Megillat Esther: The Graphic Tale

*Shipping late February 2025*

About the Book

The magisterial graphic novel of the Book of Esther, now back in an enhanced edition.

For more than twenty years, JT Waldman’s Megillat Esther has remained the gold standard for what an illustrated book of the Bible can be. Long out of print, this new full-color edition enhances the black-and-white original and brings Waldman’s vision to a new generation of readers.

Across more than 150 gorgeous pages, Waldman brings the story of Purim to life in illustrations that will impress kids and adults alike. At turns provocative and mysterious, Megillat Esther brings emotional brilliance to this age-old story, interspersing its narrative with a hidden backstory. Never before or since has a book of the Bible been illustrated with such grandeur and beauty. This expanded edition adds new layers of delight and depth to each and every page.

Megillat Esther: The Graphic Tale is published by Print-O-Craft and is distributed by Ayin Press.


About the Author

JT Waldman is a comic book creator and educator. In addition to Megillat Esther, he is best known for his collaboration with Harvey Pekar, Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me (Hill + Wang, 2012). He has contributed to several edited volumes that detail the intersection of comic books and Judaism, including From Krakow to Krypton (JPS, 2008), The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches (Rutgers, 2010), and Colonial Comics (Fulcrum, 2014). In 2015, Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA commissioned Waldman to create a site-specific comic book that decoded the monumental stained glass windows in their synagogue. JT conducts lectures and workshops around the country on topics ranging from comic books and religion to visual narratives and midrash. His current project, America’s Chosen Spirit, is an alternative history webcomic and transmedia project about untold bourbon backstories. He lives in Philadelphia.

About the Publisher

Print-O-Craft is a small independent Jewish publishing house based in Philadelphia.

Praise for Megillat Esther

“Esther finds new life in this outstanding, accurate interpretation . . . This book is inspiring.”
—Comics Buyers Guide

“A bravura display of detail and technique.”
—Will Eisner, author of Comics and Sequential Art

“Visually intoxicating.”
—Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics

“Seriously, this book is stunning.”
—Velveteen Rabbi, poet and spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires

"JT Waldman’s Megillat Esther is brash, loud and groundbreaking."
—Richard McBee, founding member of the Jewish Art Salon

“There is so much in it, of so much richness, that I envy him—and you—your opportunity to lose yourself in it.”
—Jeremy Dauber, author of American Comics: A History

Book Details
184 pages | Paperback | 6.62 in. x 10.25 in. | ISBN: 9781951324131 | e-ISBN: TK
Shipping to Ayin and Print-O-Craft customers in late February 2025
Trade publication date: Winter 2026