You need to be a member of CCAS - Christian Comic Arts Society to add comments!
Replies are closed for this discussion.
This reply was deleted.
You need to be a member of CCAS - Christian Comic Arts Society to add comments!
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies
Hey Elgin,
NA = North America
andre jardine said: For example, Jim Steranko started out as a clone of Jack Kirby, but he also looked at Wally Wood,Bernie Krigstein,Alex Toth,Hal Foster,Al Williamson,Alex Raymond, and also looked outside of comics by studying Madison Avenue graphic designers,innovative typography, he even looked at films by studying both innovative American and European directors and cinematographers,then he brought all of that to his work! That's why Steranko's comics are so good,and still hold up to this day,even tho they were done over 40 years ago! Imagine bringing all those influences to the Christian comics arena TODAY? We'd be very much talked about and discussed like Steranko was back in his day!
I disagree, Andre. When I was 23 I wrote and drew a graphic novel called THE SINNERS for DC's Piranha Press imprint in 1988 (published in July, 1989). I was already familiar with all of the artists you cited in your post (and even had a friendship with Bernie Krigstein for four years prior to his passing). My graphic novel received the "Critic's Choice: Book of the Week" award from THE L. A. READER in November, 1989, as well as favorable reviews in I.D. magazine in the UK, and many other periodicals. However, late that year, I was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Saved, but not delivered. That took some years afterwards. As I grew in grace, I fell more and more out of favor with the world. Doors began to close (and new doors opened). My current Christian graphic novels are far superior to what I produced twenty years ago, but the secular media - including secular comics media - ignores it, because the stamp of (and therefore the reproach of) Christ is upon it.
For decades I swam in secular media - engulfed in "high art" - in comics, illustration, fine art, world cinema, world music, literature - from the classics to the contemporary, etc. There comes a saturation point where you have to say, "Enough." The Lord literally said to me some years ago, "You have learned from men. Now learn from Me." If Christ is not our all-in-all, we will have skewered sensibilities. We will be as distorted as the worldly models that you suggest that we emulate. Every good gift is from above, yes, but not every good gift has been used according to the perfect will of God. In fact, most of them have not.
I've had to do a lot of "unlearning" by God's grace, in order to be a clean vessel for Him to speak through, in order to be transparent so that His agape love is evident in my work. There's so much more that I could write--perhaps in another post.
Kind regards in Christ Jesus,
Alec Stevens
www.calvarycomics.com
Hey Elgin,
In a weird way comics ARE mainstream in NA right now. Not necessarily on a readership level (though Graohic Novels would attest to the possibility they're more acceptable in general - and these are not the collected trades).
To me it boils down to finding out HOW the audience wants to read and adapting.
Don't forget Europe,where comics are treated more like an artform and do well commercially. But as I said earlier, a lot of Christian cartoonists don't know anything about the great cartoonists or writers,don't study the veterans works,so this is why there are so much crappy Christian comics out there! But I also have to admit, this is the same criticism that SECULAR comics get as well! So many crappy SECULAR comics,too!! So many cartoonists(I'm now talking about Christians again) I believe, don't look at older comics works because they think that the work is too"old fashioned",not contemporary enough,and also I believe that they think that by looking at other's works that somehow it will quench the indwelling of the Lord in their creative life,and that their work will lose its spirituality. But this is simply not true! God GAVE us these artists,writers, so that we may look at their work and be inspired! For example, I have in my personal library books about Will Eisner,Jim Steranko,Alex Toth,Alex Raymond,John Buscema,Paul Gulacy,Steve Rude,Neal Adams,Noel Sickles,John Romita,Charles Schulz, Jose Munoz, Harvey Kurtzman,Paul Pope,Eduardo Risso,Frank Miller,Kyle Baker,Wally Wood, Al Williamson,Jordi Bernet,and of course the legendary King himself,the great Jack Kirby. I also buy magazines such as The Comics Journal, Comicbook Artist(formerly published by John Morrow, himself a born again Christian) The Jack Kirby Collector, DRAW magazine,Rough Stuff,etc. Why do I have all these books? TO LEARN,THAT'S WHY!! From each artist I admire, I take away a little something from their style so that I can grow a little more as a cartoonist! Believe me, it helps!! For example, Jim Steranko started out as a clone of Jack Kirby, but he also looked at Wally Wood,Bernie Krigstein,Alex Toth,Hal Foster,Al Williamson,Alex Raymond, and also looked outside of comics by studying Madison Avenue graphic designers,innovative typography, he even looked at films by studying both innovative American and European directors and cinematographers,then he brought all of that to his work! That's why Steranko's comics are so good,and still hold up to this day,even
tho they were done over 40 years ago! Imagine bringing all those influences to the Christian comics arena TODAY? We'd be very much talked about and discussed like Steranko was back in his day! However, what's sad to me is that Christian and secular cartoonists don't even know MOST of the names that I have mentioned in the previous paragraphs.Folks, I cannot implore you enough to go and study the previous masters,because you will discover gems you've never seen before! Go to sites like www.comicartfans.com to see works by the aforementioned masters!! You will surprised at how that by looking at these guys,it will inspire you,change the way at how you look at comics and art in general,and will make you want to create more better looking and professional looking comics!! I believe Timothy states "study to show thyself approved;a workman not need to be ashamed."
