Follow God’s story of love, hope, and rescue from Genesis to the Gospels in this captivating graphic novel through stories told by Jesus himself.

“Comic books and the Bible have a lot in common. Pretty much every kind of story you like comes in comic form. There are funny comics, cowboy comics, mystery comics, romance comics, superhero comics (duh), science fiction comics—you name it. The Bible has all kinds of stories too. There are funny stories, like the one with the guy who is supposed to speak up for God but won’t, so God sends a fish to eat him (and then puke him up). There are adventure stories and stories that are pure history and romances, like Ruth and Boaz, and amazing superhero-type stories, like the one with the guy who is so strong he can tear down a temple with his bare hands! Pretty much any kind of story you like, the Bible has a story like that.

One story I love takes place after Jesus died. Two of his friends are walking down the road when Jesus shows up, but they don’t recognize him. Jesus starts telling them all these stories from the Bible and explains that even the oldest ones—like how God created the world—were about the Savior who was to come, Jesus.

The Bible doesn’t tell us which stories Jesus told his friends that day. But I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to imagine which stories they were and how Jesus might have told them? That’s the idea behind this book. Parts of this book come straight out of the Bible.

Our talented artist, Dave Shephard, and I also wanted to give you some fun peeks into what it would have been like to walk around with Jesus. Dave worked hard to make the land and trees and bushes, buildings, furniture, clothes (and toys!) look close to how they would have in those days. Dave also did an amazing job bringing all the characters to life, and I enjoy seeing Yeshua as he eats and talks and laughs alongside the other people in this book. I love comics, and I love the Bible. I hope this graphic novel makes you love the Bible more too. Happy reading and have fun!”
—Matt Mikalatos

“This graphic novel by Matt Mikalatos illuminates the ancient world, weaving modern imagery together with biblical scenes and inviting us to see ourselves within one of the New Testament’s most mysterious moments. Somehow, Jesus conceals his identity as he walks with grieving travelers who are confused over his death. In the Bible, this story is brief but packed with irony and dense symbolism that Matt opens and fleshes out, exploring the story’s implications with creative imagination. He combines careful scholarship with David Shephard’s beautiful artwork to set us on the dusty first-century path with Jesus and his companions as they journey toward Emmaus.”
—Renjy Abraham of BibleProject

Check out what readers have to say about God With Us!

“Beautifully illustrated and written, God With Us both instructs the reader and brings the reader to worship as the scripture is illuminated in light of the person of Jesus. I recommend this for anyone, but particularly those who are visual learners. My almost 10-year-old son read a good portion of it himself, and his reaction was, ‘We definitely need to get this in April!’”

“Definitely recommended to anyone looking to read unusually structured biblical stories in a graphic-novel format. This book would make a great gift, especially on special occasions such as Easter and confirmation. The official target audience for this book is middle-graders, but it works even better for older readers.”

“Matt Mikalatos does a wonderful job of seamlessly switching from the Old Testament to the New throughout. I loved the details like the Word at creation—a glowing figure filled with the names of Jesus—connecting to the end page with Jesus once again a figure filled with His names. Often, handwritten letters are inserted to show what God, a prophet, or Jesus himself had to communicate. The words are paraphrased and help kids understand the intent of the speaker. There are two kids in the story, and they behave very much like any kid would on a long, dusty journey . . . I really loved the storytelling so much! This book reminded me of a beloved comic book I read at my grandmother's house as a child.”

Matt Mikalatos has been a youth pastor, missionary, and clerk at a comic book shop. He has a master’s degree in biblical theological studies and also a very large rabbit named Bruce. He’s an award-winning author who lives with his wife and three kids in the Portland, Oregon area.

David Shephard’s illustration career spanned nearly forty years, and his clients included many design and advertising agencies, book publishers, magazines, and newspapers. Over the years he found himself more and more drawn to creating art for children and teenagers. He illustrated many children’s books and graphic novels from his Sussex studio, which had a cracking view of the Norman castle next door.

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