Left Behind

Publisher
Tyndale House Publishers
Country of origin
Japan
Year
2002

Left Behind Book I Volume I to II of V

By David Rasmussen
29th Dec 07

This past year has seen several reviews of a faith based nature.
We’ve had the good (Realbuzz Studio’ Goofyfoot Gurl rising to the occasion with a 5 out of 5), and we’ve had the not so good (King of Kings comes to mind in the category of the not so good), but where does this title fall into the cracks between the top and the bottom? Well… does it even have a future (unlike Realbuzz Studios and… and… Realbuzz Studios.)

If you haven’t heard about the Left Behind series then there’s something wrong! Nearly everyone has either heard about this series, or at least seen the books on the shelves of bookstores and grocery store book racks! Somehow, somewhere, someway you’ve come into contact with this series somehow! If not the books then the direct to DVD release “movies”, or (heaven forbid) the comics! Yes, these comics!

I am not entirey certain who published these (and I won’t look until the very end as to it’s final fate) but based on the long rambling series of novels (which seemed to have birthed spin-offs and what not) from “best selling writers” and occasional talking heads on cable news networks (Tim LaHaye & Terry B. Jenkins), Left Behind is NOT an expose about how the Religious Right has been “left behind” becoming progressively more backwards in thought and action, no. It’s the OTHER Left Behind, as it the Left Behind that happens when “The Rapture” occurs and all those people who belief are taken off the Earth… what happens to them then nobody knows, but as Tim LaHaye/Terry B. Jenkins didn’t write the “God Sends A Ransom DVD Demand” scene in their book I take it they’re in a good place (ala the scenes from What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams).

But for Captain Steele (whose name makes him sound like he should be wearing tights and a long cape) there’s no free trip to the light for him. You see he’s been having a hard time accepting his beloved wife’s sudden religious conversion… and by conversion I mean she suddenly became almost subtlety in a light fanatical way about the whole thing and apparently LaHaye/Jenkins thought it was cute… you know what, guys? Do you feel THAT persecuted by those who don’t share your belief system? Do you?

Yeah. If you wondering WHY Left Behind got the score it did? Guess!
Now that I got a closer look at “Left Behind” my first impression is… oh, so LaHaye and Jenkins DID see “The Stand” by Stephen King!! Yeah… let’s take the last days of the Earth as seen by the bible and make it all Stephen King in The Stand dramatic like… only, well, unlike Stephen King which only had the ONE book (and that‘s all we needed, the ONE book), these two have… what… a DOZEN books?!? Apparently it takes Jesus seven years and 11 books to come to the Earth and save it from a blonde Carpathian anti-christ named Nicolae… yeah, that was nice. Took your time, did you.

And this series was supposed to last, from my guesstimates, that entire cycle of 12 novels plus the sidebar books and whatever else they did to milk the Left Behind franchise for all it‘s worth INCLUDING direct to DVD movies and all the times cable news networks call on them to pop in and give commentary on stuff like the “Archangel“ comic or how “The Golden Compass“ is going to make wee little atheists out of your children -- don‘t worry, Christmas 2008 they‘ll be back in their happy place when they praise the coming of The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian movie.

With 5 48 page comics per Book, ending after so long with the final Armageddon (Book 11) and the new Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (Book 12). Yeah, that is way too much overtly dramatic comics to be shoveled down my throat (or yours) and this came out at the end of 2001 (which means it was put together before 9/11). Now that brings up the “What happened to this series after Book I Volume II?!? But first…

It all started with the nation of Israel, which underwent a surprising metamorphosis when a scientist found a biological formula that made Israel a fertile growing land of plenty, which made it’s economy go through the roof! Too bad Israel then became total jerk holes and declined to share the formula, which was bad since the world was already in trouble with only three currencies being at the top of the world financial food chain (the dollar, the German Mark… yeah, I take it this is pre-Euro economy… and the Japanese Yen… until the day Eurasia makes their own leap into European Union status complete with their own version of the Euro) which leaves Russia in the dust. Angry they decide to go to war and attack Israel intent on overrunning the holy land.

