descriptions in the Good Book; you must have skipped those parts in Sunday School."
And I have to admit that the depiction here (I forget by which artist) of how Moses talks to God as just him ringing Him up on the telephone was pretty funny.
The stories are amusing at times, but I doubt I'll be remembering much of this book at all come next Tuesday--possibly the Gaiman and Moore entries will stick. Very little of the B&W artwork stood out to me, either, though Mr. McKean is in top form as usual.
The book's not terrible, more so just sort of pointless, imo. Though I imagine it would be fun to gift a copy to a friend or relative who's a hardcore Christian. If they say it's horribly offensive and vile, you can say, "It came straight from descriptions in the Good Book; you must have skipped those parts in Sunday School."
And I have to admit that the depiction here (I forget by which artist) of how Moses talks to God as just him ringing Him up on the telephone was pretty funny.
November 26, 2020
Neil Gaiman wasn't involved in writing every every comic included in this anthology (he authored six of the fourteen stories), but it was his retelling of a story from the Book of Judges that came close to having a Swedish publisher jailed.
As the title states, it unapologetically and very graphically illustrates what's written in the Old Testament—it does not interpret, it simply depicts, taking the words and displaying them as images. It's all black and white, ranges widely in drawing styles, and yes, it's probably offensive to most, religious or not, for different reasons; it raises interesting questions about censorship and why certain things are okay to be published and propagated in scripture, but "outrageous" in the context of a comic.
Among many other scenes, it includes a whimsical and cynical retelling of Creation, a recounting of the fall of Man and the expulsion from Eden featuring Gandalf from Lord of the Rings as God, and a gory tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Leviticus... it takes balls to publish something like this, especially at the time of its original publication in 1987, but I can't really say that I enjoyed it much. If I had to pick a favorite it would easily be The Prophet Who Came to Dinner, written by Neil and illustrated by Dave McKean, but as a whole, I felt that it relied almost exclusively on shock value, without much substance.
As the title states, it unapologetically and very graphically illustrates what's written in the Old Testament—it does not interpret, it simply depicts, taking the words and displaying them as images. It's all black and white, ranges widely in drawing styles, and yes, it's probably offensive to most, religious or not, for different reasons; it raises interesting questions about censorship and why certain things are okay to be published and propagated in scripture, but "outrageous" in the context of a comic.
Among many other scenes, it includes a whimsical and cynical retelling of Creation, a recounting of the fall of Man and the expulsion from Eden featuring Gandalf from Lord of the Rings as God, and a gory tongue-in-cheek adaptation of Leviticus... it takes balls to publish something like this, especially at the time of its original publication in 1987, but I can't really say that I enjoyed it much. If I had to pick a favorite it would easily be The Prophet Who Came to Dinner, written by Neil and illustrated by Dave McKean, but as a whole, I felt that it relied almost exclusively on shock value, without much substance.
January 29, 2023
Estava na cara que este quadrinho da Skript Editora era um caça-níquel para fãs dos autores da Invasão Inglesa nos quadrinhos dos Estados Unidos. O que chama a atenção é o trabalho hercúleo dos envolvidos na edição brasileira. Começando com a tradução feita pela amiga Dandara Palankof, que logo na primeira página desta publicação já mostra sinais da genialidade do seu trabalho na tradução de um poema sobre a Arca de Noé. Também o prefácio do amigo Gazy Andraus é incrível e, como a tradução da Dandara, supera a qualidade das histórias aqui presentes. Também preciso elogiar o trabalho de diagramação de Erik Alves, que não conheço, que teve de espremer letrinhas mini dentro de balõezinhos igualmente mini. Então parabéns para nossos versões brasileiras Herbert Richards. Agora, as histórias per se, não são lá nada especiais. No máximo a do Alan Moore e o poema inicial - muito em função do trampo da Danadara - são mais interessantes e engraçadinhos. A maioria ali tem cara de laboratório, fanzine, experimentação, algo cru e não pronto. Mas, se você gosta de HQs assim, certamente sairá satisfeito...
