Hello Everyone!This discussion is to drum up some interest and to see if anyone out there might have some ideas/comments.Anyone out there interested in helping create/build a christian comic company that goes against the grain? First off, let me state that I have nothing against the christian companies out there now. You guys keep up the great work and keep pushing! I just want to take an avenue that no one else seems to want to travel on. I am curious if anyone else out there in christian comic land is on the same page I am.I am looking to create something that can sit on a shelf in a regular comic store and attract someone who would never buy anything remotely christian. Think Image Comics back in 1992. They jumped ship and created something that was different and pushed the envelope for comics. I want to do that with the christian industry. I would love to have a handful of different titles/characters with excellent art, writing, etc. I want this to be different from everything out there. Not necessarily looking for comics based off scriptures and bible stories. Although, I do want that involved! I am looking for everyday events, personal struggles, things that normal people deal with, but layed out and depicted in a very unique way. To take those everyday things and relate them to christianity. Whether this calls for cartoon/fun storytelling or extreme/graphic/violent storytelling that is fine. I am not looking for sugar coating, I am looking put out there what is "real".For example, Mel Gibson portrayal of Christ in his film was fantastic. Yes, it was violent, graphic, and bloody, but it made an extreme impact and really delivered the message. This is what I am looking to do with this idea. No, I don't want all blood, etc. I just don't want to hold anything back. I just want to give the reader top notch art, great writing, and something that pushes them to want to keep reading. A deeper meaning, if you will.Obvisously, I realize a lot of christians will not agree with this style I am sure. But, that is fine. I am not really doing this for "christians". There is a massive market out there in comic land that is very anti-christian. Those are the people I need to reach.I was a musician in a christian band for about six years and had many christians/churches tell us were too "extreme", or not "contemporary" enough. But, we made an impact on many kids lives. Many that I still hear from today through emails, etc. We weren't trying to change the church/religion, we were trying to change the people who would never come to those establishments. Those are the people that need help. Many people forget that.So, if anyone out there is interested, please let me know! I look forward to hearing from you. And to everyone, keep up the great work! I am so glad I found this site. It has been an inspiration to find other christian comic enthusiasts out there! God Bless.
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Brian.
Hello! Wow, it has been a long time since I have been on this community. Used to visit it daily, but not as much lately. Very cool to hear of other interested people! I do love the comic form, always have. I just consider myself a bit more of a guy that likes to push things to the edge. I have a lot of ideas, characters, plots, story arcs, etc. I am a graphic artist and used to draw comics, but I am never happy with getting the right look. I am more of a developer here lately. I can create all the infinite details, I just need others to help bring them to life, so to speak.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Checked out your upcoming book, very cool! Hope to hear from you! Take care!
Brian D said:
Consider me interested. You sold me with the whole "too extreme" christian thing. I actually had a woman in church tell me that she didnt trust people with tattoos. When she then saw my arms, she was so embarassed she walked away. God bless her. I think I was placed there by God to give her something to "think" about, lol.
Consider me interested. You sold me with the whole "too extreme" christian thing. I actually had a woman in church tell me that she didnt trust people with tattoos. When she then saw my arms, she was so embarassed she walked away. God bless her. I think I was placed there by God to give her something to "think" about, lol.
I am very interested. I have similar ideas. There can be a happy medium between wishy-washy and blatently in your face religious preaching. I do like chick tracts but not everyone goes from pagan to praying the sinners prayer in twenty pages. I very leary of superhero stories and time travel fantasy stories that take a flying leap out of reality. I want people to relate to reality. Real people real sinners real messed up christians that struggle yet you can see that living without God isn't all it's cracked up to be and living with God isn't as insane as some may think. The real world offers real examples of choices and consequences, conflict and struggle. Christians going wayward. Pagans drifting towards God. Ordinary Christians struggling with ordinary choices. I've thought of starting a Christian comics mission where writers and artists can collaborate and live off of donations at least partial support and making it easier to market without the worry of making a profit. Does that make sense? Has it even been done before and succeeded? I don't know. Email me at danno1.26@thedrawingboard.com Thanks.
I love the idea of a Flight type book, but Christian themed; I think that would do very well. And I would LOVE to be part of it!
My work: http://www.flickr.com/tupa
I'd definitely be interested, and I think this is definitely the market to approach.
I was just thinking to myself the other day that the two of the most predominantly welcoming communities out there are Christian sites like this one and, ironically enough, the horror genre. It sounds strange, perhaps even mutually exclusive, but when you think about, both tend to deal with people who are outcast brushed off by society. I think the grittiness Shawn mentioned could be very helpful in trying to bridge this gap provided 1) it's not the simply shock-jock blood and gore which have been seeping into comics lately and 2) it's not the God hammer Leon mentioned earlier.
