Posted by Donald Ensign on April 18, 2008 at 12:34pm
Since September of last year we (Steve MacDonald & Don Ensign) have been bringing you a series of weekly reviews of current and recent comics with Christian themes or comics produced by professing Christians. We hope you have enjoyed and been enlightened by the sheer variety and quality of Christian comics that are being produced. We encourage you to take the time and effort to seek out some of these comics to read and enjoy. The creators of these works need your support if they are to continue. At this time we are going to take a several break from adding new reviews.However this is not the end. In the upcoming months we will be producing the 2008 Guide to Christian Comics. The Guide is an annual review of what is happening within the realm of Christian comics. It lists important people, events, companies, web sites, projects and publications within Christian comics publishing.We have produced Guides for 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. They can be purchased for $2.50 each (add $2 for postage and shipping). If you are interested in purchasing any of these informative publications please get in touch with Don Ensign for further details (densign8@dakotacom.net).God bless and support Christian comics.
Read more…
Riddler’s Fayre:The Vaults of the Mind (2006), Usharp Comics. Written by Steve Carroll Art by Jeff Anderson and Richard Thomas, 53 pp. Hardback Historical fiction is something we don’t see a lot of in current comics. Marv Wolfman said if well in a recent Comic Con panel. “I made up all the stuff” in a series of character studies he did for DC comics some years ago. For the History of Israel graphic novel Wolfman is currently working (now published) on he is doing a massive amount of very time consuming research. Sometimes it is just easier to make up your characters and worlds out of imaginary whole cloth. You don’t have to worry about little things like historical facts and context. Steve Carroll sets his story in the Summer of 1199 in medieval Europe shortly after the Third Crusade. This story revolves around an ambitious French nobleman, Comte Ludovic Parvell of Clermont and his ruthless quest for the Philosopher’s Stone that can turn lead into gold and grant eternal life. The story involves a mysterious knight with a young teen boy who has no memory and arcane symbols emblazoned on his arm, a beautiful Roma girl, a wise Muslim scholar, a wandering Jew, kindly nuns and plenty of action and plot twists to keep you going to the end. The story is well plotted and visualized with engaging characters. This book makes you want to read more to see had the tale unfolds and how these characters grow during the course of the story. The story reminded one of Prince Valiant, but unlike the saga presented by Harold Foster or his successors, people of faith are a given (as they were in the middle ages), not something to be largely ignored. This is the first in a series of Riddler’s Fayre adventures that will be continued in the next book called “The Game of Revenge.” Jeff Anderson provides thoroughly professional work in supplying the pencils and inks with Richard Thomas doing balanced and restrained color work. This graphic novel places historical fiction squarely within the context of current Christian comics. Bravo for Steve Carroll, Jeff Anderson and Usharp Comics. (This review was written in August 2006.)Read more…
Sadhu Sundar Singh, (2006), Published by Calvary Comics, Alec Stevens, (writer & artist)48 pp, Full color, $6.95 Recently Christian artist Alec Stevens’ published a graphic novel on the life of Sadhu Sundar Singh. Stevens is a professional illustrator who has worked for the several of major comic book companies. Several years ago he came out with two issues of a comic book called Glory to God which illustrated true stories of famous Christians (with art by himself and others). The graphic novel (perhaps more accurately a graphic biography) is Steven’s most ambitious work so far and he did an excellent job. Singh was an early 20th century Indian evangelist who preached widely in India, Burma, China, Japan and made trips through Europe, Great Britain and the United States. Singh had an extraordinary life. I found his Christian conversion experience (he was born into a Sikh family) similar to what a number of Muslim seekers encounter today in closed Islamic societies. Also it is similar to the apostle Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. This book is filled with fascinating accounts of the suffering and persecution Singh experienced for his faith. Once while traveling to Tibet he was rescued by a 300 year old hermit who gently challenged the young evangelist’s thinking on Christian believers being imbedded in Roman Catholic and Hindu societies. Later in America Singh preached sermons much to the discomfort of his listeners rebuking rich American Christians in the early 1920s for their materialistic lifestyle. He would probably be physically ill if he came back and saw the American Christian church in the early 21st Century. Singh had opportunities to meet and witness to Gandhi and encouraged a young Corrie Ten Boom (of The Hiding Place) in her walk with God. Alec Stevens has done a fine service in illustrating the life of this remarkable Christian evangelist. This book is inspirational in the best sense of the word. www.calvarycomics.com Originally written in July 2006
Read more…
