HAVE YOUR SAY : Chapters 17-21 as a Flashback?
In the book of Judges the stories and events of the first 17 chapters are in chronological order. Then in chapters 17-21 there are two stories which are basically appendices that are from the period at the start of the book.
I was planning to present them the same as the other chapters in colours and just try to indicate that they are the same period as the early part of the book with the dress and equipment and other indicators. I can't add any words to tell the reader that they are “in the past” as far as the chronological story line goes, because there is no such words in the Bible text.
I have a couple of options in regards to how to present them and how to try and show they are not a continuation.
Present them as a flashback
They could be shown as a flashback. In the book I have established the format for a flashback already so it should be clear that is what it is. The down side is the flashbacks are in a brown “grey scale”. So they are not in full colour like the rest of the comic. If they were only a few pages I probably wouldn't hesitate as it would be a helpful tool for showing the disconnect chronologically. However, it is 20 pages and it might seem like a strange stylistic choice to suddenly go into grey scale at the end of the book.
The benefit is that in the wider context of the Word for Word Bible Comic it might be a good idea. To help readers grasp the overall timeline of the events. I was thinking that the device I could use would be to introduce the writer or at least the character recounting these stories. Scholars believe the Book of Judges was written by Samuel. I could introduce Samuel in full colour about to tell the story. Then the story starts and is a flashback. At the end of the book Samuel could be pictures restating the immortal words that run throughout the book of Judges “ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
On the grand scheme of things it might be a nice segue into the later books of 1 and 2 Samuel, because Samuel is a contemporary of Samson, and Samson's death (which is where the precedent Chapter 16 ends).
An added bonus but not necessarily a key factor is that the greyscale colouring takes less time bringing the completion date forward a little bit.
Present it in full colour
In this option the stories just run on as they do in the book of Judges text of the Bible, without much comment as to the shift in period setting. You could argue that the Bible doesn't make an issue of it so why should I. It's true that you don't need to pin down the time period precisely to understand the story or the point and moral of the narratives but seeing elements that indicate the shift of time which I intend to be helpful (like the dress and equipment as well as faces from the early chapters) could end up being confusing. I hope it won't be confusing but when I consider an unbelieving reader trying out the comic I want them to have as smooth a ride as possible.
Present in full colour with breaks.
The only other option I can think or is to insert blank black two sided pages between the stories to indict a break in continuity. It wouldn't be explicitly clear that that was why but it might help readers realise 'something is up' and not get as confused when people like Othniel seemingly come back from the dead after 300 years later.
So...
Please look at the examples and give your opinion on how you think it should be tackled. Is a 20 page flashback too much? Does the chronological order really matter? Please have your say and suggest any other genius ideas you have here or on the social media post you saw.
