[The following interview was conducted by Patricia F. Anderson and Deborah Schild.]
Book of Ruth (graphic novel).
Author: Meredith Finch. Artist: Colin Dyer.
Springfield, VA: Cave Pictures Publishing, LLC., 2020.
ISBN 978-1-949660081. https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUN201002
PFA/DS: For us, the Book of Ruth has been one of our favorite books in the Bible, in part because Ruth is a family name for both of us. What drew you to retelling the story from the Book of Ruth? Was there a moment you remember when the inspiration really came into focus for you, or did it slowly grow on you?
Meredith Finch: Ruth was one of the very first books of the bible that I read as a teenager and new Christian. It just felt very approachable to a first-time bible reader, both in length and writing style. For that reason, I have always had a fondness for Ruth. It was when I really started diving into the story as a mature woman that I developed a whole new appreciation for the characters. There are so many aspects of Naomi’s impatience and need for control that I see in myself and it is Ruth’s quiet faith that I strive for.
I feel very strongly that God put it on my heart to retell the story of Ruth in comic form several years ago when I was working on Wonder Woman for DC Comics. At the time, I was teaching Sunday School, and it made me sad to see how often the aesthetic quality of retold biblical stories fell short of the dynamic artwork found in the secular comic book world. I wanted to create something that could bridge the gap between being just a great comic and something that was also spiritually meaningful.
PFA/DS: You are completely right about the uninspiring visuals of most spiritually-focused comics and graphic novels! That’s bothered me for a long time myself, and was part of why I was so enthusiastic about supporting the Kickstarter campaign for Book of Ruth. Meredith, you partnered with N. Colin Dyer for the art on this, with lettering by Cardinal Rae. Clearly, you feel strongly about the quality of the visual elements, even if you weren’t the person who drew the art for the final project. How did that work? How did you and Colin find each other or decide to collaborate on the project? Did you make your own preliminary sketches, or how did you communicate to Colin what you were hoping to achieve?
MF: I have worked with Cardinal Rae as a letterer for many years, including on my creator-owned, Image book, Rose, so she was an obvious choice for The Book of Ruth.
I’m very blessed to be married to a comic book artist. David and I had discussed the look I wanted for the book and then I just put it out on Facebook that I was looking for an artist to do a faith-based project. I was feeling a little dejected after the first day of submissions, because none of them, although very good, were exactly what we were looking for. That night I put it before the Lord and prayed that, if this was a project He wanted me to do, then I needed Him to help me find the right artist for it. The next morning Colin’s was the first submission I saw, and I knew my prayers had been answered.
In terms of communicating the look and feel of the book. I’m a big believer in hiring the right person and then getting out their way. For the most part I simply described what I wanted in each panel and then let Colin take it from there. If there was anything I wanted done really specifically from a visual point of view I just had David lay it out in a rough thumbnail, but I honestly can’t even recall what panels they were at this point.
The folks over at Interfaith-ish, led by Jack Gordon, have been doing extraordinary work over the last few years, not the least of which because they frequently bring the subject of comics and religion to their audience’s ears.
Earlier this year, Egyptian comics creator Deena Mohamed, perhaps best known internationally for her work originating