Full Disclosure: This is a self-published graphic novel.
Tobias Henry is a preacher’s son, but he has little use for God or his Bible-thumping father. The only use he has for the Bible is rereading the surprisingly sexual content of the Song of Solomon. His worst fear is the Rapture will come before he finds a wife, because of his father’s assurance that there is no sex in Heaven – just endless hymn singing. Naturally this sounds like Hell to a 19-year-old who’d rather spend his days fishing.
It is thanks to Tobias’ skipping an Easter Sunday service in favor of fishing that an unlikely chain of events leads to his father wrapping his car around a tree and being blinded by bird poop. With his firing from his position eminent, the preacher gives Tobias a tearful confession. He tells Tobias of his misspent youth as a musician and the dirty money he buried in a dry well in Texas. Now the sheltered Tobias must travel across the country on a mission of mercy. This exposes him to the harsh realities of 1930s America, which had not touched his hometown of Remus, Michigan. It also leads him to befriend a hook-handed scoundrel named Craw and a woman named Sarah, who might be everything he ever dreamed of.
I have not read the novel The Dirty Parts of the Bible, so I cannot assess how well or poorly this graphic novel adapts the original text. Author Sam Torode, who also wrote this adaptation, describes the graphic novel as “a complete re-visioning of the story – full of surprises even for those who’ve read the original book.” In any case, both are based on the Book of Tobit, with the characters transplanted from 2nd century Judea to 20th century Texas.
Regardless, this graphic novel is a riveting read I got through in one sitting. The setting is well captured by the text, and Torode does not shy away from showing how rough life was during the Great Depression. Tobias is a likeable protagonist, moral if not godly, who takes people at their word and tries to help others within his means. Craw is a loveable rogue, who manages to defy most of the Magic Negro cliches despite being a stand-in for the archangel Raphael. And Sarah is a likeable love interest, who is not afraid to call Tobias out on his nonsense, as he grows to true manhood while defying the curse she fears controls her life.
The artwork by Tina Ritchie is simple and streamlined. It perfectly captures the spirit of the time period and the attitudes of the characters. I particularly like the expressive faces most of the characters have. The monochromatic coloring is another particularly effective choice, giving the finished art the feeling of a classic movie.
There is no official age rating on the cover of The Dirty Parts of the Bible. Sam Torode himself recommends it for audiences 16 and up and I think that is fair. Some may object to the blasphemy Craw and Tobias express, but this ironically reinforces the novel’s greater themes of goodness existing independent of the structure of a church. There’s no overt nudity, but a fair bit of sexual content. Most of this comes up during Tobias’ daydreams and his encounter with a prostitute after accidentally renting a room in a brothel thinking it is a hotel. There’s also a fair bit of cursing and some violence, but nothing inappropriate for a teen audience. Older teens, however, will be in a better position to appreciate Tobias and Sarah’s respective problems and the romance that blooms between them.
The Dirty Parts of the Bible: A Graphic Novel
By Sam Torode
Art by Tina Ritchie
Independently Published, 2023
ISBN: 9798851983801
Company Age Rating: 16+
Series ISBNs and Order
Related media: Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
