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Please remember to pray for the people, projects,
and publications you read about here.
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Update on Popular Japanese Manga
The fourth book in the Manga Messiah series, Manga Melech, has been released in English. The 288-page graphic novel, written and illustrated by renowned manga-ka Ryo Azumi, was published in Japanese earlier this year. Manga Melech is "a Biblically accurate Manga retelling of Bible stories beginning with entry into the Promised Land through the rule of King David," according to Tyndale House Publishers, and it "combines cutting-edge authentic Japanese Manga style with fast-paced storytelling to deliver Biblical truths in a compelling package to an ever changing, post-modern culture." Manga Messengers, the fifth and final book in the series, is currently in production in Japan. Overall there are more than 2 million copies of the series in print, and the first book, Manga Messiah, is now available in 21 languages.
SOURCES: Amazon and NEXT websites
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Wheeler Continues Cartoon Classes
Christian Comics Pioneer Ron Wheeler held 5 weeks of morning and afternoon cartoon and art camps for elementary, junior and senior high school students again this summer. This is the third year in a row that Wheeler has offered the camps. "They went well although we had about 67 students due to the poor economy," Wheeler reports. "Last year we had about 100." All the students heard Wheeler's testimony and learned to develop characters and facial expressions as Wheeler drew on a Wacom Cintiq tablet, projecting his work on the wall behind him. Wheeler says he also taught "about 10 students for a week from a variety of countries and ages" at the University of Nations School of Illustration in Hawaii this past February.
SOURCE: Ron Wheeler
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Kiwi Christians Create Comics
A Christian band from New Zealand is publishing their own comic book series. The story of how The Lads - Steve, Mark, and Bjorn - formed their band is related in the first 24-page, full-color volume, which also features a second story "Robots Can't Play Bass," plus a fan page with an advice column and a drawing competition. Issue #2 contains "Robots Can't Play Bass, Part 2" and "The Pearl." The Lads have also produced Secrets of the Universe, a 64-page comic-style devotional book for 8 to 12 year olds which is "filled with fun, mazes and puzzles, comics and unchangeable spiritual truths."
SOURCES: The Lads comic book and website
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New African Comic Series Released
The Nigerian publishing firm Prex Ltd is producing a new series of Christian comic books for children through All Precious Christian Gifts Ltd. The full-color English language series, entitled BRIGHT & Morning Star, is a weekly title that comes pre-packaged in 4 editions per month. "BRIGHT is designed to bring to life Bible stories and to promote the virtues of our Christian faith," writes Dickson Mawuli Afenuvor for All Precious. Each 12-page issue contains 2 features: "Bible Sat," a serialized sci-fi strip about a space ship that is "sent to discover and remap the world as it tries to relive Bible times" and "The Alabasters," which teaches lessons through short stories about animated talking vessels.
Prex also publishes KABOOM, a "moral oriented comic" for children. Prex debuted their comics at Marketsquare Africa 2010 in Lagos, Nigeria, this past April, an event organized by Christian Booksellers Association of Nigeria and Christian Trade Association International.
SOURCE: Prex Ltd / All Precious Christian Gifts Ltd
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French Comic Features Manga
An excerpt of the Japanese-produced Manga Mutiny graphic novel appears in the latest issue of the French Christian comic book Tournesol. There are 7 interior pages and the main cover image is also from the manga by Ryo Azumi. The complete 288-page book will be published in France, Belgium, and Switzerland as Manga la Mutinerie by Éditions BLF in October. Tournesol is published by Ligue pour la Lecture de la Bible (LLB) in Valence, France, and is one of the longest-running Christian comics in the world. Subscriptions to Tournesol are available in North America through LLB in Québec, Canada.
SOURCE: Tournesol magazine
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CCAS Shines in San Diego
Live updates of Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) activities at the July 22-25 Comic-Con in San Diego, CA USA, were supplied all weekend long by Scott Shuford on Twitter. CCAS had giveaways at their table in the Small Press section of the exhibit hall where they also celebrated the completion of The Action Bible by artist Sergio Cariello. Two panels were organized: "Spirituality in Comics" on Saturday and "The Word in Pictures" on Sunday, both held at the nearby Marriott. A CCAS-hosted Saturday after hours mixer had a "great turn out", according to Shuford, and a signed, limited edition print from The Action Bible by Cariello was given away. Cariello also gave a "very encouraging" devotional message before the Sunday panel.