March 27, 2018
One of those things where ya just have to say: I'm glad it exists, but that doesn't mean I really like it.
October 14, 2015
Yes, we get it. The Old testament is pretty brutal, especially in the middle books that no church really talks about any more. But this selection of stories makes some strange choices for its coverage and approaches. Some work (the tale of Job is probably the strongest in the collection), others almost work (Sodom and Gomorrah doesn't quite pull it off, and the Samson story is a bit garbled in its execution), and others don't work at all (the stories out of Judges, probably the least familiar of the collection, get the least clear presentation, making it just sort of a blob of divine misdeeds and bad behavior). The collection as a whole doesn't seem to know whether it is just providing the details of these vicious stories, or editorializing on what their inclusion says, so it waffles and loses most of its potency. And its opening, with four pages of rhyming lines of wordplay on animal types, is three pages too long. Just enjoy the decent art for that one, and start with the next story. Or, don't go out of your way to read it at all - Gaiman's section isn't anything that really demonstrates his style, and can easily be skipped.
October 27, 2017
That Old Testament. Especially Judges....
March 11, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2970525.html
Thirty years ago, in 1987, Knockabout Comics produced this adaptation of fourteen Old Testament stories by leading comics artists; I got it as part of the Neil Gaiman Humble Bundle a few years back, he being the author of six of the fourteen stories (including Jael and Sisera as illustrated by Julie “Jewelz” Hollings, the only woman artist in the mix, who also illustrates an adaptation of Ecclesiasticus 42:9-11 by Knockabout publisher Carol Bennett).
There are some truly grim and nasty stories in the Old Testament, and while it would be very easy to just point and laugh, the art and stories here are from creators at the top of their game, taking the Bible at its word and confronting us with what is actually in scripture. It was still a bit subversive in 1987 - Knockabout were being regularly harassed by UK authorities for importing subversive comics from the USA, and Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament narrowly avoided legal action in Sweden. We are being challenged to think about why some forms of expression should be allowed if they are labelled as Scripture, and not otherwise. It’s a debate that has of course moved on to non-Christian religions too since 1987.
Thirty years ago, in 1987, Knockabout Comics produced this adaptation of fourteen Old Testament stories by leading comics artists; I got it as part of the Neil Gaiman Humble Bundle a few years back, he being the author of six of the fourteen stories (including Jael and Sisera as illustrated by Julie “Jewelz” Hollings, the only woman artist in the mix, who also illustrates an adaptation of Ecclesiasticus 42:9-11 by Knockabout publisher Carol Bennett).
There are some truly grim and nasty stories in the Old Testament, and while it would be very easy to just point and laugh, the art and stories here are from creators at the top of their game, taking the Bible at its word and confronting us with what is actually in scripture. It was still a bit subversive in 1987 - Knockabout were being regularly harassed by UK authorities for importing subversive comics from the USA, and Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament narrowly avoided legal action in Sweden. We are being challenged to think about why some forms of expression should be allowed if they are labelled as Scripture, and not otherwise. It’s a debate that has of course moved on to non-Christian religions too since 1987.
August 16, 2009
I'm pretty sure there were only a handful of things that got me to buy this book: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman and irreverence...not necessarily in that order. If I'd only flipped through it, I probably wouldn't have looked any closer at it, as a bunch of the art is AWFUL (who the hell is Julie Hewitt anyway? And who told her to pick up a pen professionally?). There are some sterling turns (Gaiman & McKean, as always, and Moore with Hunt Emerson is pretty great stuff), but overall this is just too obviously a LOOK-HOW-DAMNED-AWFUL-THE-BIBLE-IS kind of thing, and I already know that.
Not something to track down, but worth picking up from a bargain bin if you spot one.
Not something to track down, but worth picking up from a bargain bin if you spot one.
March 21, 2011
A great collection of 1980's British graphic artists and writers interpretations of some of the weirder tales from the Old Testament \ Hebrew Bible. This comic isn't written as a typical Christian comic book, but is a frank and graphic (pardon the pun) depiction of the gruesome aspects of the Bible. Well worth picking up. Some notable artists include Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Alan Moore, and Dave McKean. If I ever get the chance, this will be what I ask Gaiman to autograph.
