The Legend of St. Christopher: Quest for a King - Lee Hyoun-Ju and Kyung Hee Yoon

The Legend of St. Christopher: Quest for a King
Lee Hyoun-Ju (Author and Artist)
Kyung Hee Yoon (Translator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819845887

This is the first book from Pauline that I can honestly say I was disappointed in. From the opening page I was apprehensive and that sense of unease only grew as I read the book. My son was really looking forward to reading this together after I finished previewing it. But I have yet to decide if he will read it. Now I need to e honest and state I am not a graphic novel expert. Every few years I read a few, some I love, some I like and occasionally there is one that I have issues with. This is one.

Now to be honest this style of art is not my favorite to begin with. But when you combine that with historical inaccuracies and also what I consider suspect story elements it was hard to keep giving the book more chances. My first major problem is on page 2, Saint Christopher's mother gores to pray at a statue of Mary because she has been married a number of years and has not had a child. I love that element of the story, but the statue has a modern Rosary hanging from Mary's arms. This statue and the Rosary are seen in a few different frames. The Rosary in this form would not be seen for almost 1000 years to the date from this date.

The next element of the book that really caused concern was a section where the Devil is attacking a husband and a wife. The wife pays and raises a cross to defend them. And then she screams at and intimidates her husband. Not fitting with the story or events.

This book was originally published by Pauline in Korea; the artwork is very consistent with a specific style that may be more fitting in a different culture. Manga as a whole is an import into North America and maybe something with this volume was lost in the cultural translation.

For the most part it is the retelling of a great saint's life. The overall story is pretty good. I am just on the fence about recommending this book. I am interested in this series, and loved the other book I read, but this one I am uncertain about.

Note:  for reviews of other books from Pauline books and Media click here.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!