TimeFlyzvolumes 1 and 2, 2007, Zondervan, Ben Avery (writer) Adi Darda Guadiamo (artist), black-and-white, digest-sized manga-style book, 152 pages (volume one)/150 pages (volume two), $9.99 each. This is a cute little series that I had trouble getting into, maybe because the protagonist is a ten-year-old girl, and I have very little in common with ten-year-old girls, for some reason. The concept is intriguing, with cybernetic time-traveling flies and a neat little mystery of a plot that has really got me thinking. Adi Darda’s art is a great fit for this book, and the flies each have their own look, although similar enough to cause confusion until they all get sorted out. The plot, however, might be difficult for the target audience to follow, as it delves into history, physics, and time paradoxes, among other things, but could be a fun ride for kids who don’t take all that too seriously as well as those who can invest the mental energy and actually figure it all out. I was also reading the other five ZGN series1 first two issues when I was reading this title, so the subtleties were lost. Ben Avery (fill in your favorite Ben Avery title here “_______________”) is in top form (is he ever NOT in top form? This guy could write the hump of a camel!) with a complex plot, fully realized characters, and a big-bad setup that gives a face to the present threat but leaves the puppet-master in the shadows at least through the second volume. Adi Darda1s artwork is fantastic, rendering the multiple unique cyber-insects, drawing from extreme perspectives, and populating the story with both real historical people (Ben Franklin, Imhotep) and fictional characters, blending the two believably. His cartoony style doesn1t get old, and his mastery of the craft is evident The historical characters play major parts in the story, as someone or something is kidnapping the great inventors throughout time, and we get to meet them as the characters do. It would do the book well to add a page in the back with more information about the actual personalities and lives of these great men (and, I presume eventually women, although the first two books feature only male inventors), as it is vague whether the events actually happened (with the TimeFlyz playing an incidental part) or if these are entirely fictional events. Even something urging the deeper study of the inventors would be a nice resource, but since we are already two issue deep that is perhaps wishful thinking, unless Zondervan can add more content like that to their website for these books which would be nice. Teamwork, a sense of belonging, personality clashes these are issues that a 10-year old could relate to, as we all could to some extent. Two issues into the series and we get all this and more, but the Christian content is spotty at best. Of course, Avery is most likely working up to something, and we do experience Jewish slave life in their Egyptian captivity period, and one of the incidental characters does mention taking comfort from reading Bible verses, but the reader is given nothing overtly evangelical, which may not be on the menu for this particular ZGN at all(or any, so far the three based on Bible characters are all set in the Old Testament and the three modern books each contain some Christian themes but with very little proselytizing, at least at this point in each series). But in the final reckoning, TimeFlyz is a fun, well-written, nicely illustrated book with the promise of a very entertaining climax. Review by Steve MacDonald
Read more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on March 11, 2008 at 10:30am
What About the Trinity?, (2007), Amazing Facts, Inc., Jim Pinkoski (writer & artist), 56 pp., b & w., $3.95 In 1999 Intervaristy Press published Dr Doctrine's Christian Comix #3: On the Trinity written and drawn by seminary professor Fred Sanders. This book was an educational comic whose cartoon sheep host, Dr Doctrine, does a historical survey of how the doctrine of the Trinity was elucidated from scripture. Sanders format is somewhat similar to that used by Scott McCloud in his Understanding Comics and Making Comics volumes. Sanders includes one page shorts on how different theologians have spoken about the Trinity, sections on how the Trinity has been represented in Western art and Trinity Math--examining the paradox of the Trinity. Christian artist and cartoonist Jim Pinkoski working with two pastors has produced another educational comic book on the Trinity. The pastors are Doug Bachelor (the head of Amazing Fact, Inc. ministries) and the late Harry Anderson. Pinkoski uses these two men as co-lecturers/teachers to guide the reader through the numerous points of theology contained in this publication. This book is more of an illustrated lecture than a true comic book. It is very text heavy and while Pinkoski strives valiantly to make the text as visually interesting as possible one wonders if straight prose would have been more effective and efficient. The view of the Trinity presented here is orthodox and our two lecturers take great pains to show how the Trinity is supported from scripture. They also discussion how the doctrine of the Trinity was formalized by the early church (Nicaean Creed). Pastor Batchelor gives some analogies from the physical universe on how the Trinity might be understood (p. 45a). He also deals with early heresies and certain unbiblical doctrines concerning the nature of God( p. 43, 53). Only rarely does the Seventh Day Adventist orientation of this publication come into play as it did with Pastor Anderson's criticism of pre-tribulation teaching (p. 17-18). To this reviewer this seemed a doctrinal rabbit trail better examined at length in another publication. Jim Pinkoski is to be commended for dealing with this very important and vital Christian doctrine and presenting it in visual form. For those who do not want to tackle this formidable and often difficult to understand teaching in a strict prose format this illustrated lecture "comic" would be a good place to start. Amazing Facts, Inc
Read more…
