Greetings society! I hope everyone is truly blessed and highly favored. K' here's my question. How do you feel about creating a super hero themed book with biblical situations and solutions but still maintain the fantasy. For example, We all know where superman comes from ,but his code of ethics scream Christian . And , If Captain America ain't saved ..... well you get the Idea. Please write me back and tell me what you think.
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I think its a great idea, and from what others have posted, Mr. Meyer, it sounds like everyone is pressing to do the same thing in some form or fasion. I even did a piece of artwork for a friend who went to prison. He's a Spiderman freak and unsaved. So I did the art piece where an evangelist was witnessing to Spiderman, trying to give him Jesus.
The key I believe that is important, is that you are giving a biblical foundation to you Superhero, and his or her solutions based on the following the scriptures. I found that in my church, they are very accepting of my use of Manga style art as the medium, because I apply scripture very closely to the messaging God gave me to draw about.
God speed you on your mission to giving us a new Superhero that serves Christ.
There is a film called "The Mission" that I think is the ideal Christian story. I will try not give anything away- (Potential spoiler alert!)- but it is a story that deals in pride, sin, repentance, redemption in a most realistic and dramatic way.
The key to making this story work is the characters. They were REAL people, and it was the relationships that drove the story.
But what makes "The Mission" so powerful is that you have two Christian men faced with a terrible situation, a violent situation, and each man takes opposite responses.
Can a Christian man take up arms to defend the defenseless? Can he shed blood in the pursuit of righteousness? (I think of David in Scripture, a man of war, but a man after God's own heart.) Or is it better to sit beside the defenseless, and willingly submit to the fate that awaits them? Both men pray. Both men want God's will, but which is the right way? Or are both?
Think of Deitrich Bonhoeffer... a gentle man of peace who ultimately chose to be involved with an assassination plot against Hitler.
Even stories like "Les Miserables"... such powerful Christian characters such as Jean Valjean, how does he stand against evil, and corruption? What makes him such a powerful character?
A good story ought NEVER to wear its purpose for all to see. I see this with TOO MANY Christian comics- characters with crosses on their chests, or thinly veiled Christian names. No. It is too blatant, and makes the character one dimensional.
But a story with a REAL character in a tough situation- a man with a propensity for violence who chooses the Prince of Peace, or a peaceful man faced with a violent adversary- stories like these dig deeper into what it means to be a Christian, a man, and how to deal with a world that challenges us in every way. ...Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we are even wrong when we think we are right.
Make your hero a PERSON with often times conflicting emotions and convictions, and put him in situations that challenge him, and you have the makings of a great story.
To move away from Christian comics for a minute... I think the character of "Hellboy" is very interesting. (Please, in no way do I agree with the theology so let's not go there.) Here we have a character who is a demon who fights for the right. A character who defies his nature and purpose to be something else. In the film (not sure in the comic), when the villain tries to force Hellboy to act demonically, Hellboy ultimately refuses, and defeats the villain. When the villain asks why he did what he did, Hellboy's answer was simple and powerful: "I chose." ...THAT is good storytelling.
Anyhoo.... just some suggestions.
A posed question......
Greetings society! I hope everyone is truly blessed and highly favored. K' here's my question. How do you feel about creating a super hero themed boo…
I think that we will have a difference of opinion regarding music. Biblically, one does not see music used evagelistically, EVER. I love music of all kinds, but I happen to believe evangelism is not a legit use of it any more than preaching joy, peace and happiness alone is legit as a draw card for salvation. They are some of the fruits of salvation, yes, but using them without adequately explaining son and the law could have the effect of someone"trying out this Jesus thing" to see if they can get a buzz out of it.
Story, on the other hand, and as we have all pointed out at least once to someone, was even used by Christ Himself to point others towards salvation.
I don't mean to imply that overtly Christian comics are ineffectual at all, because Gods can use them to draw the lost to Himself just as He can use them to minister to the already discipled. I also happen to think that pastors are suposed to minister more to the body of Christ than to the lost. Sunday is like the locker room pep talk at halftime, and the rest of the week is the game.
The stories I want to tell will give believers both an example of Biblical discipleship, ammunition for the occasional apologetics debate, clarification of the some of the crucial differences between the Christian and other worldviews, and the non believer something to think about, while giving all concerned characters that inspire, thrill and entertain.
In short, like you, I think w are all pretty much after the same goal here.
