Focusing on Biblical Truths Through an Awesome New Superhero: Captain Sun {A TOS Review}

Recently my son has become very interested in superheroes. This began during Summer Reading Program, when he was taking out books about various popular superheroes. Before this, he had really only heard of such characters as Spiderman and Batman, and that was because he had pajamas and sneakers featuring them. However, knowing that he was finding an interest in them, I thought it was great timing when we had the opportunity to review Book 1, Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith by Bryce Morgan from Captain Sun Adventures. Ironically, it was his sisters (all three) who first ran off with the book, starting with Tabitha, then Amelia, and even Hannah, before I could get a chance to read it to him.

Exactly what did we receive?

We received this 38-page, softcover book, which is like a comic book, but not quite (more of a graphic novel). There is a glossy, thick cover, along with book-type binding; however, the story is laid out in the format of a comic book, with panels and speech bubbles and story boxes.

This book is also more than a comic book in that it is also a devotional for children. There are eight short chapters in this story, and after each one there is a page that resembles a newspaper, yet is a message to the reader, getting them to apply the lesson learned in the chapter, showing how it connects to Jesus and the Bible. There are questions for the child to think about, plus a related Bible verse.

The adventure begins by introducing an impending attack on Capital City, and we see the citizens wondering where Captain Sun could be in their hour of need. However, before we find out, the author flashes back to Captain Sun's "origin story," where we learn about his first appearance in the city. From there we see Captain Sun come to the rescue of some citizens in a particularly hazardous situation in the present day. We are then introduced to the villain as Captain Sun comes face-to-face with the one causing the devastation whose name is Black-Out. For a short while the reader may worry that Captain Sun will be defeated, but then he gives it his all, using his special power, and dissolves the blackness. Even though Black-Out is his enemy, and has been threatening the city, Captain Sun then has to make sure Black-Out doesn't perish, but is brought to justice. But, wait! Oh no! What happened to Captain Sun? Did he survive? Thankfully the reader only has to wait until the next chapter to discover the answer. And at the same time we get to know his secret identity. And then, in another twist, we discover Black-Out has escaped, and Captain Sun realizes he can't defeat this villain on his own. We are then introduced to the "Hero Defense League" and reminded how important it is to be a part of a team. The end of the story brings yet another twist plus a bit of a cliffhanger, as we don't know if the plan to stop the fully charged Black-Out is going to work. 

Can you see the way each chapter of the story fits into a biblical worldview? Can you see where the author was going with the different points in the story? Here, let's take a look at each of the chapters' titles:

1. Looking to the Sky
2. To the Rescue
3. Blinded by Black-Out
4. Battling the Darkness
5. A Costly Rescue
6. The Man Behind the Mask
7. United We Stand
8. The Final Battle

After reading my summary of the story and the names of the chapters, if you still can't see the ways the story connects to the Bible, don't worry. That is what the newspaper devotionals help the reader to do. Let's take a quick look at the newspaper headlines on each devotional page.

1. The Origin Story
2. The Greatest Rescue
3. The Bad Guys
4. The 'Super-est' Power
5. For the Good of Others
6. Your Secret Identity
7. A Team of Heroes
8. Being a Real Hero

Each devotional page starts by looking at the focus in the previous chapter in regards to superheroes. For example, talking about the fact that every hero has a story, rescues people, has some sort of super power, has the responsibility to use their power for good, has a secret identity, and may need to work with others. Then it connects it to the Bible and helps the reader relate the insights to his or her life. 

How did we "use" this book?

Well, as I mentioned the three girls each picked up the book on their own and finished it quite quickly. Though I didn't time them, Tabitha believes she had it finished in under half an hour, Amelia probably finished it at around the same amount of time. Hannah may have taken an hour or so. Now, Harold never did read the book independently. I think he could have, but I started reading it as our bedtime story so we could read the devotional (seeing as the girls had skipped this section, Tabitha said she didn't quite understand that she was supposed to read it). So each night I read a chapter plus the devotional. After we finished the book, we had a bit of a review using the "Questions To Think About!" section in the back.

All of the children, plus myself, have enjoyed this story. The hubby and I do agree that it would have been cool to have a bit longer chapters with more detail, especially in the origin story chapter. I can actually see that some of these chapters could have made a book in and of themselves, instead of introducing all the aspects of superhero stories all at once. The children however, are quite happy with it the way it is, so perhaps hubby and I are just expecting too much from a children's story. Each of the girls picked up the book and didn't put it down until they were done. So, it definitely caught their attention. 

There was action and suspense, and we were introduced to a wonderful new superhero, one who has awesome powers and cares about the people, one who is willing to sacrifice himself, even for the "bad guy." 

Tabitha really liked when we met the other superheroes and they joined forces to try to defeat Black-Out.

Amelia liked finding out his secret identity and the fact that he made friends. 

Hannah liked that he was trying to save Black-Out and he also saved the people in the airplane too. 

Harold loves the whole story and couldn't pick just one thing to talk about. 

Personally, I really love the way the author was able to take a superhero story and weave in the wonderful truths of the Bible. God loves all of us; even though we were sinners he came to this world to save us from our blackness. He gave his life for us, just like Captain Sun almost died trying to save the one who was trying to destroy Capital City. And then, when we accept Jesus into our lives, we become a part of His family, or His team, and we need each other. And I have to admit, I loved the nod to one of my favorite quotes from a superhero movie, "With great power comes great responsibility," which isn't said by any of the characters, but is quoted in the devotional.

So, if you have children who love superheroes, I would definitely recommend this first adventure of Captain Sun. Even if they aren't diehard superhero fans, Captain Sun is a wonderful one to introduce your children to. You child can enjoy the fun and excitement of a comic book superhero, with the addition of biblical truths. I'm hoping we will have the opportunity to read the other two Captain Sun Adventures books. Book 2 is titled Captain Sun and the Army of Fear, and Book 3 is titled Captain Sun & the Scourge of the Shadow Dragon.

You can find Captain Sun on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Don't forget to click on the banner below to see what my fellow Crew Mates thought about Book 1, Rescue Me! What Superheroes Can Teach Us About the Power of Faith, the first book in The Captain Sun Adventures series.