Holy Scrolls: The Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls,(November 2007), Lamp Post, Inc, Brett Burner (writer), Diego Candia (artist), B & W, 35 pp. (free download from wowio.com)Let me tell you a secret. Educational comics don't have to be boring. The story of the Holy Scrolls starts off with a young boy peering through a museum display case exclaiming, "This is so completely lame! I can't believe I'm stuck here looking at scraps of old paper!"He is then confronted by a friendly old man who proceeds to tell him about those "lame" —" scraps of old paper. The elder gentleman weaves a spell binding tale that begins with the conquests of Alexander the Great, the desecration of the Jerusalem Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the rise of the Maccabees and their successful revolt against foreign rulers. He goes on to describe the Essene sect who established the community of Qumran near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea. The Essenes were diligent scribes who kept and copies of numerous scrolls of the Torah (the Hebrew Bible) and other important writings. These paper and leather scrolls were later placed and sealed in clay jars. When the Roman General Titus and his armies conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD crushing the Jewish revolt, the Essenes hid these clay jars with they precious contents in obscure caves near Qumran. There they remained until 1947 when a bedouin boy threw a stone in one of the caves and heard a smashing sound. He later investigated and found the ancient jars. The story then plays out like a modern spy novel with mystery and intrigue as the scrolls finally come to the attention of the international scholarly community.This story is filled with great action scenes, drama, danger and excitement. This is not a dull talking heads comic book lecture but an dynamic true story that makes dusty history come alive. The mysterious old man suddenly vanishes leaving the stunned boy and the reader wondering who he actually was. As the young boy proclaims at the end while again looking into the glass display case to his parent's pleasant surprise, "...this is so cool."Brett Burner with the help of Biblical scholars Dr David Noel Friedman and Dr. Pam Fox Kuhlken has turned in a script that should be used in coming years as a primer showing how to do educational comic books right. Artist Diego Candia does a very professional job using varied panel layouts, dramatic drawing and historical research to make this a convincing story visually. This comic is a great page turning read for any age but especially for young people who think Biblical history is "lame."www.wowio.comRead more…
January 27, 2008(From Don Ensign's journal)Next morning we checked out of the hotel around 8:30 AM. We went to a Family Restaurant and had a good breakfast. We then returned to the Convention Center and went to the dealer’s room and spoke with several people. One was Mike Kunkel (Herobear) and gave him a copy of the CCAS Business card. Also was able to speak with Mike Bullock at the next table (writer of Phantom) and gave him a CCAS business card and a copy of the 2007 Guide. Then James and I and talked with Noel Neill and I purchased her new book, Beyond Lois Lane and James took my photo with her. I told her that her “Thank you for being part of my childhood.” She responded very well to that. She is a very sweet lady. Then we want over to the Rude/Dude booth and spoke to Mrs Rube. She mentioned that the new Moth mini-series will start on Free Comic Book Day in May. We then went to the theatre and watched several trailers for some of upcoming films. While there Walter Koenig came in and began talking about his Inalienable film. We left that session and went to a comic artist panel with Ed McGuinness. During the question and answer period I asked him questions about his work habits and so forth. He mentioned that he tried to maintain balance in his life—not work on Sunday and going to church with his family. McGuinness is currently working on the Hulk. I took the opportunity to speak with him afterwards and gave him the CCAS Business Card and told him a little about CCAS. He was appreciative of knowing about CCAS.After the Ed McGuinness panel James and I took as short lunch break at a nearby Circle K. Then we returned to the Convention Center and went the Michael Golden panel. This was mostly a Q & A where he talked about some of his background before his got into comics and how he broke into the industry. He confessed that he was never really a comics fan like many who have come into the industry over the years. He provided good answers and told some interesting stories about his life in comics. Early in his career while in the DC offices Joe Kubert demonstrated how he could draw by first putting down a small circle and a squiggly line and then proceeded to draw a fantastic sketch of Adam Strange. Golden was so blown away by that thinking he could never do that. However, thirty years later with constant practice he was able to do the same thing. Golden started doing car painting in the early 1970s (hippie van art) and friends urged him to try comics and on his first trip to New York got work from both Marvel and DC. (He mentioned that this very unusual).After the Golden panel James and I took in a workshop about some computer software for making web comics. The presenter also is making available free space on his server for people wanting to show their web comics on the internet. This company, Dreamco a Tucson based company and the presenter was Greg Loumeau. The software contained some good features for making very simple webcomics. After that we returned to the theatre and a raffle was going on with everyone in the audience winning something—James and I won much needed hats as it was a rainy Sunday. We made one last trip to the dealers room. Then we decided to leave around 4:30 PM and got back to Tucson around 7:00 PM. We had a late dinner and I took James back to his home and then returned to Green Valley. Overall a good, fun weekend of Con events.
