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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And I thought I knew my Bible - I mean, I know the story of Elisha calling on bears to eat the mocking kids (boy some parents would've been surprised not to see little Joab at dinner)...but this one...I think I completely forgot...there seems to be a memory jog, but I'm going to have to look it up again.
(I also like the one where the guy was so fat that his body swallowed the sword...)
I agree, Martin. After all, it worked for Elijah when he, by the power of God, temporarily blinded the Assyrian army, led them into the heart of the battlefield (in Israel), then prepared a nice dinner for them. The enemies went home and the war was cancelled!
Martin Murtonen said:
Perhaps we need to start digging into more real stories - such as the small village of Christians in India who were about to have their village torched by a large angry mob - they had the choice to: - stay and get demolished - stay and fight - Run away - OR do something completely different. They showed the angry mob the love of Christ by saying: "Before you rob us would you mind a spot of tea?" and then after that, "Now before you rob us, would you mind if we prayed for you?" And what do you suppose the outcome was? (I might leave that for the actual tale :)
Wow - go away for a bit and the conversation goes sideways. But I think it's a good sideways.
I'm beginning more and more to lean towards "happier" more pleasant things (though one of my current projects strays from this) . There are only so many ways to blow up bad guys.
Presenting peace, love, joy, health, kindness, gentleness, self-control - these all seem to be boring things. BUT they are all HEALTHY and POSITIVE things. NOW the real skill is to present these things in an interesting fashion.
I've been trying to get into the "heroes" of today, but truthfully, the angry, constipated, bleak, and ugly is starting to get to me (has been for some time). Why does everyone have to fight all the time? (I know, I know, conflict is always much more interesting).
Hm. Perhaps we need to start digging into more real stories - such as the small village of Christians in India who were about to have their village torched by a large angry mob - they had the choice to:
- stay and get demolished
- stay and fight
- Run away
- OR do something completely different. They showed the angry mob the love of Christ by saying: "Before you rob us would you mind a spot of tea?" and then after that, "Now before you rob us, would you mind if we prayed for you?" And what do you suppose the outcome was? (I might leave that for the actual tale :)
It seems that any current attempt to return to the "old-school of morally upstanding heroes" is usually laughed at (like the film "Pleasantville"---which I haven't seen---has everything in black-and-white, except when someone becomes 'enlighened' in a (post-)modern way, then they suddenly burst into full color) unless the story is a period piece, set in the '30s-early '60s, when super-heroes and civilian characters behaved in the 'old school' way. I haven't read Alan Moore's 1963 comic, but that seemed to be a sendup of those values, even implying that the best of the silver age Marvel comics were sexist, imperialist, and ethnically non-diverse. They all weren't, but some those elements were there.
I'm finding it difficult to get away from grim and gritty moments in storytelling, no matter how hard I try. I think comics are too grim and gritty, and beyond that, the superhero characters I grew up loving have turned into godless riffraff with despicable morals and manners. I remember a day when I could read a comic about a non-Christian character, and still feel like I had something values-wise in common with even non-Christian comic characters. Gone are those days. So, I want to create superhero comics that feature characters with sound moral foundations, even if they aren't Christian.
So here I am trying to do modern super heroes along those lines, but I still find them having to deal with grim and gritty situations. In the current issue we are working on, one of the Chrisitan characters sees an Islamic extremist blow up a detention camp in war ravaged Sudan. Now how would an American Christian character react to this? I have to be honest and admit that an American Christian, in a post-911 America, would want to beat up on that terrorist. We know this is the true reaction. So that's what the character, a Christian superhero does. I've told myself that I would deal with his action from a Biblical perspective in the very next issue, but I'm still somewhat uncomfortable with having presented it. It's just where the story took me, so I went with it. That's grim and gritty for ya. There's no escape from it because its real.
Alec, I like a lot of what you have to say because your comments, too, are for real. God does expect us to get in people's personal space and hit them with the Jesus Hammer, as it was referred to by someone else. Although my goal is to create a mainstream super heroes publisher that also features Christian heroes, I just wonder whether that combination of the mainstream and the Christian can ultimately work. I mean, my mainstream heroes would have to turn out NOT really mainstream (reflecting today's low moral standards), because I'd have them acting like the old-school of morally upstanding heroes, and not like today's heathen slobs. They just wouldn't be Christian, but other than that there would be little else to differentiate their general values from the values of the Christian heroes within the shared universe. Would this formula even work? I can see the potential for my Christian characters, but who would be interested in the other characters? Should I even bother? The only potential I could see is for using the non-Chrisitian heroes to introduce the Christian heroes to the mainstream readers. Like "I'm a super hero, and this here is my Christian friend".
: ) What do people think? I'm not saying I'll give up, just having frustrations.