Hmm, I don't want to misunderstand what is being said here. I will just say that I am unconvinced that blatantly Christian comics with out in the open preachy messages are necessarily ineffectual. There are many audiences in this world, all looking for something that will appeal to them. One could argue that Twila Paris' song "Holy is the Lord" and "He is Exalted" are too overtly Christian to be good witnessing tools. I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But they are truly excellent Praise and Worship songs, among my favorites. Some people say 'The Choir doesn't need preaching to', but they do. Show me a church where the preacher isn't ministering to the Body of Christ as much as preaching to the unsaved? These different kinds of Christian comics are necessary I think.
If I may suggest something, just off the top of my head, it's that Christian superheroes are usually done by novice creators or fledgling pros for their first title. Is it possible that this, as much as any inherent limiatations in the genre, has caused the perception that Christian Heroes 'don't work'? I don't have the answers, these are just my thoughts. But the sheer number of Christian super hero titles I've seen come and go convinces me that there is an audience looking for such a thing, an audience who thinks this is the way Christian comics should be, even if it's just the growing number of Christian comic fanboys. Ministering to Christian children and fan boys may not be as exciting or dramatic as reaching the unbelievers, yes, but it's a good and worthy thing isn't it?
Now, for planting seeds of Faith in the hearts of unbelievers, I think you guys and gals have wonderful ideas, no question! And surely if done well, not only the unsaved audience will enjoy your stories, but the believer as well, since the world view is in accordance to scripture. I pray God will bless and use your stories for His glory and the salvation of souls!
I SO agree with Michael and Steve...good characters and a good story give out Christian values without preaching it to you. I've seen a lot of Christian comics and stories so bend on being obviously christian that it becomes flat and boring.
I am thankful that the characters in my story deal with things we all do. There's a lady who must learn to forgive the man that manipulated her and caused the death of her sisters only love. There's two who are of a species controlled by hate that allow love to enter, and must search to find out what love really is. One who is part of a group of creatures deemed at the point of no return, who realizes and turns to seek God, wondering if He still answers the prayers of one so far away from Him. Even the astrians (the angels) have things they must learn, mainly how to work together despite their differences. There is powers involved but they are all given by God and for a reason and the powers aren't the central focus.
Hey...(looks at his avatar, an early conceptual drawing of Mister Banzai) what's wrong with crosses on hero chests?
Actually, that's kind of what I was getting at, bro. That was why we ditched the cross at the center of Banzai's chest emblem in later concept drawings. The character and his actions and words will show who and what he is, while also avoiding certain campinas that its often associated with christian comics. That was one of the elements about Buzz's work on Serenity that I appreciated.
There is a film called "The Mission" that I think is the ideal Christian story. I will try not give anything away- (Potential spoiler alert!)- but it is a story that deals in pride, sin, repentance, redemption in a most realistic and dramatic way.
The key to making this story work is the characters. They were REAL people, and it was the relationships that drove the story.
But what makes "The Mission" so powerful is that you have two Christian men faced with a terrible situation, a violent situation, and each man takes opposite responses.
Can a Christian man take up arms to defend the defenseless? Can he shed blood in the pursuit of righteousness? (I think of David in Scripture, a man of war, but a man after God's own heart.) Or is it better to sit beside the defenseless, and willingly submit to the fate that awaits them? Both men pray. Both men want God's will, but which is the right way? Or are both?
Think of Deitrich Bonhoeffer... a gentle man of peace who ultimately chose to be involved with an assassination plot against Hitler.
Even stories like "Les Miserables"... such powerful Christian characters such as Jean Valjean, how does he stand against evil, and corruption? What makes him such a powerful character?
A good story ought NEVER to wear its purpose for all to see. I see this with TOO MANY Christian comics- characters with crosses on their chests, or thinly veiled Christian names. No. It is too blatant, and makes the character one dimensional.
But a story with a REAL character in a tough situation- a man with a propensity for violence who chooses the Prince of Peace, or a peaceful man faced with a violent adversary- stories like these dig deeper into what it means to be a Christian, a man, and how to deal with a world that challenges us in every way. ...Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we are even wrong when we think we are right.
Make your hero a PERSON with often times conflicting emotions and convictions, and put him in situations that challenge him, and you have the makings of a great story.
To move away from Christian comics for a minute... I think the character of "Hellboy" is very interesting. (Please, in no way do I agree with the theology so let's not go there.) Here we have a character who is a demon who fights for the right. A character who defies his nature and purpose to be something else. In the film (not sure in the comic), when the villain tries to force Hellboy to act demonically, Hellboy ultimately refuses, and defeats the villain. When the villain asks why he did what he did, Hellboy's answer was simple and powerful: "I chose." ...THAT is good storytelling.
I'm not sure I understand the actual question based on the examples given, but I'll certainly share with you how I feel about it all.
