The New York Times ran a piece this past weekend on Nigerian artist Ajinbayo Akinsiku, AKA Siku, and his manga adaptation of the Bible. Registration is required, but here are a couple of excerpts:

Mr. Akinsiku says his Son of God is “a samurai stranger who’s come to town, in silhouette,” here to shake things up in a new, much-abridged version of the Bible rooted in manga, the Japanese form of graphic novels.

“We present things in a very brazen way,” said Mr. Akinsiku, who hopes to become an Anglican priest and who is the author of “The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation.” “Christ is a hard guy, seeking revolution and revolt, a tough guy.”

Siku uses contemporary language in the book, not unlike Kyle Baker’s King David. There’s also a bit of dramatic flair in the visuals. The story is streamlined, as one might expect, since there’s so much in the original version.

While younger adults and teenagers are the most avid consumers of manga, Mr. Akinsiku said he had heard from grandmothers who picked up the book as a gift for their grandchildren. The book is meant to be a first taste of the Bible, which many feel too intimidated to read, Mr. Akinsiku said. Every few pages, a small tab refers to the biblical verses the action covers.

“For the unchurched, the book is to show that this thing, the Bible, is still relevant,” he said, “because it talks about what human beings do when they encounter God.”

His next project is a Jesus Christ bio.