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I once though tell a story with my sketches silly. Impossible, insane, why. I have no talent it won't work. I don't have the tools to do this. I felt God telling me to create it with what I have and not to stop. So I started with simple sketches. Some good some not so good. I felt stupid. I kept at it. For a while I gave up felt lost.  I look back on these moments wondering how I could think God had a plan for my pile of art and sketches. 

My first attempt started here.

http://oracleofthedragonfly.blogspot.com/2012/03/episode-1-even-heros-toxic.html

It was futile at best. But I refused to give up. I got good feed back and not so good feed back.  

I am unsure where God is taking with all of this I just know I feel driven to do it. To tell a story of darkness and light. To show hope and redemption. I have changed how I draw things a lot. My wild whimsy is still there just more refined. I want to progress further. It is possible as long as I keep in mind God and what he wants. I am grateful for anyone who reads my work or looks at my art. My latest Entry can be found here.

http://oracleofthedragonfly.blogspot.com/2013/10/klaus-origins-darkness-rising.html

I am unsure of what is coming next just that I need to start drawing. It is like the story is writing itself in my mind as we speak.

Well that's it for now.

it may come a crossed as dark but it's only the beginning of the story.http://oracleofthedragonfly.blogspot.com/2013/10/klaus-origins-darkness-rising.html

VITAL SHIFT Launches at New York Comic-Con

Publishing Initiative to Meet the Growing Demand for Graphic Novels in the Faith Market

MESSIAH: ORIGIN – the Debut Graphic Novel –

In Stores This Week, Visually Explores the History and Legacy of Jesus’s First 30 Years.

New York, NY – In a bold step that meets the demands of the growing market for transmedia intellectual properties in the Christian marketplace, Thomas Nelson publishers is proud to announce the launch of VITAL SHIFT, a publishing initiative which focuses on titles for consumers 18-34 years old.  Announced today at New York Comic Con, VITAL SHIFT debuts with an impressive commitment to the market, with forthcoming announcements of seven graphic novel series releasing between now and 2019.

The creative team lead by Chip Brown, Senior Vice President and Publisher at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has been following the interest and demand for several years, testing the waters with the 2012 release of The Book of Revelation, which sold 20,000 units in its first six weeks of release, immediately outselling every other graphic novel on Amazon except Image Comic's The Walking Dead, which had the benefit of its corresponding season three premiere on AMC television network just two weeks earlier.

"Four out of five Americans and one of every three people on earth are self-described Christians, all of whom have an inherent thirst for the Bible and Biblical stories. The market's recent and forthcoming print products, Bible feature films, television mini-series and even game shows are all aiming to quench that thirst," states Brown, adding, “We want writers, artists and filmmakers to know they have a place to come collaborate with like-minded people at the industry's leading publishing house, to develop innovative ways that help more people engage the Bible."

VITAL SHIFT launches with the official release of Messiah: Origin, the foundational account of the man who changed the world forever. The book sets the tone for VITAL SHIFT at an impressive scale.  Translated by Mark Arey exclusively from ancient Greek manuscripts, Messiah: Origin weaves the four gospels into one story.  Arey’s lifetime of deep study and biblical training, paired with the 288 illustrations of Lucasfilm Prize Winning artist Kai Carpenter, create a gloriously detailed telling of the Savior’s birth and early life up to the start of his ministry.  Adapted and edited into graphic novel form by Matt Dorff (Book of Revelation), with letters and title design by Carlton Riffel, Origin creates a journey into the history told in scripture, unique in both story and accuracy.

“Our early market success in pairing the scriptures with illustrations in a graphic novel format is encouraging and we are grateful to be working with such gifted creative talent,” explains Brown.  “Messiah: Origin is high-quality, hand painted fine art, worthy of gallery presentation, and there are over 288 rich illustrations throughout the book. This is just the first series we’ve announced today, but there are many more already in our development pipeline, all slated to release under the VITAL SHIFT publishing initiative.”

VITAL SHIFT is showcasing Messiah: Origin and The Book of Revelation at New York Comic Con, the East Coast’s biggest and most exciting popular culture convention.  Continuing today through October 13 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan, NYCC has been ranked by Crain’s New York Business as the second largest event in New York City.  The Javits Center is located at 655 West 24^th Street, New York, New York.  VITAL SHIFT will be showcased at booth 2125.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vital-Shift/518160331603043

Thomas Nelson publishers is a world leading provider of Christian content and has been providing readers with quality inspirational product for more than 200 years. As part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., the publishing group provides multiple formats of award-winning Bibles, books, gift books, cookbooks, curriculum and digital content, with distribution of its products in more than 100 countries. Thomas Nelson is headquartered in Nashville, TN.  For additional information, visit www.thomasnelson.com.

