Testament, Vol. 2: West of Eden

The second volume of Rushkoff's cosmic saga continues to give a 21st century, high-tech spin on the Bible. Rushkoff's central conceit is to update biblical stories (Joseph; Adam and Eve; etc.) and enmesh them in the new century, complete with global conspiracies, computer viruses and a liberal dollop of modernized sex and violence to go with the lurid original. This collection begins with an updated Adam and Eve story, with programming language substituting for the apple, and moves onto the Joseph story, this time about a group of underground revolutionaries. The whole affair seems more subversive than it really is. Rushkoff, best known as a media theorist (Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say ) is having a great deal of fun tying in universal themes and finding parallels between mythology and science. But the smart ideas sometimes get bogged down by wordy exposition and belabored biblical and literary allusions. Luckily, the artists do a fine job of illustrating the various time periods and locations, giving an earthy spin to a story that stitches together a lot of heady ideas. (Feb.)