The Circle Series (Graphic Novel)
Summary
The Circle Series (Graphic Novel) is a comic book adaptation of Ted Dekker’s best selling The Circle Series. In it, Thomas Hunter finds himself dreaming of a fantastical reality that might just be a little more real than he bargained for. Neck deep in real-world conspiracies in one realm and on the frontlines against evil in the other, Thomas discovers the two are far more linked than he could ever imagine.
Assessment
The Circle Series (Graphic Novel) is a split fantasy-contemporary fiction story that takes a long, intense look at both spiritual warfare and how much God loves His creation. The story switches between a world that parallels — but doesn’t copy — the Biblical timeline and the real world on the brink of disaster. This mechanic allows Dekker to tell two, interconnected stories at once, almost as if he is peeling back the layer of reality to reveal the deeper undercurrent of spiritual warfare that permeates the real world. The graphic novel has obviously edited and abbreviated some story elements and plot lines from the original book series, but does a good job of getting the gist across.
The series was originally three graphic novels, collected into one volume. The artwork for the first two is a little clunky and rough, but is readable and follows a classic Western-style comic aesthetic. Artwork for the third graphic novel is of higher quality, but still maintains a lot of the style of the previous two, creating a more or less cohesive visual story. For the story itself, it has several layers of theology, ranging from blunt and overt to more subtle Biblical truths. Each layer is skillfully crafted and specifically designed to point the reader towards God and His immense love for them. While some elements in the graphic novel felt a little rushed, such as the conspiracies and romances, the theological plots seemed to stay for the most part intact.
In terms of cleanliness the series does have a lot of action, violence, and theologically heavy topics. This said, the violence does not feel either out of place, gratuitous, or inappropriate for the story. It is used to explain how much God loves His creation, even in spite of their faults, flaws, and the hatred in their hearts. There is no nudity or sexual content.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Artwork: 4 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 5 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Age Appropriateness — Appropriate for older kids, teens, and adults.
Talk
This series felt like it was hugging my heart with one of those hugs that’s so full of emotion and love it almost hurts.
I’ve had literal sermons convict me less and point less to both my brokenness and my belovedness (that’s a word, trust me) than this graphic novel. Ted Dekker did not mess around with this story and all its gut-punching twists and turns. My friend warned me that it was going to be a wild ride, but how Dekker was able to pull off such a wonderful, fantastical picture of the Gospel and God’s immense and undying love for us…I have no idea. This is a theological masterpiece in the realm of fiction; I think only C.S. Lewis’ Perelandra would rival The Circle Series in depth and beauty in how it unfolds some of the trickier concepts of the Gospel. Stellar, stellar stuff as both a fun piece of fiction and as a treatise on God’s love.
Now, despite how much I’m raving about its theological message, the series honestly did not impress me in other ways, and I think most of the blame lies with the fact it’s a graphic novel interpretation. Don’t get me wrong, this is a wonderful introduction to the series and the theological message still stands. However, I know they probably had to edit and trim some things from the novels in order to make it fit, which makes the story feel less complete and gives it a few rougher edges.
Additionally, I wasn’t too impressed with the artwork in the first and second parts; it had a strange style that was pushing the boundaries of anatomy and perspective to their limit. It was honestly very distracting from the story in some panels. The art style changed dramatically in the third volume to one that was less overly stylistic, which made the whole thing flow a lot more smoothly.
These things aren’t meant necessarily to dissuade the audience from checking this version of the story out; especially if you struggle with reading novels either due to time or something like dyslexia. The story is still amazing and the theology is beautiful, but as a graphic novel, there are some things left to be desired.
Final note: I’m not sure if this is an intentional mechanic on Dekker’s part, but I love how the intertwining of the real and fantasy worlds kind of mirror the tangible and supernatural realms of real life. Actions in one have consequences in another; where one is perhaps a long, slow crawl, the other is full of conflict and high stakes situations. I might be reading into it a little, but, personally, its really fun idea to play with.
All in all, I think this graphic novel is mostly just making me want to go read the original novels…perhaps there will be another review sometime in the future…
Where to Enjoy
Barns & Noble: Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels by Ted Dekker | eBook | Barnes & Noble®
Faithlife Ebooks: Circle Series Visual Edition: Black, Red, and White Graphic Novels Faithlife Ebooks
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