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Here's the cover to AN ACT OF FAITH #7, which will go on sale in January. The blue background is supposed to be green, but I guess the color changed when I converted the page from CMYK to RGB. There's, also, a word balloon... which we don't see too often on covers nowadays.

My next issue, AN ACT OF FAITH #6, will go on sale in November through iVerse Media.

http://albert.nickerson.tripod.com/anactoffaithcover7.jpg

Also, I'll be roaming the aisles of the New York Comic Con this Thursday during the professional hours.

I got this idea a few days ago and thought I go for it!

Imagine a magazine that is a culmination of different universes, dimensions and worlds, where every page turn engulfs you in a different world to explore. Where creators are free to interpret the connecting theme however they like, using their 2 pages as a blank canvas to show the world what they have created. And together encourage and build motivation and inspiration to all those involved. This is a dream I hope to make reality...

Basically it would be a DIGITAL magazine where each creator has 2 pages to work with. There would be a connecting theme for each issue (one issue every 3 months) and each creator will take that theme and show what it means in the world they have created. I am thinking full color full bleed take the entire canvas and transform it to your world.

I have three on the project already and three more possible! I'm so excited!!

Hi, everyone! 

Hope all of you are good. Some of you who checked my previous post about Kickstarter campaign will know that I'm currently working on a commission for comics called "Life Or Death Saga" with a client called Frank B. Goodin, II. I just finished Issue #2 and I'm planning to finish inking Issue #3 by the end of November.

We are currently looking for a colourist (I used to work on colour but it became quite tough for me these days... So I'm working on penciling and inking only) who can cololur similar fashion as what I've done in Issue #1. Please check out a website here, to see what Life Or Death Saga is about:

http://www.lifeordeathcomic.com/

Here's a book review of L.O.D. #1. This also might help you to have an insight of it:

http://www.edwardkobus.eu/2013/08/book-review-life-or-death-by-frank-goodin-youmin-park/

We did find a potential colourist in South Africa, where I live, but we got some trouble such as a flow of communication isn't going well (and he's also currently busy with his academia). So we preferably looking for someone in US so it's much easier to communicate and upload works in time for Frank. Just in case, if you are not living in US but interested in this opportunity and has a good colouring skill, you are also welcome to contact me.

You are also welcome to let me know if you know someone to recommend. 

Thanks for your time to read this.

God bless and take care all!

Youmin

I did an radio interview with The Voyce radio's program, The Cosmic Portal...

http://www.thevoyceradio.com/

The show will air on Saturday, October 19th at 11pm (EST), and re-air the following Sunday at 11:30am (EST). Then, a week later, the show will be archived, as well.

In the interview, I discussed my comic, AN ACT OF FAITH. We talked about my career in comics, the artists that have inspired me, and the comic books that have influenced me as a young reader. I was asked about the trend of adapting comics and comic book characters into film, which gave me an opportunity to talk about comic book Creator's Rights.

Ok, everybody, I think I fixed my settings so that people can comment on my blog post.

When I took my Son to the local comic book store, I was informed that all of what I considered to be standard superhero fare was no longer under the Comic Code of Authority. Needless to say the issue of Action comics that my son picked out drove the point home. The first couple of pages had Superman in bed with a woman (at least it was a woman).

Times have changed from when I could go to the local 7-11 and take any issue off the rack and not worry about whether or not the content was too mature for my age. That was in the late 70's.

Are Christian comics always explicitly Christ centered or do some have more “secular” content but informed by Christian values and morality? Are people in the CCAS Christian comic artists or are they comic artists that are Christian? Is it ok to be both?

Ya know... I didn't realize that this article had been posted. THE CHRISTIAN POST interviewed me for the article. Although, they didn't exactly get the name of my comic right... 

http://www.christianpost.com/news/should-gospel-be-preached-in-comics-and-art-artists-challenge-traditional-evangelism-104858/

ORIGIN – the Debut Graphic Novel in the MESSIAH Series

Showcasing at New York Comic Con, Origin Visually Explores the History and Legacy of Jesus’s First 30 Years

The foundational account of the man who changed the world forever, ORIGIN is the debut graphic novel in the much-anticipated MESSIAH series. Translated by Mark Arey with script adaptation by Matt Dorff and published by Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Origin adds a visual perspective to scripture, meeting the growing demand for graphic novels in the faith arena.  Messiah: Origin will be available in retail stores and online on October 9, 2013.

