My son has been an artist since he was old enough to hold an implement with which to draw. Now that I have joined CCAS i have been paying particular attention to the greater implications of christian comics. I ask myself questions, like what does this mean to us, what does the art and the dialog say about us, where do we "draw the line" so to speak in our efforts to make a direct correlation between the real world and what we write/draw/ink,or letter. What does it say about our faith and more importantly are the comics an extension of our true selves. To those who attempt to see a larger picture in writing, what bits and pieces do we put into our craft that say more about us than we intended? Always something personal about a writer/artist seeps through unintentionally. That is how God made us. We say things without overt words. Are the comics we produce more an extension of ourselves or are they a wish for what we would like to be... or both? Are they true? People look for heroes... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." When I grapple with a poem... I hope the words cause the reader to ask questions about themselves and are open to an answer from above.
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That is so exactly right on Brien Sparling! I know many comics do not use poems themselves but the themes are poetic in nature. Dialog, self-talk, words between characters are words between the page, ourselves, and God. Its the human experience to want to find expression. Some simply haven't found a voice. Sometimes I feel badly for them... and sometimes I think they might be more free because they don't have that gift gnawing away at them. But always, I prefer my gift to an existence devoid of art.
Because our God is so far beyond reality, the arts that transcend reality come closer to linking with him. Poems that express more than the sum of their words, art that evokes more than the images they depict, stories that ask more of the listener or reader than a visceral reaction are a quality level that we should strive to offer to God. Personally, my artistic abilities are one of my greatest sources of impatience and depression, and therefore an area where God ministers most closely in my life.