Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Different Depictions, Same Story

Testament and Manga Bible have very different depictions of the Temptation and The Fall based on the audience they are written for. In Manga Bible the audience is obviously children and adults who want a pictorial retelling of the Bible. The Judeo-Christian myth of Adam and Eve is preserved almost exactly as it appears in Genesis. Certain stylistic aspects reinforce this. The nudity that is present is reduced. We see that Adam and Eve are naked, but not in a way that can be sexualized.


Testament is obviously written for a secular audience. The story of Alan’s fall is obviously meant to parallel the story of Adam and Eve, as indicated in the central panel on page 25. However, in keeping with the general practice of adapting myths to the concerns of the current era, the apple is replaced with a computer program that will replicate life. Between the focus on technology as a cause for the fall of man and the graphic depictions of nudity, sex, and drug use it is clear that Testament is intended for an adult, secular, audience.

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