Messiah: Origin is a starting point in the biography of Jesus.  Scene by scene, Origin describes how the very pillars of Christianity were constructed.  Through prophetic visions, miracles, angelic visitations, wondrous births and unbreakable family bonds, Jesus’s epic story begins.

Translated by Mark Arey exclusively from ancient Greek manuscripts, Origin weaves the four gospels into one story.  Arey’s lifetime of deep study and biblical training, when paired with the illustrations of Lucasfilm Prize Winning artist Kai Carpenter, create a gloriously detailed telling of the Savior’s birth and early life up to the start of his ministry.  Adapted and edited into graphic novel form by Matt Dorff (Book of Revelation), with letters and title design by Carlton Riffel, Origin creates a journey into the history told in scripture, unique in both story and accuracy.

“Our early market success in paring the scriptures with illustrations in a graphic novel format is encouraging and we are grateful to be working with such gifted creative talent,” explains Chip Brown, Sr. Vice President and Group Publisher for Zondervan.  “Messiah: Origin is high-quality, hand painted fine art, worthy of gallery presentation, and there are over 288 rich illustrations throughout the book.

“Readers, retailers and pastors are telling us that the Messiah series will be an incredible tool for Christians to engage the Bible and share their faith, and we are honored to be able to be a part of that kind of impact.”

Zondervan will be showcasing Messiah: Origin at the upcoming New York Comic Con, the East Coast’s biggest and most exciting popular culture convention.  Held October 10-13 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan, NYCC has been ranked by Crain’s New York Business as the second largest event in New York City.  The Javits Center is located at 655 West 24^th Street, New York, New York.  Messiah: Origin will be showcased at booth 2125.

Messiah: Origin will be available in stores and online October 9, 2013 and will retail for $19.99.  Origin is published by Zondervan.

The official Messiah: Origin product page and graphic novel sample can be found at http://zondervan.com/9780310431619.

Watched a very informative about symbols, we all know things like pentagrams are a sign of the enemy but things like a single eye, a hand and pyramids/triangles are used as symbols for the occult as well, very interesting stuff. I recommend every Christian look into these things so you don't end up wearing a shirt or getting a tattoo with a message you may not know about.

Put this in a blog because the comment section doesn't give you enough room. X3

hey friends, just wanted to drop in a note and let you all know that my project Defenders of Eden has been going extremely well as of late. I have been working on it for about a year now, we finally got to a place where we have stuff to show fans, share, and even a bio book! The power con (a convention specifically geared towards Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) in California was an amazing experience. Can't wait to share more about it. here's a picture!

Happy Saturday.... I hope everyone has awesome weekend..:)

after seeing all the art work here. I may delete this. I am not talented enough to be here.

Hello CCAS Web Community!

Angel Lite Comics and DY-Comics are teaming up to produce a joint project Graphic Novel, “The Ballad”. A space opera romance with cowboys, outlaws, and superheroes beyond the stars, ‘The Ballad” was created by and written by David Rothschiller. Donny Yule is our comic artist, and the project looks like it’s going to be a blast to be a part of!

We are starting a crowd funding campaign over at Indiegogo, to supplement the lean payments we are making to our artist. Donny is great, he volunteered to take on the project even though we can only pay him a fraction of what the work is worth. And so, we are starting our Indiegogo campaign to hopefully supplement what we are paying.

We don’t have a video to show you, but we can give you a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse of the project as it unfolds. If you’d like to see the story boards for the first third of the graphic novel and the text script of the whole thing, please visit us at http://www.angellitecomics.com/the_ballad_project_work_space . We will update the site as we make progress on the project.

There are many Kickstarters and Indiegogo campaigns for very worthy comic projects, and there are donations to make to Church and non-profit organizations. It’s hard enough just to make ends meet. The economy isn’t in good shape, and we will understand if you can’t donate to our Indiegogo right now. Could you please let people know about it though? And if you can afford a donation of a couple of dollars, well, thank you very much! The campaign is at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-ballad-graphic-novel/x/337500

God bless you all, those you hold dear, and your own creative projects and ministries for God’s great glory and the salvation of souls!