Read more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on February 26, 2008 at 7:00am
Goofyfoot Gurl#1 (Let There Be Lighten Up), 2007, Drigz Abrot (Writer), Allison Barrows (artist), Thomas Nelson/RealBuzz Studios, FC, 90 pp., $10.99 Have you ever been caught reading other people's mail? As a middle age male reviewer I had that feeling while reading through this mangaish graphic novel. The title character is a fuzzy haired teen age girl named Suki (she's "half Japanese--but always one hundred percent listener.") Suki has a group of teen friends who hang out at the beach (apparently Orange County, California) waited for the surf so they can ride the waves on their boards. Most of her friends are from very well-to-do families. There's the willowy blonde, Char whose father has just re-married a younger woman ("Miss Bimbo") named Randi Char is naturally having a difficult time with this woman who is maybe three of four years her senior. Then there is the East Indian girl Pooja whose family is trying to arrange a marriage between her and an unattractive engineer named Sanjeev. She obviously resisting this setup relationship. Next is a young African American named Joplin who lives alone in a high tech mansion who is starved for attention from his absentee parents. Scott is the anglo boy and the only non-rich kid who has several entry level jobs just to keep his nose above water. But he is an excellent surfer who can give lessons to the other kids. Suki herself has a dolphin friend named Delphine who comes to her rescue as she is being pulled under by a rip tide. My friend and Christian cartoonist Monte Wilson would call this a "quite" story. There isn't anything earth shattering or even particularly exciting about this graphic novel. It reads like listening in on a conversation among contemporary several teenage girls and boys. The accent here is on relationships and the various difficulties young people have especially with their parents or others in authority. This is the first book in a four part series. One gets the feeling that this is the set up and the resolution to the conflicts will be developed in subsequent books. So far there is little in this book to distinguish it as a Christian graphic novel ("But I see you in church on Sunday--aren't you a Christian?") I suspect the Christian emphasis will become more explicit in up coming books. The artwork is loose, sketchy with nuanced, muted pastel-like coloring. The art looks almost like preliminary roughs or story boards. The visual panel to panel story telling is quite good with emphasis on real world backgrounds (convenience stores, airports, ritzy homes, teen fashions, night street scenes). The drawings works well with the overall relaxed (even somewhat depressive) mood of the story. While I found this story boring (especially with any real resolution being put off to future issues)--I'm not the intended audience. Goofyfoot Gurl needs to connect with the tween and young teen girls for it to be successful. www.realbuzzstudios.comRead more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on February 25, 2008 at 6:47pm
( This is a entry from Don Ensign’s Journal)January 26, 2008Got up around 6:15 AM and left the house around 7:15 AMand got to James Babcock’s place around 8 AM. We went upIna Avenue and stopped at a fast food place and got a shortbreakfast (James did). Then we got on the Freeway(10 to Phoenix.) Got into Phoenix around 10:30 AM. Wentto the Mesa Convention Center and got our Con badges. Thenwe walked around the Con Dealers Room and saw Lou Ferrigno,Noel Neill, Steve Rude and others. We then visited the Small Pressarea and found the Indie Only Comics table where Paul Finiwas hanging out. Had a nice chat with him (the publisher ofSequentially Tucson) and will be putting out a third issue in,hopefully, the near future with the Golden Protector/Scout storyprinted last issue. Then we visited around the Small Press areaand met Tom Hall and Daniel Bradford. Had a good chat with themand found out that Tom is Joey Endres brother-in-law.Then we found the Artist Alley table with some of the guys fromthe Tucson group. James and I went to the Star Trek: Of Gods & Menpresentation with Walter Koenig and Tim Russ. They showed someof the film--the First Episode (apparently a rough cut-it was unclearwhether this was a potential TV series or feature film material).It is an interesting project (not a mega budget ) that includes actorsfrom all of the various Star Trek TV series. It was somewhat similar inconcept to the Wrath of Khan ST movie. Paramount and CBS are nowdividing the ST franchise. At that point James and I checked into anearby Travelodge and went out to dinner at a very nice restaurantthat was a former Mormon church building.We then returned to the Convention Center and watched somescience fiction shorts part of a Lara Croft Tomb Raider flick(Valerie Perez). It was violent, with experimental techniques butwith so-so acting. Then we went back to the small press sectionand I talked with a Phoenix area graphic novel discussion group.James was able to show some of his work to some potential publishers.We then went to a panel with Michael Golden and Patrick Scherberger.Michael had interesting things to say about modern comics storytelling.He had high praise for the storytelling abilities of John Bryne, Gil Kane,Carmine Infantino, and Joe Kubert. He said there is no one that candraw like Neal Adams but he didn’t think Adams (which he has told toAdams personally) was a great story teller. James and I had a chancefor a hort chat with Golden and complimented him on his work. At thatwe called it a day and headed back to the motel. I had warned Jamesthat I tried to suck everything out of a Con that I could.