December 29, 2018
This was in a humble bundle and I always keep forgetting to read those…
It’s hard to read comics in a kindle app, too.
Plus, given the content, the old testament always was pretty weird, it’s one for the rarities.
2 stars
It’s hard to read comics in a kindle app, too.
Plus, given the content, the old testament always was pretty weird, it’s one for the rarities.
2 stars
July 6, 2023
"Knockabout Crack Edition" = £4.95
->I cherish my "Crack Editions" for the UK humour of the times with sights into that zeitgeist and how many Hunt Emerson flings are within (this included)!
Check the typical U.S.ness seen through goodreads- Deitch is the only one from the States, yet gets top billing over international hall-of-famers Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman (there are bigger name writer/artists too).
I want to be clear that, despite my poor rating on how it was put->to->page, I'm glad to have read it and believe this sort of "enlightenment" should be mandatory for all those who diligently believe that the Bible =as a whole= is the ideal and think of all of its lessons as bond- almost always from never having read more than was recommended to them.
->So that when they got this taste, and believed it all to be grossly exhaggerated, that they would verify and hopefully read on through mass unholinesses.
I listened to the Pentateuch (first five books) and it was, with no close contenders, the worst reading experience of my life that featured the most brutal of lessons (blessed or forced by Jehovah) when not being as boring as reading a phone book (lineages) or as anal and numerous as rules/instructions get so I didn't dare venture further!
This book is sloppy in writing and art. Either an editor was not up to the conducting job or the creators didn't give them enough time. The art transitions are brutal too- to the point where the difference between styles/execution makes one of them seem reproduced poorly.
->I recommend reading this 1-2 stories at a time for that reason, rests from the disgust you'll feel if your soul isn't tainted, and how difficult some are to understand fully because of the brevity and complications of making the Bible "make sense" so far beyond its time.
Gaiman does his job the best for my sensibilities by not trying to mix modern-day wordplay and styles/etc. for the humour theme. He did the HARSH 'Kings' tale "The Prophet Who Came to Dinner", but his moral tales from 'Judges' are some of the worst of BRUTAL INHUMANITY of which he recaps: "Wholesale rape, slaughter, murder and abduction: ordered or condoned by God to make up for another nasty rape and murder" (of a wife and tiny girl).
->I cherish my "Crack Editions" for the UK humour of the times with sights into that zeitgeist and how many Hunt Emerson flings are within (this included)!
Check the typical U.S.ness seen through goodreads- Deitch is the only one from the States, yet gets top billing over international hall-of-famers Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman (there are bigger name writer/artists too).
I want to be clear that, despite my poor rating on how it was put->to->page, I'm glad to have read it and believe this sort of "enlightenment" should be mandatory for all those who diligently believe that the Bible =as a whole= is the ideal and think of all of its lessons as bond- almost always from never having read more than was recommended to them.
->So that when they got this taste, and believed it all to be grossly exhaggerated, that they would verify and hopefully read on through mass unholinesses.
I listened to the Pentateuch (first five books) and it was, with no close contenders, the worst reading experience of my life that featured the most brutal of lessons (blessed or forced by Jehovah) when not being as boring as reading a phone book (lineages) or as anal and numerous as rules/instructions get so I didn't dare venture further!
This book is sloppy in writing and art. Either an editor was not up to the conducting job or the creators didn't give them enough time. The art transitions are brutal too- to the point where the difference between styles/execution makes one of them seem reproduced poorly.
->I recommend reading this 1-2 stories at a time for that reason, rests from the disgust you'll feel if your soul isn't tainted, and how difficult some are to understand fully because of the brevity and complications of making the Bible "make sense" so far beyond its time.