I'm just a writer but both of my Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) projects have been written with this in mind. My most recent one would definitely fit the bill - it's a supernatural story something along the lines of This Present Darkness meets Screwtape Letters. There are angels and demons influencing people throughout the story, but it's less "there's us and then there's them" and more real people with real problems and real struggles trapped in between. I'd really like to develop it as a comic book for just this kind of company because it was with this very purpose Shawn talked about - reaching the people who don't give Christ a second thought - that I wrote it in the first place.
I'm an artist who is very interested. Personally, I delight in seeing subtly and nuance in stories. I've always been drawn to the more "mainstream" with subtler Christian themes (or at least sneakily blatant) than the obviously blatant...if that makes any sense...so what you are talking about is exciting to me. Plus, all the people I know who are into comics but who don't know Christ would never ever pick up something obviously Christian, they'd avoid it like the plague. The sort of thing your talking about would be a great way to reach them, and is something that I feel there is currently not enough of.
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of comments are talking about being "gritty" as if that's the main type/idea/audience you're going for with this and that is not the impression I got from the main post. I'm reading it more as fitting into whatever is "mainstream" or "cutting edge" which can include, but is not limited to "gritty" (apologies for using potentially ambiguous terms...I couldn't think of anything more solid off the top of my head at this time of night).
Holly I think I understand what you mean by obviously blatant, a good example of what I call stealth Christianity is the work of C S Lewis and his Narnia series, when I first read it I just thought it was another fantasy story until my friend explained all the symbolism that was in it then I could see it. Unfortunately humanity has never been one to enjoy being hit over the head with the God hammer. In my story Pendragon that I am working on the three main characters represent humanity, light and darkness and how we need to balance both to become closer to God. It good see other artists here interested in the anthology idea:)
Yes! That is a perfect example of what I was talking about. Thank you Leon. Narnia is amazing in it's broad appeal yet with just a bit of info it is suddenly laying out the Gospel. It's not blatant, but not offensively stealthy.
I think that's a great idea. I see the same sort of direction being taken in novels with Ted Dekker books (see Showdown or House for example). I've got some comic book ideas that follow what you're talking about.
What's the latest news?
I'm sure everyone has read the Flight Comics Anthology, why not try doing something similar with short stories contributed by artists here and put together? This way there is more of a chance all who read is bound to find something that appeals to them thus reaching more people more ways:)
Replies
Hello! Wow, it has been a long time since I have been on this community. Used to visit it daily, but not as much lately. Very cool to hear of other interested people! I do love the comic form, always have. I just consider myself a bit more of a guy that likes to push things to the edge. I have a lot of ideas, characters, plots, story arcs, etc. I am a graphic artist and used to draw comics, but I am never happy with getting the right look. I am more of a developer here lately. I can create all the infinite details, I just need others to help bring them to life, so to speak.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Checked out your upcoming book, very cool! Hope to hear from you! Take care!
Brian D said:
I think the concept is long overdue, BTW.
My work:
http://www.flickr.com/tupa
I was just thinking to myself the other day that the two of the most predominantly welcoming communities out there are Christian sites like this one and, ironically enough, the horror genre. It sounds strange, perhaps even mutually exclusive, but when you think about, both tend to deal with people who are outcast brushed off by society. I think the grittiness Shawn mentioned could be very helpful in trying to bridge this gap provided 1) it's not the simply shock-jock blood and gore which have been seeping into comics lately and 2) it's not the God hammer Leon mentioned earlier.
I'm just a writer but both of my Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) projects have been written with this in mind. My most recent one would definitely fit the bill - it's a supernatural story something along the lines of This Present Darkness meets Screwtape Letters. There are angels and demons influencing people throughout the story, but it's less "there's us and then there's them" and more real people with real problems and real struggles trapped in between. I'd really like to develop it as a comic book for just this kind of company because it was with this very purpose Shawn talked about - reaching the people who don't give Christ a second thought - that I wrote it in the first place.
So, short version, where do I sign up?
Also, please correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of comments are talking about being "gritty" as if that's the main type/idea/audience you're going for with this and that is not the impression I got from the main post. I'm reading it more as fitting into whatever is "mainstream" or "cutting edge" which can include, but is not limited to "gritty" (apologies for using potentially ambiguous terms...I couldn't think of anything more solid off the top of my head at this time of night).
What's the latest news?
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