Read more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on February 19, 2008 at 8:30am
(This review was written in August 2007. Please note Steve MacDonald's qualifications in this review. Urban Ministries Inc has since announced that they are revamping the entire Guardian Line.) The Guardian Line (2006-2007). Urban Ministries, Inc, [ Individual series; Code; Genesis 5; Joe & Max; Seekers- each series has four issues], 32 pp., $2.99 Individually these comics are varied.—Code is a stand alone hero like Batman, Genesis 5 has more of a New Mutants feel to it, and the other two feature younger kids thrust into larger worlds— and all are gear to an inner city audience. The ethnic makeup of the individuals more closely resembles what you'd find in a typical inner city. Thus giving a truer cultural feel than most mainstream attempts. While none of the individuals are traditional costumed superheroes (indeed, many off the primary characters are simply human, and some are teens and late pre-teens!). Some have powers derived from 'high powers' with at least six angelic beings among their ranks. The art in each title is well done, and very consistent throughout each issue. However, the characters, although they seem fully realized, feel as if they have been fed to the creative teams instead of flowing from them. In Genesis 5, the story is confusing... the main character is apparently a non-Christian, but he is given the care of five teenage angels (who appear naked, in issue one anyway, with carefully placed wings making for ridiculously posed panels. I showed the panels to my wife and she immediately pointed out that they were indeed naked)- not much else is given for reference. Then the human character enrolls them in school. It just seems very silly, and nothing you'd expect after you'd reading about angelic visitations in the Bible. They each seem to have a superpower (air, water, cold, telekinesis, a sword...stuff like that), but first issue has a gruesome scene with a message literally burned into a corpse. The second has the younger main character lying to his Mom at the beginning of the issue. Lots of little faux pas makes it not very good...characters names and powers are not made clear, their actual purpose is unknown, he angels fill up on junk food and TV, a typo by the artist shows poor editorial control. This isn't one that I'll be showing my kids any time soon or encouraging others to buy. Code(I've only seen issue #2) features a character actually taking the Lord's name in vain, irreverent references to God by main characters, sloppy writing and editing, along with a faulty concept of hell- as if people (or a whole city) can be forced into it. All this gives Christians and non-Christians alike wrong information about spiritual things. This is one of the worst plotted and written comics I've read, and coming from an industry pro like Mike Baron (from his website: Nominated for best writer in the Kirby, Harvey and Eisner awards, and has won two Eisners for his work on Nexus) I was extremely surprised. Code isn't listed among Mike's works on his site, so I might be off on that one. Joe & Max features another angel, this one a bodyguard/friend for the main character. The angel can only speak in scripture, so some of his lines are horribly out of context, and seem to strip the actual scripture of the massive spiritual weight that they should carry. A nice concept (the Guardian Angel) fused with a ridiculous concept (why would an angel be forced to speak in scripture?) makes it hard to get into. Similarly, the Seekers features younger characters, but this time they have the ability to travel through time. The first issue is all set-up, and it's the only one I've seen so far, so I can't comment too much on that one. I'm going to have to advise readers to stay away from this comic line. I'd like to have a hard interview with the creator/writers and get some tough questions answered. But until then, these comics are just too flawed spiritually to recommend to non-Christians (no real gospel message), too convoluted to recommend to Christians (focusing on fantasy spiritual warfare and not on true spiritual things) and poorly written and plotted, for the most part (blasphemy in Code, scripture quoted out of context in Joe and Max in either laughable or cringe-worthy ways, and implied nudity in Genesis 5--are naked angels the best visual subject matter for comics ostensibly geared toward adolescent males?), to recommend to people who just want a good read. I had high hopes for this line, but its too problematic for me to share with anyone else. Review by Steve MacDonald
Read more…
Posted by Donald Ensign on February 12, 2008 at 8:27pm
Thieves (November 2007), Community Comics, Ben Avery (writer), Pauolo Libunao), B & W, (free download from www.wowio.com)Barabbas was the name of 1962 Biblical epic movie starring Anthony Quinn and Ernest Borginine. The story followed the fate of a First century insurrectionist/murderer who intersected the life of Christ (Matthew 23:18-19) after His trial. The movie is powerful portrayal what might have happened to Barabbas after the frenzied mob demanded his release and the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazereth.Thieves takes a similar tack in telling the story of what might have happened before in the lives of the two thieves who were crucified with Christ (Matthew 23:32-42 ).This is arguably the best script the profilic Christian comics writer Ben Avery has produced so far. It is full of drama, strong characterization, taut emotions, sympathetic and conflicting motivations and a unexpected twist ending. This is a story that can stand toe to toe with anything the secular comics media can present and top it. Avery crafts believable sub stories that present the "why" these thieves ended up being nailed to crosses beside Jesus. There is Zev, the hot headed strong man whose only thought apparently concerns his next victim. Then there is Arion who has fallen into a life of crime to provide for his wife and two young sons. And lastly is the weak Lemuel who does not make it to the cross. Avery does a superb job in weaving the lives of these despited individuals into a dynamic, fast paced and exciting tale showing how historical fiction can make truly compelling comics.The artist Pauolo Libunao turns in an excellent penciled drawings with varied layouts and cinematic pacing that fits Avery's script perfectly. Emotive close ups, dramatic pan shots, superbly timed action sequences, well researched backgrounds are some of the visual magic Libunao injects into this story. Even without inking and color this is a very impressive body of work.With Thieves Ben Avery and Pauolo Libunao have raised the bar high—very high. This is what Christian comics can be when an excellent story concept, script, and art come together. Stories like Thieves show that Christian comics can be trendsetters not just followers. Highly recommended.www.wowio.comRead more…
I keep wanting to equate these 4-panel comic strips with Scott Adams' Dilbert, but it's difficult. Office politics and cynicism are both on display here, but Tony isn't defined by his occupation like Dilbert is, and his innocence is refreshing, while Dilbert's detached resignation from sanity, although still pretty funny, seems a bit stale after all these years. But the incorrectly named strip, collected here in large form (these aren't the microscopic panels crammed into a few pages between the personals and the car dealer advertisements, these are full-page strips, two panels on top of two panels for the most part), shows Jamie Cosley's solid grasp of the medium. It takes about half the book until he devolves into mildly scatological humor (his final strip is especially prescient), and even then the collection doesn't spiral downward so much as dip at points. Cosley truly does know how to deliver the goods, with the only "dead space" being the cover, and even that is awful purty (the uncredited design talents of trusty sidekick, I mean, 'frequent collaborator', Josh Alves on display). Cosley gives inside-front-cover and inside-back-cover one-panels both with good gags and a back cover color strip. Nothing but comedy.
