The Secret History,
the Bible or Not?

The Secret History: Book One: Genesis/46 pages and $5.95/words: Jean-Pierre Pecau; art: Igor Kordey/sold in comics shops and at www.aspcomics.com.

As their village is being ravaged by an invading horde of savages, each of four children is given a powerful runestone and one warning by a dying shaman. The power of each stone should never be used at the same time. The consequences of the four children’s immediate dismissal of this warning ripple throughout human history. Such is the premise of The Secret History, a new, seven issue mini-series from Archaia Studios.

The premise and packaging are intriguing, and the second intervention in the first issue by this pack of immortal rune-masters involves Moses and the exodus from Egypt by the Israelites circa 1350 B.C. The pacing is tight and fast, the characters believable and interesting, plot twists abound, and the art is reality-based, distinctive and engrossing. This is an outstanding example of adult graphic fiction.

But nothing is perfect, and there is a serious flaw in The Secret History. If you call a dog a duck, that doesn’t make it a duck, and misinformation can cause serious problems in life. In general, knowledge and understanding of the Bible is already weak, and twisting its history for entertainment, as does The Secret History, can only lead to further confusion and ignorance. Christians will find that aspect of this otherwise excellent new comics title troubling. MV

MINIVIEW: Tales From the Farm: Essex County Vol. 1 [Top Shelf] Brilliantly written and drawn in an unpolished, minimalist style, this issue tells the story of an orphaned boy living on an isolated farm. He self-medicates depression and loneliness with a cape, a domino mask, and a washed-up hockey player. Because of loads of profanity that adds nothing to the story, Tales is regrettably only recommended for adults. MV

Check out Dreams and Visions #35 for a new Vance short story: www.bconnex.net/~skysong/dream.htm

Interested in the exciting Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection and Toy and Action Figure Museum? Go to fourcolorcommentary.blogspot.com & www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCARtM5BvvU.