So go! Study! It's all there just at your reach! By studying coupled with prayer,you will be surprised how your work will grow, and how God will truly work thru you!This is part 2;next will be "Storytelling and Story Content".
I agress with your point about some believers being resistant to , let's say unconventional forms of evangelism/ outreach, including comics.
I would add that outside of the comic community in GENERAL,most people in AMERICA are resistant to comics, to a certain extent. Unlike other forms of media, comics in America, at least the public perception of them, seems stuck in a time warp. Everynow and then a Frank Miller will produce a comic that rises to the surface of po culture, and suddenly, some media type exclaims " ZAP! POW! COMICS ARENT FOR KIDS ANYMORE!". Ugh.....DUH....
Unlike Japan, where comics is an acceptable form of communication....sigh... I long for the day when this attitude will become the norm in these United States...
Until then, let us bow our heads in prayer...
First off, I just joined today after being referred to here by good friend...ELGIN BOLLING! He told me about this site, and this very conversation that he got going here! Secondly, for many of the years that I've known Elgin,we have had this conversation about Christian comics,media and so on. My opinion on why Christian writers,cartoonists(like Alex Toth once told Mike Allred"that's what we inkdippers really are!!")singers,actors,movie people,etc are not that ballsy is this:WE ARE AFRAID. That's it in a nutshell.We are afraid to take chances,we are afraid of being judged by our fellow Christians,we are afraid to offend,we are afraid of being judged by our fellow Christians,we are afraid of being judged by our fellow Chri-hey wait a minute!-I just SAID that two times already! That's another reason:the opinion of our fellow believers. Judgmental Christianity really does hurt;you really are doing something for the Kingdom with the right heart/intentions, and your fellow Christians call it "ungodly","the Spirit wasn't really in you,you're doing this from your flesh","this isn't Christ-like enough",etc.
Also,Christians(at least many I've encountered)have a very prejudiced attitude about comics.If they remember comics at all, it's usually Archie,Superman,Batman,or maybe Spider-Man.They don't know 100 Bullets, Nexus,Cerebus, they don't know The Losers,Road To Perdition,The Human Target,Ghost World as anything other than movies or TV shows,not as properties derived from comics. They simply don't think that comics can be used as a tool for evangelism,or just plain old good Christian reading(but yet a lot of them have Jack Chick tracts in their home waiting to pass out to the non-believer!! Can we say hypocrisy,kiddies?) Also,remember we live in America,which is an extremely conservative country, and supposedly a Judeo-Christian nation, so anything with the title "Christian" has to be "wholesome","clean","pure","non-offending",when we all know in reality,it ain't like that at all! Christians deal with the same struggles as the world, and ours is more pronounced because we have an adverasry who is fighting with us and trying to get us back into the world once again.
I do agree with a lot of you;there are Christians out there that are fullof passion to reach people with the Gospel that they are in a rush, and don't take the time to edit their story/art content.Also,like one of the posters said,comics aren't a big priority with Christians anyway,because of the aforementioned prejudicial attitudes towards them, so who the heck cares about quality content anyway? There aren't many big comic fans at the major Christiuan publishing houses anyway,so poorly written/drawn comics will be the norm for the time to come. Also, I've noticed that a lot of so called Christian cartoonists don't know comics history!! Those "Christian"cartoonists are really the ones who get the most play with Christians and the Christian media because as the like to claim "the Spirit led me to do this",The Lord HIMSELF led me to make this comicbook",or(listen to this one) "I don't NEED to look at any other artist or writer or whatever,'cause the Lord is my mentor ,my guide"! Remember, Christians are an easy audience to manipulate with this kind of talk,so it would take a strong,individually minded,cerebral Christian comics fan/professional to cut thru that type of talk, and ultimately find out that so called Christian cartoonist is lazy(yes,LAZY) and doesn't know anything about any professional comics artists/writers,and just wants nods and thumbs-up from the non-comics reading Christian masses.It really is hard to dispute certain claims,especially when you say that you are being led by The Lord. Listen, I have to go now,but consider this "part 1" of my reply.
Thanks Ribu!
Ribu John said:
$1.99 for Marvel and DC print books. Anything more expensive is the big two gouging the customers.
$3.50 to 4.99 for indy print books.
$0.99 for digital one month webcomic access.
Martin Murtonen said:
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 13 Next