The book is broken into three separate arcs. Initially conceived to tell some stories around the Halloween motif, all three arcs are quite dark.
The first story, "Fears," features the Scarecrow and Batman in a fun chase through Gotham. The second, "Madness," includes the Mad Hatter, and develops Bruce Wayne’s relationship with his mother a bit. The final, "Ghosts," features Poison Ivy, the Penguin, Joker, and a spooky ghost. This story is akin to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and was pretty cool.
All three tales were beautifully drawn and inked. The scripts read wonderfully, inviting the reader to journey a bit into the troubled mind of the Dark Knight. Plus, the classic Good Guy vs. Bad Guy was just plain fun.
If you've never read the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale Batman comics, you really should. They are some of the finest Dark Knight stories out there, and I can't recommend them enough.
***
Chan challenges the reader instantly, calling our attention to the painful absence of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives and actions. His simple and straightforward way of writing is not "in your face," but written with conviction and personal struggle.
With life stories and Biblical backing, Chan makes it clear what the Bible is telling us about the Spirit: we have neglected Him and we need Him in our lives. This book is not classically charismatic or extreme, but it is challenging of your typical comfort levels, declaring that if you're not uncomfortable and feeling awkward from time to time, then you likely are away from the Spirit.
Overall, I found this book amazing. It's enlightening and full of hope, and I feel like I've grown in my Walk some by applying the message. If you're looking for a book to challenge your Christian faith, Francis Chan's The Forgotten God definitely is it.
3 comments:
Loeb and Sale do some of the very best Batman work out there. I have yet to read this, but it sounds good. As does Forgotten God. I haven't heard of it or Chan but it is something I am definitely interested in checking out.
@Carl: Definitely. I intend to read Dark Victory, another Loeb & Sale collaboration, sometime soon.
Francis Chan is a challenging minister out of California somewhere. His works really do hit hard at faith, pointing out how much we rely on ourselves and how much we should rely on God. Great stuff.
It sounds great.
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