I Just Love NOT Worrying About the Comics My Kid Is Reading {A Captain Absolutely Review}

I love reading almost anything together with my children and enjoy reading on my own, too.  However, there is one type of book that's just not my style: comic books.  So, why would I have ever gotten excited to review Captain Absolutely from Focus On The Family?

My son!

You see, I don't love comic-style books, but I do love my oldest boy and his smile and, truly, comic-style books and graphic novels get my boy to grin.

As a matter for fact, as soon as our copy of Captain Absolutely came in the mail, my boy smiled big and, then, dove right in.  At that time, my children were putting away some groceries for me while I began sorting mail.  When I opened the package with the book in it, my son got excited and was so eager to browse the book that he forgot to finish his grocery job, failing to notice that he had not ye put away the cucumbers his sister wanted to try making pickle out of.  So, after I had completed a few more just-back-into-the-house tasks, I found my son browsing Captain Absolutely while absentmindedly using the cucumbers as an elbow rest.

After laughing and taking a photo of this, I pointed out to my son that he had not finished his job, whereupon, he apologized for maybe bruising the cucumbers, and, then, stole away with to his room with Captain Absolutely. 

A day later, my told me he'd read the book cover to cover and enjoyed it.  Since I had not even had time to look at it before he'd hidden himself away with it, I asked him to write me a narration of the story as his writing exercise for the day so I'd know what the book was about.  He  wrote, and later redrafted, this:

Captain Absolutely is about a librarian guy named Josiah King.  Josiah's life changes when the library explodes, an he becomes Captain Absolutely. Josiah gets sent flying into the banned books pat of the library and, when he reads Bible and is waiting to get rescued, radiation from the explosion makes him strong and gives him the ability to fly.

Josiah had a friend named Darren Gray.  but in the same explosion when Josiah became a super hero, Darren became a bad guy.  He was blasted into books about relative truth.
Later, Captain Absolutely meets a girl called Hana who becomes his sidekick as they fight Dr. Relative and his legion of bad guys.   Dr. Relative and his legion are Captain Absolutely's nemesis.

Captain Absolutely fights the Fear Chemist who thinks fear is power, the Unifier who thinks everyone should do it HIS way, Baron Von Confuser who creates chaos, Cap'n Crastin     I think this book would be good for those who like comics who technically say,s, "Be lazy,", Sloppy Joe who makes messes everywhere and many other bad guys.  Sometimes he wins.  Sometimes he loses. But he always fights for real truth.

Captain Absolutely is inspired by Josiah in 2 Kings 22:1.

I think kids who like comic books and adventure will like this book.

Adding to that, I'll explain that Captain Absolutely is a 105 page soft-cover comic book aimed at ages 8-12 and is a compilation of comic strips originally featured in Clubhouse magazine as a spinoff from the hugely popular Adventures in Odyssey series (which my children and I know and love from audio CD's!)  Not only does it contain the actual comic, but, its closing pages include ones that summarize the cast of characters that "star" in the comics. 

There is also a helpful "Big Questions" section that can be used as  conversation starters, thought provokers, etc.  Thus, the book truly proves itself as more than just a comic. 

Captain Absolutely is packed with the usual bright, bold effect of full-color comics and has thought-provoking end material, meaning book does more than entertain.  It uses an engaging story about someone who is transformed into a superhero with the help of mysterious radioactive fumes to help children discern how to be strong in faith in today's world by standing up for truth and justice while keeping eternal truth and God's Word in mind.  Then, it helps children reflect on life and faith with questions and Bible references.

Best of all for me, since Captain Absolutely is put out by the well-reputed Focus On The Family and spun off of a long-time family favorite Adventures in Odyssey, I had absolutely no qualms with handing it to my son to read before I'd even cracked its spine.  I was confident that the book would be filled with faith, fun, virtue, and adventure - keeping my son engaged and edified, and, I dare say, I was right.  My oldest devoured the book and got a helping of encouragement to keep God's Word at heart while he was at it.  Now, my only "problem" with that book is that my youngest child wants wants me to read it with him.  Me.  The person who does not cotton to reading comics. I appears that with this Christian comic in the house, I might just have to offer up my lack of love for comic-style reading material, so I can honor my youngest's request and - perhaps - even begin enjoying comics myself in the process.

If your children like comic books and you like to rest assured that the material they read is wholesome, fun, and edifying, then I would not hesitate to recommend Captain Absolutely!

Learn More

Captain Absolutely currently sells for $9.99 and is available to purchase in the Focus On The Family Store and Tyndale House Publishers.

You can visit Focus On The Family and Captain Absolutely on Social Media: 

• Facebook: @AIOFanPage
• Twitter: @FocusFamily
• Pinterest: @focusfamily/
• Instagram: @focusonthefamily
• Google+: +focusonthefamily
• YouTube: FocusOnTheFamilyUSA 

 

Seventy Homeschool Review Crew families were sent Captain Absolutely and, from what I hear so far, many Crew families also had children that stole away with the book and read through it as quickly as my oldest son did.  Click through the banner to read everyone's takes.