All that having been said (or written), this is not an evangelistic attempt by any stretch of the imagination. The main body of the book touches on biblical themes a few times but never to get a message through to any supposed audience, just to add a spiritual dimension to our equine protagonist. The one-panels brush the subject once again each, but Jack Chick this ain't. Cosley sticks to what he knows best, which is 'funny with a touch of the pre-adolescent', but the strip works best when he sticks to defining the cast's quirks, and the visuals for each character work very well, keeping within his well-established forte. Those enjoying the art-style but wanting a more serious and/or overtly Christian story need look no further than Cosley's own More Than Sparrows, which personally comes with a high recommend. But suffice it to say that somebody must like Tony Pony, or else Nobody Likes Tony Pony would never have seen the light of day.
Posted by Donald Ensign on January 29, 2008 at 4:21pm
ArmorQuest Genesis, (2006), Community Comics, Ben Avery (writer), Sherwin Schwartzrock (artist), $3.50, 160 pp., B & W.
ArmorQuest: Genesis is out in a paperback compilation of all six issues! Sherwin Schwartzrock’s art has been stripped back to black and white, and the contrast is amazing! Add Ben Avery’s cool story on top of that and slap a $3.50 price tag on it - you heard me, 6 issues worth of comics for $3.50 - and I think this might just be the best comics package of 2006! Get 5 for under $20!
I’ve been a big pusher of this series since it came out in comic form and ran for three issues. I got a couple of the TPBs and spread the love around. My 5-year old loves the story - it covers a young boy discovering the Armor of God - but the story can be appreciated by young adults or even older! Good metaphors and allegories concerning Christian truths are all over this book, and the characters are fully fleshed out. Schwartzrock’s art is perfect for this, with fantastic layout and character design as well as a style that gives the feel of the mythic. These two guys are part of the brain trust that is Community Comics, and they are intent on creating professional-grade, entertaining, morally uplifting material for all ages and the hit the nail solidly on the head with this series.
This would probably be best for young Christians, to spur them on to a deeper realationship with the King, but the story is pretty sound, and could be enjoyed by almost anyone. The Christian elements are not heavy-handed at all, but are pretty clear if you know what you’re looking for. The six issues are self-contained, but form a larger story if read together or in series. It does leave off on a “Let’s see what else is out there” kind of vibe, obviously setting up for a potential continuing series (or second limited series) but there are no dropped plot elements or threads. The story and art compliment each other, losing just a little in the black-and-white format (the color of some of the antagonists has minor importance, which is not evident in the B/W version). A solid package.
Posted by Donald Ensign on January 23, 2008 at 9:23am
Diary of Hope, 2006). Christine Kerrick Images, Christine Kerrick (writer, artist, publisher), $9.95, 56 pp.
This is a graphic novel (period). Many graphic novels are just glorified comic books. Kerrick uses a combination of journal entries, sketches, illustrations and even some sequential art to propel the narrative. This book covers roughly the same ground as her recently completed three issue mini series, Empire. However while the same characters from Empire are involved in the same situations Diary of Hope complements and not just repeats the events of the mini series.
Diary of Hope brings a greater depth into the thoughts and feelings of the protagonist, Hope Mason. Hope is a young woman whose father, along with millions of others, have suddenly and mysteriously vanished from earth without a trace. The Diary documents Hope's life during the five years after the disappearance of her father. During this period she struggles with her own spirituality and belief in God. After much hardship and soul searching she follows the lead of her father, repents of her sin and becomes a Christian. This causes her to lose old friends and gain new ones and eventually leads to her death by martyrdom at the book's conclusion.
Kerrick's theological stance on the end times is a pre-millennial dispensationalist one. This position holds that true Christians will be physically taken out (raptured) of the world before the "Great Tribulation" and bodily return of Christi and the end of history. While not all Christians hold to this eschatological position the books succeeds as a compelling and gripping drama on its own merits despite whether the reader agrees with the future times scenario underlaying the story.
