Rosary Comic Book

by Gene Luen Yang

The Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries come to life in this unique comic book representation. Stories of each mystery are told through colorful, glossy illustrations and simple language, helping children ages 9-12 understand and enjoy this beautiful prayer. The story of the lives of Jesus and his mother Mary can be read, as any other comic book would be read, or you can pray with it, using the pictures instead of the beads of a traditional rosary.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Catholic, Christian

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics.

Reviews

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely little book to help pray the Rosary or just to read as a comic. I've wanted to get this ever since I noticed the Catholic themes in Yang's work and discovered his strong faith and the existence of this little book. It was hard to get when I first found out about it but can be bought online now. Written for youths but can be used/read by anyone, it starts with a short essay on what the Rosary is, then a diagram of the Rosary with notes on where to say each prayer followed by two pages with the words to each prayer. Then each mystery is fully illustrated in comic format in Yang's wonderful style using a unique format which one can use to pray the rosary without beads.. A large rectangle comic frame denotes the Our Father, followed by 10 square panels for the Hail Marys and finishes with a Rose for the Glory Be/Oh My Jesus. Each mystery has a colour-coded sidebar making flipping to the one you want easy enough. The stories are told beautifully and some of the more poignant scenes are simply told without speech bubbles making them even more significant whilst praying. An excellent book, I'm so glad to add to my Rosary resources. One small criticism is the book fails to mention which days you should say each mystery, something you'll have to look up on your own and add a note to the book, if you plan on using it for prayer purposes.

[Beth Kakuma-Depew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book makes the best First Communion gift ever. I love Gene Yang's interpretation of Jesus, Mary and the apostles.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries made me want to cry. Wonderful illustrations.

[Matt Piechocinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Distilled Catholicism for the layman.