Gaiman does his job the best for my sensibilities by not trying to mix modern-day wordplay and styles/etc. for the humour theme. He did the HARSH 'Kings' tale "The Prophet Who Came to Dinner", but his moral tales from 'Judges' are some of the worst of BRUTAL INHUMANITY of which he recaps: "Wholesale rape, slaughter, murder and abduction: ordered or condoned by God to make up for another nasty rape and murder" (of a wife and tiny girl).
May 14, 2023
Irreverent (some moreso than others) adaptations of numerous Old Testament stories, with a general focus on their unpalatable elements and a more-or-less undergroundy aesthetic, albeit a soft-core version thereof. The overall perspective is satirical, undermining hypocrisy, criticizing sexism, etc. Alan Moore's contribution is probably the most successful, and there is a fair bit of good art from various hands--Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland (whose "Elisha's Miracle" is singularly impressive), Kim Deitch, and Dave McKean. I read this because several of the stories are early work by Neil Gaiman. He is not at his best in them, but they do showcase his skepticism about moral absolutes, and they foreshadow things we see later in his work. For instance, his version of Samson seems very much like a tryout for the version of Thor he created for Sandman. Uneven but often amusing.
January 5, 2025
For the squeamish, or those unfamiliar with robust Old Testament plots, the publishers are pleased to provide this cut-out-and-keep alternative frame for you to paste in...
This has sat on my selves for some time as religious stories are not really my cup of tea. However, given a number of the stories have been adapted by Neil Gaiman and have been drawn by many of his long time collaborators, I felt it was time to finally dive in.
Some of the stories in the anthology are told straight, others are given a comedic twist, becoming rather bawdy. The black and white style, and overall feel, do date this somewhat and you can tell it was produced in the 1980s. Overall, I had a few giggles but wasn't overly impressed. 3 stars.
This has sat on my selves for some time as religious stories are not really my cup of tea. However, given a number of the stories have been adapted by Neil Gaiman and have been drawn by many of his long time collaborators, I felt it was time to finally dive in.
Some of the stories in the anthology are told straight, others are given a comedic twist, becoming rather bawdy. The black and white style, and overall feel, do date this somewhat and you can tell it was produced in the 1980s. Overall, I had a few giggles but wasn't overly impressed. 3 stars.
June 27, 2017
I got this as part of the 2016 Gaiman Rarities Humble Bundle.
While as an avid fan I'm happy for every title released in the bundle, this one, like many of the rest, is quite redundant. There is nothing new, we all know the Old Testament has rape, murder, blood and gore. Reading the text (in Hebrew of course) gives that impression quite clearly. The depiction in comic form adds very little, especially as the quality of the reproduction leaves much to be desired (or perhaps the quality was mediocre to begin with). Some of the stories provide mildly entertaining editing (Delilah as an arm-wrestler, Moses as calling God on the phone), but most are quite mundane. If it was at least humorous, but it is just boring. Maybe this was intended for other audience than me. Two stars out of five.
While as an avid fan I'm happy for every title released in the bundle, this one, like many of the rest, is quite redundant. There is nothing new, we all know the Old Testament has rape, murder, blood and gore. Reading the text (in Hebrew of course) gives that impression quite clearly. The depiction in comic form adds very little, especially as the quality of the reproduction leaves much to be desired (or perhaps the quality was mediocre to begin with). Some of the stories provide mildly entertaining editing (Delilah as an arm-wrestler, Moses as calling God on the phone), but most are quite mundane. If it was at least humorous, but it is just boring. Maybe this was intended for other audience than me. Two stars out of five.
June 2, 2018
The Bible (and especially the Old Testament) is full of weird and wacky tales, yet few of these are common knowledge in comparison to the small handful of stories we’re all familiar with. Gaiman and company ply readers with the expected story of Sodom and Gommorah (if only because it’s one of the more “righteous” yet cruel and unusual stories), before delving into far more explicit and shady stories. Honestly, most of them aren’t worth remembering (or repeating), which is probably why they aren’t common fodder for Sunday School attendees, but they’re still an interesting read. It’s no wonder, though, that this little book wasn’t exactly a riotous success.