This is one of the best reads and professionally done packages to come out of the Christian comics movement in recent years. Christine Kerrick and batted a home run with this book. Buy it and savor it. Whether you agree or not with the end times scheme you will be blessed.
Posted by Donald Ensign on January 15, 2008 at 9:18am
Yun, The Illustrated Story of the Heavenly Man (2006), Monarch Books, Paul Hattaway (co-writer), Rico Rival (artist), 126 pp., $11.99 each.
In 1997 Paradox Press (a DC Comics imprint) published the Big Book of Martyrs. This book presented stories and legends primarily of early church and Roman Catholic martyrs for the faith. Martyrs and the persecuted church made up a very rich source for Christian sequential stories (comics). The graphic biography of Brother Yun is an excellent example of what can be done within the comics medium with modern persecution stories.
Brother Yun was born in 1958 in the tiny farming village of Liu Lao Zhuang of China's Henan Province. The story follows Yun's life as he was born into a family where his mother was a devout Christian and his father an ex-imperial soldier (who was miraculously healed by fervent prayers of terminal cancer). The book gives some historical background of the Protestant church in China. The rest of the book follows Yun's intense childhood desire to own a Bible and how God used him to teach and preach in the underground house church in China. There are many ups and downs in Yun's life journey as he faced beatings, torture, imprisonment, temptation and conflict within the church itself. This is a story of the triumph of faith and God's love in the face of seemingly overwhelming hardship and persecution.
Artist Rico Rival uses varied panel layouts and dramatic poses to keep the story moving. The inking tends to look rushed—almost as if these drawings were preliminary sketches. Since Rico is such an excellent comics story teller with very smooth transitions from page to page and from panel to panel in a very episodic story is a minor criticism. Still if he had taken more time or had a top notch inker doing the finishes— the art would have been even more effective. Nate Butler and Ed Morris helped in adapting the script to comics format.
The Christian church is facing heavy and increasing persecution many Muslim, Hindu and communist countries. Graphic biographies like Yun, the Heavenly Man is an excellent way of calling attention (and the need for help and prayer) to our brothers and sisters who are in very real ways suffering for their faith.
Posted by Donald Ensign on January 8, 2008 at 9:00am
Tomo, (Volume 1-I Was An Eighth-Grade Ninja), (Volume 2, My Double-Edged Life), 2007, Zondervan/Funny pages Productions., Andrew Simmons (writer #1), Rob Corley (writer #1), Jim Krueger (writer #2), Ariel Padilla (artist), 160 pp., $9.99 each
All right - the new Zondervan series that most surprised me was Tomo. It's the story of a Japanese girl who loses her mother and comes to America to live with her grandfather...boooooooooring, right? Wrong! It has a cool fantasy element tied into it...the best yet out of the six ZVGs. I all works extremely well together for this book! There is a very cool back-story that is still a mystery after two issues, 'real-life' intrigue for the girl (assimilating to American culture, etc.). It's fun, smart, action packed, and has subtle spiritual elements that seem to be growing with each issue. I can only assume that the payoff should be big. Anyway, if you like fantasy, martial arts, fish-out-of-water stories, or just a good plot fully realized in script and art, get this book!
Manga Messiah is very cool! I got an advanced copy, and if you like manga (and in color. too!) then get this book! It follows the story from all four gospels synoptically; the art is by actual Japanese artists, not just someone drawing in the manga style. The retelling is dialogue heavy, not text box heavy, as in many versions. The characters are given true human dimensions, aand everyone has a distinct look to them. The American publishers know the gospel and are making sure that this is both accurate and evengelistic. Great for sharing with those who do not know Christ but would be willing to read manga. Extremely well done! High marks.
[Note from DinoDon: I agree very strongly with Steve's review of Manga Messiah. This is one of the very best comic adaptations of the life of Christ ever published. The manga art for this volume has an emotional immediacy and passionate impact that fits extremely well with this gospel retelling. There are also helpful features such as an Area map detailing the places in Israel where the events of the life of Christ took place and Character profiles of the major people who were significant to the gospel stories. Excellent gift to receptive non-Christian manga fans.]
Posted by Donald Ensign on January 1, 2008 at 1:48pm
Eyewitness (Book 2) Acts of the Spirit (2006), Head Press Publishing, Robert James Luedke, 104 pp., $13.99.
Spiderman 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Sometimes the sequel is better that the original. In 2004 Robert James Luedke/Head Press published Eyewitness: A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth. This full color 94 page graphic novel tells the story of Terrence Harper, a world renown forensic archeologist who is called to Israel to examine a recently discovered ossurary (bone box) dating from the first century AD. The ossurary contains ancient scrolls and other artifacts. The scrolls once translated appear to be an independent account of the New Testament gospels written by Joseph of Arimathea. Luedke weaves a story of modern day international intrigue with extended visual glances of the Biblical story presented in the scrolls.
