New comic tells the story of a Medal of Honor priest

The publishers of fine Catholic graphic novels over at Voyage Comics are back with another entry in their celebrated series on the North American Saints and Causes, and this time they’ve set their sights on one of America’s most decorated military heroes: Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun, the farm boy from Kansas who became a legend on the battlefields of Korea.

Shepherd to Soldiers: Father Emil Kapaun is the eighth comic in Voyage’s ongoing series, produced in collaboration with the Diocese of Wichita. It tells the story of a young man raised in the rural community of Pilsen, Kansas, who grew up wanting nothing more than to be like his parish pastor—and who ultimately answered a far more dangerous calling. After his ordination and a brief stint as administrator of his hometown parish, Father Kapaun felt God pulling him toward military chaplaincy. That pull would take him across the world: first to Burma and India, and then to the Korean Peninsula, where his story would take on the character of legend.

During the Korean War, Father Kapaun became known for his extraordinary courage under fire, ministering to wounded and dying soldiers on the battlefield with a fearlessness that left those who witnessed it struggling for words. He was captured by Chinese forces in late 1950 and spent his final months in a prisoner of war camp, where he continued to celebrate Mass, comfort the despairing, and care for the sick — right up until his death in May 1951. More than six decades later, President Obama awarded him the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military distinction.

Voyage Comics has made a habit of finding exactly the right image to anchor a cover, and Shepherd to Soldiers is no exception. The cover pays direct homage to the most iconic photograph of Father Kapaun: the now-famous image of him celebrating Mass on the hood of a Jeep. It’s a choice that captures something essential about the man—a priest who brought the sacraments to wherever his soldiers were, no matter the circumstances.

For those unfamiliar with Voyage Comics, the publisher has built a reputation for producing illustrated stories that treat Catholic subjects with both seriousness and visual flair. Their collaborations with dioceses and Catholic institutions have put these books into the hands of young readers across the country, pairing compelling artwork with the kind of true stories that tend to outlast any fiction. The partnership with the Diocese of Wichita is a natural one: the diocese has been the driving force behind Father Kapaun’s cause for canonization for decades, and Pope Francis declared him Venerable in 2021.

Shepherd to Soldiers: Father Emil Kapaun is available for pre-order now and ships in July.