Thank you for your concern, Alec. However, I believe that there is a time and place for different styles of Christian fiction. :) I have nothing against blatantly Christian mangas -- I actually am blessed by quite a few. But I'm also blessed by subtle Christian worldview mangas. Just in different ways.
I don't really care if any human accepts my work, and I'm not planning on making money through it. I just want to write stories which reflect the Truth of God in some way.
The best of what I've written consists of the Christian-worldview, but no mention of Christianity. I notice that this is usually what works with most authors.
That's because to clearly preach Christ with genuine anointing and a broken heart for the lost will turn off those who want to live a life of sinful compromise, whereas books with a general moral tone will not offend most people, so you can earn lots of money, entertaining them as they continue down a greased slide into hell.
Of course, we're accountable for what God has given us, and their blood is on our hands if we don't use the resources He has given us to warn them.
The Lord says, "When I say unto the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die,' if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand." Ezekiel 33:8
The apostle Paul writes, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Acts 20:26,27
We can't beat around the bush, folks. This is the last hour. The rapture is imminent. A lot of people who call themselves Christians are going to be left behind to be marked by the Antichrist and/or tortured and beheaded for their faith. We need to be transparent testimonies of the light and life of Christ in our lives and in the work of our hands.
If we're accepted in the Beloved, why should we care whether the world accepts or rejects us? Let's clearly lift Jesus' name in all we do, and God will draw those who are open to receive His life-giving Word.
This would be awesome... have you thought about publishing as well as posting the comics for free on the internet? Lots of kids surf and read manga online (hehe, me too -- the Christian ones anyways); I am of the opinion that posting it page-by-page online would actually raise sales of paperback copies and reach more kids.
I'm not an artist-- I'm a writer -- but I really prefer the books that are quite serious. (for being a girl, I highly dislike most shoujo just as a matter of personality -- the plots just aren't interesting to me) Serious fantasy, serious science fiction, etc. Some of my books are pretty blatantly Christian and some are more subtle.
The problem I keep running up against is theological correctness -- I don't want to imply something that's not true, and yet if I try to do it CS Lewis-style (stealing past watchful dragons) I usually end up being pretty lame. Hehe... writing is a learning process. :)
The best of what I've written consists of the Christian-worldview, but no mention of Christianity. I notice that this is usually what works with most authors.
I like the idea! In terms of helping out, I would potentially be interested in helping come up with story and character ideas/concepts/themes.
In terms of having stories dealing with real issues from a Christian perspective (and something that non-Christians would hopefully be interested in reading), that's the goal of the comic I am working on. It's about a group of teenagers who have to come to terms with their unique abilities. Check out the links below if you want to learn more:
I'm praying that your idea comes to fruition and that non-Christians are encouraged to learn more about Christ as a result. Take care and keep me posted!
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I just got an idea:
It starts off 100 years into the future: A giant catastrophe hits earth and only 1 man and 1 woman survive. So begins the story of the Bible but in a completely futuristic setting adding unexpected twists along the way. It can go right through to Revelations, but all names are changed, so it isn't the Bible, but there are a lot of similarities.
Replies
(I also like the one where the guy was so fat that his body swallowed the sword...)
Martin
Martin Murtonen said:
I'm beginning more and more to lean towards "happier" more pleasant things (though one of my current projects strays from this) . There are only so many ways to blow up bad guys.
Presenting peace, love, joy, health, kindness, gentleness, self-control - these all seem to be boring things. BUT they are all HEALTHY and POSITIVE things. NOW the real skill is to present these things in an interesting fashion.
I've been trying to get into the "heroes" of today, but truthfully, the angry, constipated, bleak, and ugly is starting to get to me (has been for some time). Why does everyone have to fight all the time? (I know, I know, conflict is always much more interesting).
Hm. Perhaps we need to start digging into more real stories - such as the small village of Christians in India who were about to have their village torched by a large angry mob - they had the choice to:
- stay and get demolished
- stay and fight
- Run away
- OR do something completely different. They showed the angry mob the love of Christ by saying: "Before you rob us would you mind a spot of tea?" and then after that, "Now before you rob us, would you mind if we prayed for you?" And what do you suppose the outcome was? (I might leave that for the actual tale :)
Now, that is in an interesting story.
Martin
It seems that any current attempt to return to the "old-school of morally upstanding heroes" is usually laughed at (like the film "Pleasantville"---which I haven't seen---has everything in black-and-white, except when someone becomes 'enlighened' in a (post-)modern way, then they suddenly burst into full color) unless the story is a period piece, set in the '30s-early '60s, when super-heroes and civilian characters behaved in the 'old school' way. I haven't read Alan Moore's 1963 comic, but that seemed to be a sendup of those values, even implying that the best of the silver age Marvel comics were sexist, imperialist, and ethnically non-diverse. They all weren't, but some those elements were there.