Most comic book hero stories are set in universes that run on sets of rules that are part and parcel of the writer's personal worldview. For examples, I'll skip the Marvel and DC Playgrounds because the vision of the original creators has been added to and altered so much by subsequent contributors over the years that it really makes it hard to nail down anything.
Let's look at a book that is owned lock stock and barrel by its creator, like Image Comic's "Invincible." That universe is obviously governed by a set of rules that are creepily similar to the ones that govern the worldview of the average materialist with agnostic tendencies. Chock full of stuff that directly contradicts or even pokes fun at the word of God (Macro-Evolutionary origins and and biology, no values judgement indicated when characters act immorally, unless that immoral act was to tell someone else how to think or believe, etc) and no one says anything about it because it's well, kind of expected.
Any author is going to allow his worldview to infiltrate his or her story, unless they are deliberately attempting to write a story from an opposing worldview, so we really shouldn't be surprised. The complaint I hear so often from those who would write Christian themed tales is that the fantasy aspects of the stories that most comics fans would expect, are too limited by the Christina worldview because the Christian worldview is so deeply and inseparably rooted in the word of God.
The question I have is "who says so?"
One of the main arguments against a hard atheistic philosophy is that the position of atheism stems from a dogmatic statement that the atheist himself can neither prove nor disprove. To say that there is no God and make it stick requires them to have way more knowledge about the universe than they ever could thanks to the limitations of their humanity.
Likewise, the Christian Comic Book author knows only a little more than the average atheist, and way more than an agnostic (I prefer the Latin term, ignoramus, but I'll let that alone), who instead of stating an alleged fact, begs off to ignorance. So, just as in the case of the atheist who disbelieves because (he claims) that there is a lack of evidence, and is stopped by the proposition that there might be evidence aplenty in the 99.99% of the universe he has not been exposed to, so the Christian writer can take the same question and run with it. The Christian has the added advantage of having a historical record of instances in which the so-called natural laws of the universe have been told to take a coffee break while God did some pretty amazing things. In the Bible we not only see creation from nothing by the power of the spoken word of God, but we see God blessing people with whatever they need to perform some pretty superhuman acts. Even aside from the obvious comparisons with Samson, and some of the other heroes of Judges, there was the fact that Seas were parted and closed up again, two million people wandered a desert for forty years without their shoes wearing out, a city's walls were crushed with a trumpet blast (okay the power of God unleashed at a trumpet blast, but you get the idea), etc.
There's lots of room for the element of fantasy as long as the author and the artist collaborate onnot violating the tenets of the Christian Worldview, and by extension, God's word.
A hero can have a scientific origin as long as the origin doesn't contradict what God has said, or support what man has said that contradicts what God has said.
In the series I am working on Banzai Squad (TM), one of the main character has powers given to him directly by God, yes, but there are several others whose powers are not explained at all. some have their powers given to them by scientific advances, or even experiments gone horribly wrong (an old comic book stand by if there ever was one, right Peter Parker, and Barry Allen?).
The biggest mistake creators can make is in trying to make their product so OBVIOUSLYChristian, and to pound the reader over the head with their faith, that the book becomes one that will only be picked up by Christians, thereby missing not only a potential market, but a potential chance to evangelize with one's art and words.
I think it can be done, if one is dedicated, cautious, and sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If one approaches it like many Christian musical acts do, "a "Christian" version of a real rock band," then I think it is doomed to failure on many different levels, including the one that should be the most important, God's honor and glory being put out there.
Replies
I think its a great idea, and from what others have posted, Mr. Meyer, it sounds like everyone is pressing to do the same thing in some form or fasion. I even did a piece of artwork for a friend who went to prison. He's a Spiderman freak and unsaved. So I did the art piece where an evangelist was witnessing to Spiderman, trying to give him Jesus.
The key I believe that is important, is that you are giving a biblical foundation to you Superhero, and his or her solutions based on the following the scriptures. I found that in my church, they are very accepting of my use of Manga style art as the medium, because I apply scripture very closely to the messaging God gave me to draw about.
God speed you on your mission to giving us a new Superhero that serves Christ.
Matt.
Enough, Alika. Seriously.
?!?!?... Don't promote(recommend, esteem, endorse, forward, suggest, uphold, urge) Satanism!
Steve Crespo said:
Thank you Michael, God bless you and your endeavours for His Glory and the salvation of the lost! May God bless you all:)
Gerry
I think that we will have a difference of opinion regarding music. Biblically, one does not see music used evagelistically, EVER. I love music of all kinds, but I happen to believe evangelism is not a legit use of it any more than preaching joy, peace and happiness alone is legit as a draw card for salvation. They are some of the fruits of salvation, yes, but using them without adequately explaining son and the law could have the effect of someone"trying out this Jesus thing" to see if they can get a buzz out of it.
