Judas #1 Review

Judas #1
Writer: Jeff Loveness
Artist: Jakub Rebelka
Letterer: Colin Bell
Publisher: Boom! Studios

Review by Greg Brothers

Most people, even if they have a very limited knowledge of Christianity, know who Judas is. Most would be able to tell you that scripture tells us that it is Judas who betrays Jesus. So, when I saw that Boom! Studios was putting out a comic about Judas I had to check it out to see how they would make it work.

Judas #1 does not try to change events that have been accepted as the timeline within religious doctrine. Instead Loveness is looking to, at least for now, make Judas a sympathetic character. Allowing Judas to tell his story as he sees it brings up what many non-believers may ask: If Jesus is there to save the world, why does he allow these dreadful things happen to innocent people around him?

Judas hopes that by turning Jesus over to those who are looking for him will end the nagging questions in his head. When it does not, it is then that he hangs himself. But the story does not end there. Instead Loveness takes readers on the journey into hell with Judas, who is still haunted and questions how he will finally be saved. Even in Hell, Judas is not accepted, and Judas wonders what it is that will save him.

As intriguing as the story is, it is the art in Judas #1 that stands out. From the beginning you can see the pain that is on Judas’s face, tears filling his eyes. There are maroon skies around him, as Judas is in grey–filled with details but lacking color. In many ways it makes it feel as if he is a shell of a man, with no color and an empty colorless face. Rebelka has a unique take on Hell in Judas #1. While many would have drawn it with the typical hellfire and brimstone, Rebelka makes is barren, with minute details and a blue lifeless hue around it. It’s not at all what I was expecting, but it looks wonderful.

Verdict:
Buy it. Judas #1 is not at all what I was expecting. By the end of the first issue, readers feel sorry for Judas–not because of his actions, but for the amount of despair and loneliness that he feels. Religious or not, Judas #1 is more about a story of a man in despair who questions the actions of the leaders around him.