September 21, 2022
Basically, this is an underground comic take on some of the Bible's grislier stories (and one from the deuterocanonical Ecclesiasticus). Some (like the retelling of the Book of Job) tell the story straight with little interpretation, while others reframe the stories in an acerbic way. Most take a cynical view of the stories, though that may be more for shock value than genuine irreverence. Frequently, the jokes are quite good in a dark way. Intentionally or not, the stories push readers to reconsider what the Bible actually says in some of its darker passages.
October 26, 2024
It is interesting to see that great artists are also mortal and make silly or pretentious comics. Because that is what this collection is filled with.
Reading it gave me a constant feeling of cringe.
Some jokes are funny, but mostly the reading is dull.
Reading it gave me a constant feeling of cringe.
Some jokes are funny, but mostly the reading is dull.
September 24, 2023
not god being Gandalf xD it was funny to read (even with my little knowledge of the Old Testament). The drawings and words were all a bit smudged together so it was hard to read
May 4, 2022
Another comic from an old Neil Gaiman Humble bundle. This one is an anthology of short comics adapting some of the weirder tales from the Old Testament. Not entirely to my taste, but I admire the effort.
February 5, 2017
The Old Testament visually adapted (here mostly by Gaiman) makes for an out-and-out horror show, snuff by art. It's an odd juxtaposition, one of the nicest writers in the world laying down all the vile and bile in these straight adaptions, that reminds why so many have turned away from religion. All the contributors including Moore, Gibbons, Bolland, Hunt Emerson and the unfairly slated Julie Hollings do try to lighten the proceedings. Yet it's only Arthur Ranson who gets away with it (or escapes the taint, if you like) in the introductory 'Creation', a playful nonsense poem of animals, accompanied by some delightfully madcap drawings. There's a lot of anarchy in the compilation, and it's actually a bolder experiment than first appears but honestly the source material brings it low. To its merit though, a fine compendium of proven comix stars in a format that seems free of the demands of must-commercialism and open to free art, and for that it gets points.
January 17, 2017
This is a comic book from Neil Gaiman's 2015 Humble
Bundle. It's a collaboration between a whole bunch of comic book writers and Gaiman isn't in all of the comics. Now, I'm a firm atheist, but I went to religious daycare and so I knew all of these stories from before. But you don't really consider exactly how outrageous they are until you see them in pictures. The Old Testament is completely outrgeous through and through. I particularly liked the one where Moses went up on the mountain to get the ten commandments from God and his people were listening below and following them precisely, which ended in Moses having no people at all left when he came down because everyone had been worthy of being killed for something according to the ten commandments xD I hope the Old Testament made sense when it was written, otherwise I have no idea how a whole religion sprung from it.
Bundle. It's a collaboration between a whole bunch of comic book writers and Gaiman isn't in all of the comics. Now, I'm a firm atheist, but I went to religious daycare and so I knew all of these stories from before. But you don't really consider exactly how outrageous they are until you see them in pictures. The Old Testament is completely outrgeous through and through. I particularly liked the one where Moses went up on the mountain to get the ten commandments from God and his people were listening below and following them precisely, which ended in Moses having no people at all left when he came down because everyone had been worthy of being killed for something according to the ten commandments xD I hope the Old Testament made sense when it was written, otherwise I have no idea how a whole religion sprung from it.
August 14, 2007
Holy... wow. I'm not really sure how I feel about this book, but that fact alone makes it worthy of 5 stars. Basically cartoon retellings of bible stories by people that have not drunk the politically correct kool-aid. One of the stories - a pretty literal retelling of Judges 19 by Neil Gaiman - nearly landed a Swedish publisher in jail.
May 14, 2009
A list of useful portions of the bible that Xians always avoid when trying to convert.
How can anyone take any religion based on this seriously?
A MUST read!
How can anyone take any religion based on this seriously?
A MUST read!
December 17, 2016
It wasn't terrible? It was funny at points. Really not much else to say
December 18, 2016
Book Riot 2016 Read Harder Challenge: Read a book about religion. (fiction or nonfiction)
October 16, 2015
interesting
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews