By Fire

Jason Landsel is a New York-based writer and illustrator with a lifelong fascination with the history of social and religious radicalism. He is a regular contributor to Plough Quarterly and a member of the Bruderhof, an Anabaptist community movement that traces its roots to the Radical Reformation. Sankha Banerjee has illustrated graphic novel adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Wind in the Willows as well as graphic historical biographies of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Wright Brothers. His works have been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon, France and the India International Centre in Delhi. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Multimedia and Animation, St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, India. Richard Mommsen is a scriptwriter, videographer, podcast producer, and director of the Bruderhof’s historical archives.

Readers who have grown weary of politicized faith but long to follow the Jesus Way of the Sermon on the Mount will find the Hutter family’s testimony infused with courage, resolve, and confidence in Christ. Their resolve to demonstrate a nonviolent ‘third way’ was indeed tested by fire. While none of us may literally have our faith tested by the water or fire of persecution, the Hutters fortify our commitment to resist the seduction of empire, the culture, and the false gospel of Christian nationalism—but to do so humbly and nonviolently. —Brad Jersak, Clarion JournalBy Fire is an inspiring graphic biography about a man who tried to change a religious status quo despite the cost to himself. —Foreword ReviewsPowerful. Haunting. Beautifully illustrated. Well researched and engaging. I love the power of graphic novels like this to make history real and all too human. —Tim Smyth, author of Eisner nominated Teaching with Comics and Graphic NovelsBy Fire is recommended for high school ages and up, having potential to hold attention with a true story of decadent corruption, fugitive romance, jealousy and fiery martyrdom. —Anabaptist WorldReading this graphic novelization of Jakob and Katharina Hutter’s stories may be a surprising experience for historians, or for anyone who is accustomed to knowing the early Anabaptists only through text, not image. The visualization somehow renders the convictions, movements, and martyrdoms of the Hutters both more real and more unbelievable. —Mennonite Quarterly ReviewRecommended for children ages twelve and up, as material in History or Theology curricula. Readers learn about Jakob Hutter’s life and death as an Anabaptist leader . . . his life on the run from persecution, and his dreams of building Christian communities in which people live and share everything equally together. —Catholic Library World