Story, on the other hand, and as we have all pointed out at least once to someone, was even used by Christ Himself to point others towards salvation.
I don't mean to imply that overtly Christian comics are ineffectual at all, because Gods can use them to draw the lost to Himself just as He can use them to minister to the already discipled. I also happen to think that pastors are suposed to minister more to the body of Christ than to the lost. Sunday is like the locker room pep talk at halftime, and the rest of the week is the game.
The stories I want to tell will give believers both an example of Biblical discipleship, ammunition for the occasional apologetics debate, clarification of the some of the crucial differences between the Christian and other worldviews, and the non believer something to think about, while giving all concerned characters that inspire, thrill and entertain.
In short, like you, I think w are all pretty much after the same goal here.
Hmm, I don't want to misunderstand what is being said here. I will just say that I am unconvinced that blatantly Christian comics with out in the open preachy messages are necessarily ineffectual. There are many audiences in this world, all looking for something that will appeal to them. One could argue that Twila Paris' song "Holy is the Lord" and "He is Exalted" are too overtly Christian to be good witnessing tools. I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But they are truly excellent Praise and Worship songs, among my favorites. Some people say 'The Choir doesn't need preaching to', but they do. Show me a church where the preacher isn't ministering to the Body of Christ as much as preaching to the unsaved? These different kinds of Christian comics are necessary I think.
If I may suggest something, just off the top of my head, it's that Christian superheroes are usually done by novice creators or fledgling pros for their first title. Is it possible that this, as much as any inherent limiatations in the genre, has caused the perception that Christian Heroes 'don't work'? I don't have the answers, these are just my thoughts. But the sheer number of Christian super hero titles I've seen come and go convinces me that there is an audience looking for such a thing, an audience who thinks this is the way Christian comics should be, even if it's just the growing number of Christian comic fanboys. Ministering to Christian children and fan boys may not be as exciting or dramatic as reaching the unbelievers, yes, but it's a good and worthy thing isn't it?
Now, for planting seeds of Faith in the hearts of unbelievers, I think you guys and gals have wonderful ideas, no question! And surely if done well, not only the unsaved audience will enjoy your stories, but the believer as well, since the world view is in accordance to scripture. I pray God will bless and use your stories for His glory and the salvation of souls!
I SO agree with Michael and Steve...good characters and a good story give out Christian values without preaching it to you. I've seen a lot of Christian comics and stories so bend on being obviously christian that it becomes flat and boring.
I am thankful that the characters in my story deal with things we all do. There's a lady who must learn to forgive the man that manipulated her and caused the death of her sisters only love. There's two who are of a species controlled by hate that allow love to enter, and must search to find out what love really is. One who is part of a group of creatures deemed at the point of no return, who realizes and turns to seek God, wondering if He still answers the prayers of one so far away from Him. Even the astrians (the angels) have things they must learn, mainly how to work together despite their differences. There is powers involved but they are all given by God and for a reason and the powers aren't the central focus.
Actually, that's kind of what I was getting at, bro. That was why we ditched the cross at the center of Banzai's chest emblem in later concept drawings. The character and his actions and words will show who and what he is, while also avoiding certain campinas that its often associated with christian comics. That was one of the elements about Buzz's work on Serenity that I appreciated.
There is a film called "The Mission" that I think is the ideal Christian story. I will try not give anything away- (Potential spoiler alert!)- but it is a story that deals in pride, sin, repentance, redemption in a most realistic and dramatic way.
The key to making this story work is the characters. They were REAL people, and it was the relationships that drove the story.
But what makes "The Mission" so powerful is that you have two Christian men faced with a terrible situation, a violent situation, and each man takes opposite responses.
Can a Christian man take up arms to defend the defenseless? Can he shed blood in the pursuit of righteousness? (I think of David in Scripture, a man of war, but a man after God's own heart.) Or is it better to sit beside the defenseless, and willingly submit to the fate that awaits them? Both men pray. Both men want God's will, but which is the right way? Or are both?
Think of Deitrich Bonhoeffer... a gentle man of peace who ultimately chose to be involved with an assassination plot against Hitler.
Even stories like "Les Miserables"... such powerful Christian characters such as Jean Valjean, how does he stand against evil, and corruption? What makes him such a powerful character?
A good story ought NEVER to wear its purpose for all to see. I see this with TOO MANY Christian comics- characters with crosses on their chests, or thinly veiled Christian names. No. It is too blatant, and makes the character one dimensional.