Yeah. That is so unlikely. I mean who is really going to be coming over the border in large forces willing to go mano-e-mano with… OK, President of Iran, put your hand down. I figured that much on my own.
Yeah. Well, forget the fractured political and economics of the timeline since it doesn’t lend any weight to the Rapture to come… anyway Russia attacking is just an excuse for the Lord to flex his smack down muscles and put their invading armies to fire and dust as they are about to strike.

Then, as reporter Buck Williams is heading back to the US (post this miraculous incident) on this flight captain’d by steely manly man of indecisive wedding vows (who seems to keep glancing at the hot stewardess he’s working with thinking of taking her to dinner or whatnot) Captain Steele… no, really, he’s named CAPTAIN STEELE… he should be wearing tights, a long cape and underwear outside his pants with a name like that… anyway the Rapture takes place while they’re in midair and people vanish. After much overtly dramatic acting (and if you think this is bad don’t watch the movie version) they finally land only to find the world is in chaos at people (right up to newborns babies yet to be born) have all been taken from the world Stephen King’s Langoliers style (I.e. they up and vanished out of their clothes!)

The next book, Volume II, is all about the aftermath of the Rapture as people come to grips with whatever is going on (Captain Steele tries to put his shattered family back together, Buck goes to work, people try to find a way to figure out how to cope with a whole section of the planet vanishing).
Much overtly dramatic moments and no real Stephen King gripping scenes… unless this all fascinates you then you’re all up in arms that I keep bashing this book and for once I may get hate mail that isn’t about my bad review of Princess Tutu the Anime… that’d be a nice change of pace.

Anyway as the ending of Volume II is a cliffhanger (unless you read the book then you saw it coming) all I can say is that Captain Steele DOES find one family member, the guy who started the biblical ball rolling ends up dead, and… say it together now… and then there was ANTI-CHRIST!!
Yes, look for the totally brief cameo by Mr. Nicolae Carpathia… nice original name there folks… who will play the role of the Anti-Christ in this series.
(I didn’t see who played that role in King of Kings, but hopefully it wasn’t a blonde super model dude.)

You know what? I’ll play it as the chips lay. Or I should have… but I went over to BookMooch, clicked on Wishlist, and browsed through all that is Left Behind in search of answers.
What did I find?

Left Behind Book 1 DID see completion! All five volumes did come out.
And that’s about it. Tribulation Force Volume 1 released and then… nothing.
And believe you me, I looked through the WHOLE list under “Left Behind”!
No Child Left Behind, No Monkey Left Behind, No (him, her, they, women, girls, etc) Left Behind!
Book pro Left Behind, books con Left Behind (a few I plan to review) and “Kiss My Left Behind”.

Yeah. After browsing through all that all I can tell you is that the series seemingly died off at the start of Tribulation Force (maybe post 9-11 America wasn’t all that interested in reading a Left Behind comic after the events of 9-11, seems that way since Tribulation Force Volume 1 would have released about April 2002 or so. Who can say (except the publisher) why the title seems to have died off in Tribulation Force (a far cry from the dozen book run that LaHaye/Jenkins no doubt had planned for the comic book version.

Sure, I am sure the actual prose novels are far more interesting than the comic versions (as edited and cut up at they are to fit a gigantic mega novel into a 240 page comic set)… if I were to actually take the time to read them, which I won’t. Otherwise if I were to judge Left Behind by the comic LeHaye and Jenkins “Left Behind” then I wouldn’t have a nice thing to say about the series other than it’s drawn nicely and the stewardess in the series is cute. Oh, and apparently it’s “readers” didn’t have much nice to say about Left Behind the Comic either as the series didn’t make it past the second book.
Obviously Realbuzz Studios isn’t going to be worrying about the comic stylings of LaHaye or Jenknis anytime soon. No, no they’re not. (That why they’re getting the high scores and Left Behind has been… well… for a lack of a better term “Left Behind”.)

I’m giving Left Behind the Comic Volume I to II a 2 out of 5.
If I ever get ahold of the rest of Left Behind (all four issues) I’ll review them… and criticize them… I’ll do both. See you next time!

-- David Rasmussen 29th Dec 07