ClosetWorld
Summary
ClosetWorld is a fantastical, supernatural adventure graphic novel illustrated by John Amor and written by Matt Yocum (along with his late brother, Richard Yocum). In it, young Johnny Shepherd hears a noise coming from his closet. He gets up to investigate, finding his favorite calculator missing. Thinking it’s some kind of prank by his brother, Johnny dives into his closet, armed only with a toy blaster and pair of fuzzy, dinosaur slippers. He finds his calculator…or so it appears…and goes on an interdimensional adventure filled with angels, demons, and temptations beyond his imagination.
Assessment
ClosetWorld is an imaginative story for all ages. Johnny’s trans-dimensional adventure through time and space is a simple, fun trek through possibilities and wonders. The story is easily digestible by it’s target audience and carries a decent message about temptation and which voices to listen to: the voice of sin or the voice of obedience.
The story has a lot of Biblical elements without necessarily making a broader theological commentary. Angels are obviously used as the good guys and take on classic mentorship/guardianship roles in the story. Demons are obviously used as the bad guys and are used in the conniving evil advisor role. Additionally, there are some other fun, almost mythological elements mixed into the characters, while the worldbuilding blends elements of sci-fi and fantasy together smoothly. This creates a genre-bending story that actually holds up really well.
The graphic novel itself is suitable for all ages, however, the author’s bio references some personal tragedies that are probably a little much for a younger audience (further explanation below). The author bio is also directly across from the final page of the comic, making it difficult to skip over.
Light-o-Meter
Artwork: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Writing: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Age-Appropriateness: Appropriate for intended audiences (except the author bio).
Theological Message: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Overall: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Talk
This graphic novel was an incredibly fun and wholesome adventure. I liked how the story blended together elements of both science fiction, fantasy, mythology, and the supernatural into one cohesive plot. Some “genre-bending” stories like this take on way too much and it makes the story clunky, but this one did an excellent job mixing together all these fairly disparate elements effectively.
I think theologically this is not really a story you dive too deeply into. There are some elements with how, for example, angels are depicted that are more in line with popular culture than Biblical/scriptural accounts, but the story’s emphasis isn’t really on any grand theological exploration. While the its message does have some good lessons on temptation and how sin is ultimately unfulfilling, the comic lacks a over-arching theological meta which, honestly is a good thing given it’s purpose and audience. It’s light, it’s fun, and it’s safe.
I mentioned the author bio being a bit much for the intended audience and I do want to clarify that I completely feel for the author and what he and his family have gone through. I also deeply appreciate knowing more of what went in to make ClosetWorld and how precious the story is to the author; it makes me value the story more because I am honored to read such a important part of the author and his family’s life. My single concern is the fact that the bio might contain information that is too much for any children who read it; particularly those that haven’t fully understood how tragic the world can be. It runs the risk of being too much for them to digest emotionally depending on where they are in their development.
Is this a huge deal? Absolutely not, but it is something that came to my attention when thinking about the context of a younger audience reading through this book on their own. That being said, ClosetWorld is a ton of fun and something the whole family could enjoy, especially parents looking to get their kids interested in comic books.
Where to Enjoy
Matt Yocum’s Website: ClosetWorld – Matt Yocum
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