But a story with a REAL character in a tough situation- a man with a propensity for violence who chooses the Prince of Peace, or a peaceful man faced with a violent adversary- stories like these dig deeper into what it means to be a Christian, a man, and how to deal with a world that challenges us in every way. ...Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we are even wrong when we think we are right.
Make your hero a PERSON with often times conflicting emotions and convictions, and put him in situations that challenge him, and you have the makings of a great story.
To move away from Christian comics for a minute... I think the character of "Hellboy" is very interesting. (Please, in no way do I agree with the theology so let's not go there.) Here we have a character who is a demon who fights for the right. A character who defies his nature and purpose to be something else. In the film (not sure in the comic), when the villain tries to force Hellboy to act demonically, Hellboy ultimately refuses, and defeats the villain. When the villain asks why he did what he did, Hellboy's answer was simple and powerful: "I chose." ...THAT is good storytelling.
Anyhoo.... just some suggestions.
My two cents on an old thread:
I'm not sure I understand the actual question based on the examples given, but I'll certainly share with you how I feel about it all.
Most comic book hero stories are set in universes that run on sets of rules that are part and parcel of the writer's personal worldview. For examples, I'll skip the Marvel and DC Playgrounds because the vision of the original creators has been added to and altered so much by subsequent contributors over the years that it really makes it hard to nail down anything.
Let's look at a book that is owned lock stock and barrel by its creator, like Image Comic's "Invincible." That universe is obviously governed by a set of rules that are creepily similar to the ones that govern the worldview of the average materialist with agnostic tendencies. Chock full of stuff that directly contradicts or even pokes fun at the word of God (Macro-Evolutionary origins and and biology, no values judgement indicated when characters act immorally, unless that immoral act was to tell someone else how to think or believe, etc) and no one says anything about it because it's well, kind of expected.
Any author is going to allow his worldview to infiltrate his or her story, unless they are deliberately attempting to write a story from an opposing worldview, so we really shouldn't be surprised. The complaint I hear so often from those who would write Christian themed tales is that the fantasy aspects of the stories that most comics fans would expect, are too limited by the Christina worldview because the Christian worldview is so deeply and inseparably rooted in the word of God.
The question I have is "who says so?"
One of the main arguments against a hard atheistic philosophy is that the position of atheism stems from a dogmatic statement that the atheist himself can neither prove nor disprove. To say that there is no God and make it stick requires them to have way more knowledge about the universe than they ever could thanks to the limitations of their humanity.
Likewise, the Christian Comic Book author knows only a little more than the average atheist, and way more than an agnostic (I prefer the Latin term, ignoramus, but I'll let that alone), who instead of stating an alleged fact, begs off to ignorance. So, just as in the case of the atheist who disbelieves because (he claims) that there is a lack of evidence, and is stopped by the proposition that there might be evidence aplenty in the 99.99% of the universe he has not been exposed to, so the Christian writer can take the same question and run with it. The Christian has the added advantage of having a historical record of instances in which the so-called natural laws of the universe have been told to take a coffee break while God did some pretty amazing things. In the Bible we not only see creation from nothing by the power of the spoken word of God, but we see God blessing people with whatever they need to perform some pretty superhuman acts. Even aside from the obvious comparisons with Samson, and some of the other heroes of Judges, there was the fact that Seas were parted and closed up again, two million people wandered a desert for forty years without their shoes wearing out, a city's walls were crushed with a trumpet blast (okay the power of God unleashed at a trumpet blast, but you get the idea), etc.
There's lots of room for the element of fantasy as long as the author and the artist collaborate onnot violating the tenets of the Christian Worldview, and by extension, God's word.
A hero can have a scientific origin as long as the origin doesn't contradict what God has said, or support what man has said that contradicts what God has said.
In the series I am working on Banzai Squad (TM), one of the main character has powers given to him directly by God, yes, but there are several others whose powers are not explained at all. some have their powers given to them by scientific advances, or even experiments gone horribly wrong (an old comic book stand by if there ever was one, right Peter Parker, and Barry Allen?).
The biggest mistake creators can make is in trying to make their product so OBVIOUSLYChristian, and to pound the reader over the head with their faith, that the book becomes one that will only be picked up by Christians, thereby missing not only a potential market, but a potential chance to evangelize with one's art and words.
I think it can be done, if one is dedicated, cautious, and sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If one approaches it like many Christian musical acts do, "a "Christian" version of a real rock band," then I think it is doomed to failure on many different levels, including the one that should be the most important, God's honor and glory being put out there.
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