Customer Reviews

Megillat Esther

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Really just wonderful - the art, the story, the concept, the imagination -- for an old comics fan this is an amazing modern interpretation of a book of the Hebrew Bible. I think it maintains the spirit of the original book - after all, the original Hebrew text is included and fully translated into English - and makes it come alive!

I bought this book for my husband as he was preparing a program for our Purim celebration in our shul. I waited too long to order so it came a couple of days late. He wasn't able to use it for his preparations this year but he LOVES the book and it's rich illustrations and interesting text. Tells the story of Esther in a very inovative way.

The Book of Esther lends itself quite well to the graphic novel format. JT Waldman has done a brilliant job with arresting graphics and a translation that complements the images. Moreover, Waldman has included the original Hebrew text to give an even richer experience to this book. If that were not enough (Dayenu), there are rabbinic citations, a bibliography, side stories, and halfway through, the book flips over and you read the text in Hebrew fashion right to left. Although the tradition at Purim is to read the story with appropriate sound effects, this graphic novel approach is truly novel and beautifully brings the story alive adding another dimension to the characters and actions.

A daring and imaginative interpretation of scripture in a graphic novel is JT Waldman's version of the Scroll of Esther, the story behind the Purim festival. The artist incorporates the Hebrew text into the art along with the English narration and text balloons. The drawing and composition run the gamut from horrific to voluptuous as befits a tale of Oriental court intrigue and near genocide. As the story nears its climax the reader must physically turn the story around and switch from reading left to right in English to right to left as in a Hebrew. Thus reinforcing the narrative, as the slaughter and humiliation Haman, the villain, plans for the Jews is instead visited upon him.

Interleaved with this rich spread are parallels to other Biblical tales, genealogical information, messianic speculations, and guest appearance by prominent prophets. Plus the appended to the end matter of the book are a bibliography, rabbinic citations, and other notes. This is a cup that runs over its brim with delights, wonders, and mysteries.

This book is not only exquisite, but it also adds a whole new dimension to your Megillat Esther reading experience.

How often have you sat through Megillat Esther and lost track of where the reader was? Instead, use this book to follow along and you will be fully engaged to the story and its many allusions.

The full Hebrew text runs continuously through its pages, though you'll need to review at least once, to get keep up with the narrative/graphical flow.

Once you do this, you'll never want to go back to a text-only megillah.