Martha, Mary and Jonah - new Bible strips

I'm back on the drawing board and it's the most marvellous feeling. These two jobs were awaiting me from just before the return from Edinburgh, and it was the most satisfying thing to be able to turn them round in two days from start to finish. They're the artwork to be given to two prize-winners in a Bible Society schools competition that I helped judge.

A young lad called Joe did a brilliant Jonah comic strip, in commemoration of which I've written and drawn my own version. Yes, that's Ken Reid's Jonah out of The Beano 60 years ago. This strip's not for publication, so I figured an homage was the way to go.

A girl called Grace had written a poem based on the story of Martha and Mary which, I confess, wasn't one that I remembered. It's actually just a throwaway half page story in the Gospel Of Luke, but some people have made it into a thing. So I read it again, and here's my take on it. Quite what everyone else is supposed to take away from the story I'm not sure. As you can see I've homaged the Martha outfits from Handmaids Tale*, as apparently those characters' servile role is based on Martha from this anecdote. Again, the morality of this is a minefield that I have yet to fathom.

(*NB: I have actually used the more distinctive red Handmaids costume, not the khaki Martha costume from the TV show, cos it looked better. Just to confuse matters.)

I'm hoping there'll be more Bible news forthcoming. We do now have a 100 page Tales Of The Bible book produced, which I'm dying to see out there in the public arena. Under his eye.

Kev F Sutherland, as well as writing and drawing for The Beano, Marvel, Doctor Who et al, runs Comic Art Masterclasses in schools, libraries & art centres. email for details. Facebook, Twitter. Promo video here.