Captain Absolutely: A Comic Book about Defending Truth, Justice, and a Lot More Truth!
A comic book can unlock the imagination and inspiration of a hero saving the world from bad guys. Have I got a comic book to share with you!
One doesn’t have to look any further than a list of upcoming movies to recognize that superheroes have caught hold of the public’s imagination. No matter how many times the stories have been told, people still flock to watch and experience the excitement and hope, and adventure of their favorite hero.
The comic book section of any bookstore reflects the same excitement and connection to the idea of superheroes fighting to save the world. But if you’re like me, you might watch or read the stories with a bit of melancholy. After all, despite the way they grip your emotions and create epic storylines…there is an emptiness at the end. Not much from those adventures translate to real-life or godliness or the hope of Christ.
When it comes to what I provide for my children to read over and over again—I want the stories to carry truth that can help them make sense of their world and encourage them to follow Christ.
If you’ve ever felt this way—I have an awesome resource for you!
A comic book full of adventure, excitement, fun characters, and a Biblical Worldview: Captain Absolutely: Defending Truth, Justice, and lots more Truuuth! by Jesse Florea and Stephen O’Rear.
The Exciting Story in the Book
The story follows Josiah King, a mild-mannered librarian who gets trapped in a room full of Bibles when there is an explosion in the computer lab. As he reads Scripture (and inhales some radioactive fumes), he is transformed into superhero Captain Absolutely and goes out to save the world from some very dangerous but very sneaky villains.
He faces off with Dr. Relative, who wants to insist that right and wrong can change depending on what someone wants at the moment. He later meets many others like Farmer Vile, who wants to use anger and fighting to get his way, and the Fear Chemist, who believes fear is the best way to control the world.
Using Scripture and godly principles (and some comic-book maneuvers), Captain Absolutely is able to counter the lies from these villains with Truth.
Captain Absolutely was originally a comic strip from Club House Magazine and uses all the traditional comic-book-type drawings and thought bubbles to create an interactive, picture-filled storyline. If your children listen to Adventures in Odyssey, they’ll also recognize that Captain Absolutely is credited to Wooton Bassett, the beloved mailman and secret cartoon artist from Odyssey. There are also several references to Odyssey adventures that could be fun to listen to after reading the book!
The goal of Captain Absolutely is to address some of the common ways Christians are drawn away from truth and can be distracted or confused by the things of this world.
With subjects like family, real beauty, loneliness, peer pressure, etc… your children will watch Captain Absolutely learn to stand firm on the truth of God’s word. There are absolutes, we’re reminded, and they’re found in the Bible.
A few common questions:
What age is this book written for? In my reading, I would place it at about 8-14, though I’m sure some younger and some older would enjoy it as well.
Is there a lot of violence? There is some comic-book violence. This means violence is implied and “shown” with things like POW or CRASH written into the picture. All of the fighting is against “bad guys” who are not representing actual people but rather ideas or ways of thinking that are harmful.
Does it stay true to the Bible? Well, it’s a fictional comic book about a superhero, so no, it’s not going to stay true to the Bible. But it does follow Biblical teaching—and sends the reader back to Scripture to “back up” that teaching.
There is always going to be a bit of nuance when it comes to translating a story from a book into real life, but Captain Absolutely is full of good things to talk about with your kids, to discuss in your home, and to take time to look at Scripture for yourself. (A cool part is that it lists the Scripture references right in the text for the things it discusses!)
How someone reads it and applies the subjects in this book will always vary from person to person, so take time to ask questions and listen to your kids talk about what they are hearing and getting from the story. After all, that’s part of the story itself—learning to go back to Scripture to find our absolute truth. Learning to look at the world through the lens of knowing and following Christ.
Would it make a good read-aloud for family time? I would say no because it’s a comic book, and those use pictures as much (and sometimes more) than words to share the story, so it might be difficult to read it aloud. I do think, however, that it would make a great launching point for discussions during family time—so it would be worth reading along with your kids so you can talk about the different subjects included in the story.
Would it make a good evangelistic tool? This book is definitely written for kids who are growing up in Christian homes. It’s a fun, adventuresome way to look at how our worldviews are formed and how the Bible answers some of the pressing questions of the world.
That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be shared with a non-Christian friend, of course! But the comic itself could be confusing to someone who has no understanding of the Bible. However, the expanded version does have a section at the back that answers many questions about worldview, the Bible, and it also explains the gospel very clearly.
An Awesome Resource for Your Kids!
All in all, Captain Absolutely is a fun, unique addition to any home library. Graphic novels, or books that use sequential art, are rising in popularity right now, and this book is such an awesome resource to have on hand—especially if you have superhero-loving kids around!
To find out more about Captain Absolutely: Defending Truth, Justice, and Lots More Truuuth! an Adventures in Odyssey Book, click HERE.
Natasha Metzler writes from a small farm in Northern New York where she lives with her husband and three miracle children. In between homeschooling the older kids she blogs and writes books. Pain Redeemed tells the story of her journey through infertility and Counting Grains of Sand tells of how God built her family from splintered pieces. She also writes fiction that celebrates the goodness of the Father, like her Women of Promise series and the allegorical fairy tales found in her Daughters of the King collection. You can find her blogging at natashametzler.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
* I was thrilled when the people at Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. approached us about sharing this Focus on the Family Resource, Captain Absolutely, with you. So while this is a sponsored post, please know that the content and opinions expressed here are entirely our own. (See my full disclosure here)
