Review: Judas #1

Whenever I see a story based off of the Bible I roll my eyes. Not because I dislike the Bible but rather the opposite. I am a strong Christian and I get very agitated when the Bible is mishandled, and taken out of context. “Judas #1”“ is no exception.

The story starts at the end of Judas’ life in ironic fashion. Judas is then seen in what I guess is hell.Â It then shows flashbacks of the life of Judas. I was fine with this idea since the Bible doesn’t mention his past really. Giving the character a back story makes for a unique story in a setting with little elbow room. However, they didn’t focus on that and made their own elbow room.

The comic“s depiction of the afterlife doesn“t actually follow Biblical teachings. To me, this version of the afterlife seems weird. We don“t get much information about this version of hell (I think that“s what it is anyway) but that might be a good thing. It“s just a little weird in the wrong way.

The comic shows the scene of Jesus’ feet being anointed. Judas is of course concerned. He thinks they could’ve sold the expensive goods, and given the proceeds to the poor. Unlike the comic, the Bible mentions that Judas said this for selfish reasons. Judas managed the money and had been sneaking some for himself. This love of money is what likely led to the betrayal. Maybe this will be alluded to in future issues.

There’s a strand of panels that question the character of Jesus. This coming from Judas an evil dude, makes it work. But if the comic sets up Judas as the victim, that would put Jesus into the villain role. Not cool. I really hope that the following books don’t portray Judas as a misunderstood good guy, which is where it looked like it was headed. Judas was evil. Even before he was possessed by the devil and betrayed Jesus, he wasn’t exactly a class act. Judas was actually stealing money from Jesus and the disciples all along.

This limited series may be set to have four issues, but I have several issues with it already. (If you get what I“m saying) I had no problem with the art, but it wasn’t memorable, or even noteworthy. Story-wise apart from my Christian knit picks, wasn’t great anyway. It didn’t do that much to advance the story. It reminded me of the first half of the “Man of Steel” movie, where they tell an origin story through flashbacks, random confusing scenes, and cuts to the present. “Judas #1” in my opinion wasn’t enjoyable.

If you are not a Christian and just looking for a story, you may enjoy it more than I did, but then again maybe not. If you are a Christian and have knowledge of the Bible, then you probably wouldn’t be a fan.Â I can hold on to the hope that later issues will redeem the comic, or that I misinterpreted the author’s intent. For now, I am not pleased with the four-part limited series. The Bible is a beautiful book that needs to be handled properly. “Judas” flops in my opinion. The creators aren’t necessarily untalented, but just produced a comic that I personally didn’t like.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Writer: Jeff Loveness
Artist/Cover Artist: Jakub Rebelka