I'm finding it difficult to get away from grim and gritty moments in storytelling, no matter how hard I try. I think comics are too grim and gritty, and beyond that, the superhero characters I grew up loving have turned into godless riffraff with despicable morals and manners. I remember a day when I could read a comic about a non-Christian character, and still feel like I had something values-wise in common with even non-Christian comic characters. Gone are those days. So, I want to create superhero comics that feature characters with sound moral foundations, even if they aren't Christian.
So here I am trying to do modern super heroes along those lines, but I still find them having to deal with grim and gritty situations. In the current issue we are working on, one of the Chrisitan characters sees an Islamic extremist blow up a detention camp in war ravaged Sudan. Now how would an American Christian character react to this? I have to be honest and admit that an American Christian, in a post-911 America, would want to beat up on that terrorist. We know this is the true reaction. So that's what the character, a Christian superhero does. I've told myself that I would deal with his action from a Biblical perspective in the very next issue, but I'm still somewhat uncomfortable with having presented it. It's just where the story took me, so I went with it. That's grim and gritty for ya. There's no escape from it because its real.
Alec, I like a lot of what you have to say because your comments, too, are for real. God does expect us to get in people's personal space and hit them with the Jesus Hammer, as it was referred to by someone else. Although my goal is to create a mainstream super heroes publisher that also features Christian heroes, I just wonder whether that combination of the mainstream and the Christian can ultimately work. I mean, my mainstream heroes would have to turn out NOT really mainstream (reflecting today's low moral standards), because I'd have them acting like the old-school of morally upstanding heroes, and not like today's heathen slobs. They just wouldn't be Christian, but other than that there would be little else to differentiate their general values from the values of the Christian heroes within the shared universe. Would this formula even work? I can see the potential for my Christian characters, but who would be interested in the other characters? Should I even bother? The only potential I could see is for using the non-Chrisitian heroes to introduce the Christian heroes to the mainstream readers. Like "I'm a super hero, and this here is my Christian friend".
: ) What do people think? I'm not saying I'll give up, just having frustrations.
-Ribu John
I don't really care if any human accepts my work, and I'm not planning on making money through it. I just want to write stories which reflect the Truth of God in some way.
That's because to clearly preach Christ with genuine anointing and a broken heart for the lost will turn off those who want to live a life of sinful compromise, whereas books with a general moral tone will not offend most people, so you can earn lots of money, entertaining them as they continue down a greased slide into hell.
Of course, we're accountable for what God has given us, and their blood is on our hands if we don't use the resources He has given us to warn them.
The Lord says, "When I say unto the wicked, 'O wicked man, you shall surely die,' if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand." Ezekiel 33:8
The apostle Paul writes, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." Acts 20:26,27
We can't beat around the bush, folks. This is the last hour. The rapture is imminent. A lot of people who call themselves Christians are going to be left behind to be marked by the Antichrist and/or tortured and beheaded for their faith. We need to be transparent testimonies of the light and life of Christ in our lives and in the work of our hands.
If we're accepted in the Beloved, why should we care whether the world accepts or rejects us? Let's clearly lift Jesus' name in all we do, and God will draw those who are open to receive His life-giving Word.
Alec
I'm not an artist-- I'm a writer -- but I really prefer the books that are quite serious. (for being a girl, I highly dislike most shoujo just as a matter of personality -- the plots just aren't interesting to me) Serious fantasy, serious science fiction, etc. Some of my books are pretty blatantly Christian and some are more subtle.
The problem I keep running up against is theological correctness -- I don't want to imply something that's not true, and yet if I try to do it CS Lewis-style (stealing past watchful dragons) I usually end up being pretty lame. Hehe... writing is a learning process. :)
The best of what I've written consists of the Christian-worldview, but no mention of Christianity. I notice that this is usually what works with most authors.
I like the idea! In terms of helping out, I would potentially be interested in helping come up with story and character ideas/concepts/themes.
In terms of having stories dealing with real issues from a Christian perspective (and something that non-Christians would hopefully be interested in reading), that's the goal of the comic I am working on. It's about a group of teenagers who have to come to terms with their unique abilities. Check out the links below if you want to learn more:
http://rsquaredcomicz.wordpress.com/story-development/
http://rsquaredcomicz.wordpress.com/characters/
I'm praying that your idea comes to fruition and that non-Christians are encouraged to learn more about Christ as a result. Take care and keep me posted!
It starts off 100 years into the future: A giant catastrophe hits earth and only 1 man and 1 woman survive. So begins the story of the Bible but in a completely futuristic setting adding unexpected twists along the way. It can go right through to Revelations, but all names are changed, so it isn't the Bible, but there are a lot of similarities.
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