Marked
By Steve Ross
Seabury Books
180 pages

Coils of razor-wire surround the huddled tents of an internment camp, with skyscrapers on the horizon and silhouetted helicopters hovering above. A father warns his son to look the other way as a man without proper identification is beaten, then shot by armed guards. Behind the child’s terrified eyes, a demon triumphantly slams a window shut, and the boy collapses, leaving his father to beg the Heavens for help. This striking series of images sets the stage for Marked, a graphic novel by Steve Ross.

In the pages that follow, the Gospel according to Mark is updated in sequenced, darkly comical black and white drawings. Motion-lines and big-lettered sound effects provide a lively sense of activity, but Marked is definitely not a cartoon. The stark pen-and-ink world of Marked can be as violent and macabre as the story on which it was based. Open-minded teenagers and adults will find the comic-book medium ideal for imbuing the familiar tale with a jolt of fresh energy, perhaps akin to the raw power that made the book of Mark so popular to begin with.

A dumpster-diving vagabond answers a ringing public telephone and agrees to deliver a message. “Consequences?” he says, “Don’t make me laugh.” A carpenter, hearing of this on the radio, lays down his skill-saw, shaves his head and starts casting out demons. He is never named. He is also never reduced to a two-dimensional ‘Mister Niceguy’ – in fact, being called ‘nice’ seems to be his biggest pet-peeve. In presenting a fully-rounded leading man, Steve Ross shows a deep understanding of the Galilean rebel whose kindness still resounds two thousand years later, but whose rough edges remain to remind us that we too can carry the cross.

By creating fresh yet recognizable supporting characters, Ross presents vivid icons whose histories, emotions and drives are shown better in a single facial expression than they could be told in a chapter of prose. The pathos of an occupied people is expertly rendered, illuminating this key dimension of the original story, and heightening the excitement as well as the expectations that come to surround the savior. The villains are excellent, from bloated holy-men and bored storm-troopers to shadowy moguls and of course, the unseen face in the long black limo who pulls up to say “Have your people call my people.”

It would be a shame for Christian scholars to overlook this book due to its format. Marked is a singular achievement, every line a testament to how alive and vital the story remains. The painstaking work that’s evident on every page is overshadowed only by the wealth of insights and interpretations that grip the reader from baptismal plunge to battered passion. Reading this book once is not enough, but even a quick glance through it will enrich and enliven the way you see Mark’s gospel.