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. ( )

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. ( )

Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament is an anthology. Alan Moore writes a version of Leviticus 20. Many of the sections are written by Neil Gaiman, and one is even illustrated by Dave McKean. (Unfortunately it is printed in black and white.) The book is interesting, though some sections are needlessly offensive. ( )