The scrolls’ Biblical story begins somewhat before the last Supper and proceeds through the Trial, Passion, Crucifixion and Burial of Christ. The book concludes with Harper making a confession of faith in Christ, in a car with his good friend and assistant Raj, immediately before being caught in an explosion triggered by a suicide bomber.
The second book, Acts of the Spirit takes up where Eyewitness left off. We find that Harper has survived and is in crucial condition. Luedke’s art has improved dramatically from the first book. The coloring is much improved and the pacing from panel to panel is better and the burdensome dialog balloons that clogged a number of pages in the first book have been streamlined and makes for a more enjoyable literary experience. In the first book there are sections of pure prose copy interrupting the flow of the graphic narrative. These sections are gone in the second book making for a better and simpler reading experience. Luedke effectively uses humor to lighten the heavy sense of conspiracy and foreboding evil. He takes a lesson from Charles Dickens and places a ‘Ghost of Easters Past’ to guide an unconscious Harper through Christ’s Resurrection, Ascension and the early days of the church as recorded in the book of Acts. Luedke continues to switch back and forth between events in First Century Israel to a modern 21st Century spy thriller —and he does it very well.
In Acts of the Spirit Luedke tops his first effort and we can look forward to the concluding volume in the trilogy in two years. As Christian readers we pray that this book will cause the non-Christian reader to seriously consider the claims of Christ. Robert James Luedke desires this book to have ministry beyond its entertainment value.
Posted by Donald Ensign on December 18, 2007 at 7:19am
Shelter of Wings, 2006 (1st Edition), Brethren Entertainment Media Group, Lisa Hutchinson (writer, artist), B & W, 194 pp., $14.95.
Spiritual warfare is one of the most popular genre within the Christian Comics movement. Perhaps the most notable example is the popular Archangels: The Saga produced by Cahaba Productions (formerly Eternal Studios). The notion of angels and demons battling like super heroes and super villains for the souls of man is one that translates easily into comic book or graphic novel form. It is one that seasoned and new comic book readers can readily relate to.
Lisa Hutchinson who has developed a very manga like art style has produced an excellent example of spiritual warfare comics in Shelter of Wings. Hutchinson not only draws well but her storytelling dynamics are very highly developed. This book has outstanding page to page, panel to panel action sequences that rival the best of any of its secular manga competitors. For this non-manga comics reader she is teaching me why manga is such a popular form of sequential art. Manga is a "hot" form of comics in the sense that it is very visceral—it packs a surface emotional intensity that, for the most part, western comics lack. The cartoony aspects of manga, the enormous eyes, pointy noses, spikey hair, contorted mouths, over-the-top action sequences combined with the emotional intensity of the characters make for an irresistible read for many young fans.
Shelter of Wings follows the adventures of Jenna Ruth Hadley who has just lost her mother in an auto accident. Because of this tragic event she is struggling with his faith in God as she has gone to live with her grandmother in Montana. However divine providence has plans for Jenna—plans that make her very important to the future destiny of mankind. The demonic hosts are set on thwarting those plans and the angelic realm is there to protect her. Some of the bickering and brawling among the demons add an oddly humorous element to an otherwise serious story. The story is aimed at a tween and young teen audience--perhaps mostly female- however this much older male reader looks forward to future installments of Shelter of Wings.
For those wanting to sample manga style spiritual warfare comics Shelter of Wings is a must read.
Posted by Donald Ensign on December 11, 2007 at 9:32am
The Dreamland Chronicles:Book One, Scott Christian Sava (writer, artist), 2006, 294 pp, $19.95. This is a collection of web comics.
On a brief trip to Chicago in 2003 George Macas, Jr took me to a local comic shop and while there I discovered a comic about purple haired elves, fairies, rock men, cyclops, magic swords, and dragons with gorgeous computer generated art. Later I happened upon the web site for the The Dreamland Chronicles where the creator Scott Christian Sava was producing more pages of this elegantly produced online comic.
The Dreamland Chronicles records the adventures of Alex Carter, a college student, whose dreams take him to a world replete with castles and fantasy denizens like talking animals, elves, fairies, giants, pirates and huge, cunning and malevolent dragons. Alex gains a magic sword and armor and a romance with a beautiful elfian Princess. The story is a delightful fairy tale where the distinction between good and evil is very well defined. Alex alternates between the real world where his brother Daniel provides a geeky, but intelligent foil for the more athletic sibling. The story combines daring do adventure and romance with some philosophical and theological discussions. The Christian elements are subtle rather than overt.
The Dreamland Chronicles is a genuine publishing success with it's wonderful 3-D like art, engaging characters and captivating storyline. The Dreamland Chronicles web site logged on 2 million unique readers by June 2007 (from its January 2006 startup). This all age comic is also one of the most accessible. You can go to the web site and view all of the 500 plus pages Sava has produced so far. Also numerous issues of The Dreamland Chronicles are available for free download from the www.wowio.com web site. Also there is a recently released second volume that allows you to curl up with a print version. Which ever form you find most enjoyable you are in for a page turning compelling read with characters and a tale that you can honestly care about.