Gerry Lee

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons when I was 20-21, for years I told myself it was a line I would not let myself cross, seeing how it was portrayed by others as hopeless geeks cosplaying elves and orcs in a dimly lit room throwing bizarre dice back and fourth while pretending to cast a Cone Of Cold, but I was at the bookstore one day and saw the cover of the 4th edition cover, a Dragonborn Fighter with a claymore as tall as he was and a Human Wizard crouched as she felt unseen eyes watching her (The cover of the GM manual shows us it is in fact a massive dragon scrying on them with some kind of enchanted orb) and I felt that flame spark on, the same one I've felt every time I found a new series to read or a new show to watch, this was going to be a part of my life.

Oddly enough the two guys I started playing with where two very gruff men, rednecks to beat the band and High school wrestlers and avid hunters, the first time I played created a rogue who's character eventually evolved into one of the main characters in my webcomic series "Guild Tomes" and we played for 12hrs straight and honestly I can't remember the last time I had had so much fun, hanging out, joking, laughing and indulging in my thirst for fantasy.

I loved this game instantly but I was unable to deny the un-Christian themes of it, spirit conjuring, magic, pacts with deamons, primal pagan like spirits and other dark things, I tried to avoid those aspects by playing melee type characters like Fighters, Rangers, Rogues and other simple styles, it suited me and the people I played with usually preferred similar classes, like so much in mainstream media I had to take it with a grain of salt.

I was working for my church as a grounds keeper at the time and one day in Bible study I talked to my Pastor about it, we agreed the magic aspect was not something Christians should even pretend to fiddle in but he even said a knight fighting goblins was not something we should think about, I asked why but he could not give me a real answer he just asked if I thought it was something we should in a tone that told me he was not interested in going into it and I did not pursue it, he was my boss and pastor and I didn't want to seem like I was stiff necked, I figured I could try again another time. It never came however, not soon after that the Pastor ended the one on one bible studies we use to have and told me another gentlemen from the church would be taking over my duties, it was a powerful blow to me and I never did go back to that church again.

I'm the only avid christian in my family, everyone else is either a "Once A Week Christian" or just isn't interested, this meant I was cut off from other Christians as I lacked a car to get the long distances to another church, I was familiar with this, I was a part of a liberal crowd in High School that quickly turned on my once I came to God so being alone with my thoughts and God was well mapped ground but it always stuck with me how my Pastor had been so quick to shut out the good in a fantasy game like D&D and focus and condemn it for what he perceived it to be and unwilling to talk further with me after he spoke his peace, it reminded me of many times in my youth when family and spiritual figures had rolled their eyes and said it did not belong.

I started playing around with the idea of a Christian fantasy tabletop RPG and based it in the world of my webcomic Guild Tomes, a fanatsy series of superhuman adventurers who join Guilds to seek treasure and glory through exploring and fighting the dark powers that threaten their homelands, the church and their Guilds, I was unsure if this truly was something God wanted but the other week I put the game up for sale on my Facebook page and sold several copies in the first week, my paypal account went from $9.90 to $65.88 in a just few days from people buying copies of the game and other Guild Tomes products and the number just grew from there.

I saw with my own eyes that other Christians had the same passion I did and that the realm of fantasy is indeed a realm God is willing to use to minister, guide and teach us in and that he must have saw potential in what I was doing, I was on the right road and God wa son it with me.

I don't claim God has ordained me to be the next big thing but I am humbled to see God helping and using my works for his glory and now I walk the comic artist and fantasy enthusiast path with more confidence now and am happy to have seen that our God is indeed a supportive and creative God and that I have met so many of you, my creative and imaginative Sisters and Brothers.

My next comic is taking awhile and I wanted to add something inspiring to the site so I posted this little testimony/story.

Have a great night guys and may God bless you! X3

Keep those pencils on that paper! ;3

Hey all! I was fortunate enough to see John Tompkin's post a couple of weeks ago that he was accepting Commissions. Here is his lovely rendition of David Rothschiller's Dumas Spirit and Servant Warrior! If you want a great piece of art, why not send John a message? He's very friendly and very kind, you'll enjoy talking with him:) Thank you Captain! May the Lord bless you this and everyday!

---Gerry Lee

A little scoop I just found out today!

Zondervan's Last Adam graphic novel has been re-titled. It is now Messiah: Origin.  

It comes out in October and will be prominently involved with the New York Comic Con activities. 

See more at: http://zondervan.com/9780310431619

Enter their contest to win a trip to New York: http://t.co/e7nXW0jDjc. 

I'll be at NYCC so let me know if you will be there too!