SOURCE: Scott Shuford
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More Christian Manga from Japan
The largest Christian publisher in Japan, Word of Life Press Ministries (WLPM) in Tokyo, has produced another new cartoon-style publication. Seishotte Konna Hon ("The Bible is This Kind of Book") is a 20-page, full-color tract written and illustrated by well-known Christian manga-ka Nanami Minami. The booklet illustrates "what the Bible is and its message of Christ and salvation." It includes "common sayings and proverbs that originated in the Bible, a timeline of the story of the Bible, the kinds of literature, the writers, how it was preserved and handed down, the impact on the world and famous people, and the main theme of Jesus who died for our sin and rose again to give us eternal life." Nanami Minami has produced other manga for WLPM in the past including 2 books in the Shinjitatte Naiyanjau ("Even Though You Believe, You Still Have Questions") series in 1996 and 1999 and Chiisana Mon ni Tsuzuku Michi ("Down the Road of the Narrow Gate") in 1997.
SOURCES: Don Regier, WLPM website
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Z-Graphic Novels Updates
Christian comics writer Ben Avery reports that he has finished scripting his TimeFlyz series and that there is a new artist, Eric Merced, on the final books. Also, some of the Z-Graphic Novel (Z-GN) series are available in Spanish and as Kindle downloads. The first 2 issues of TimeFlyz, and other Z-GN titles such as Son of Samson, are available to read on Kindle. The first 2 issues of TimeFlyz are published in Spanish by Vida as Crono-Moscas. Zondervan first introduced their Z-GN series in August 2007, and although none of the 6 titles have sold as well as expected, the publisher has committed to finishing all of the series. "I have no complaints about my publisher and how they treated my materials," Avery writes. "They are honoring their contract with me."
SOURCES: Ben Avery, Z-GN and Amazon websites
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Waging War Against Witchcraft
African comic book writer/artist Gilbert Gnangbei Groud has been producing Magie Noire, a comic album series warning people about the evil of black magic. Groud, who lives and works in the French-speaking Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) began his artistic fight against witchcraft in 1983 while he was still a student. "Since those days, it has been a real duty for me to deal with that issue by exposing what is being done by those wicked people in the darkness," Groud writes. "Indeed those mystical evildoers, witches and wizards, are destroying innocent lives, spoiling our continent." The first volume of his comic album was released by a secular publisher in January 2003, and a second volume followed in July 2008. The subject of his third album is why Africa needs Jesus, but his publisher has refused this manuscript.
SOURCES: Gregory Burgess, Gilbert G. Groud
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Pastor Pens Comic Memoir
PublishAmerica has released Superman on Earth: Reflections of a Fan by Gary Robinson, a pastor in Ohio USA. Although Robinson has written a number of articles exploring Superman from a Christian point-of-view in both print and pixel, the new 134-page softcover book is more of an examination of his own life as it intersects with the character. Robinson talks about his pastoral ministry, his family, and his friends, all with Superman and other comic book tie-ins. The publisher describes it as "the story of one man's search for personal significance through a cultural icon - a search that begins with Superman but ends…somewhere else." |
| SOURCES: John Pierce, Gary Robinson, Amazon and PublishAmerica websites |
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Graffiti Goes Graphical
Another Graphic Novel from B&H Publishing is in the works, as reported in the June issue of Christian Retailing. The new GN, entitled A Church Called Graffiti and based on the book by Taylor Field, is being drawn by Erica Well of Tennessee USA. Well is a former staffer for DC Comics and co-creator of the weekly web strip Best Mann For The Job with her husband Chris, a crime fiction writer. "I've adapted Field's text and am illustrating," Well reports. "We'll begin previewing pages online after I get a certain percentage done."
The book will be over 200 pages and printed in black and white. B&H has published other GNs and comics titles in the past including the US version of The Lion Graphic Bible , the 3-edition Angeles series, and the Dejados Atras (Left Behind in Spanish) series.
SOURCES: Christian Retailing magazine, Erica Well
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Clash Creates New Comics for Christian Market
Kansas USA based Clash Creative, Inc. has produced 2 new Christian comics. For The Voice of the Martyrs, Clash put together a 28-page comic entitled Hope Amid Horror relating the story of "a Christian couple caught up in the jihad in Indonesia in 2000-2001." Kingstone Comics in Florida USA contacted Clash to assemble a 32-page comic entitled Martyrs which recounts 4 true stories of Christian martyrdom. Hope Amid Horror can be purchased from The Voice of the Martyrs. Both books will also be available from Kingstone.
SOURCE: Clash Creative
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Kidz Creator Producing New Series
Christian comics writer/artist Reggie Byers of Pennsylvania USA is working on a "chronological account of the life of Jesus Christ as told in the 4 Gospels" in a graphic novel series entitled Jesus The Christ. "My wife and I are known for creating Kidz of the King Christian comic books, but this undertaking is all about the KING," Byers writes. He plans to debut the 1st issue in late August followed by 18 issues released on a bi-monthly basis. Every 6 issues will be "collected into a graphic novel of 100 pages or more" and at the conclusion of the entire series a single volume of the collected work will be published. Byers estimates that the project will take 3 years to complete. "There have been and continue to be many comic books and graphic novels about Him, but none quite like the one we are creating," Byers concludes.
SOURCE: Jesus The Christ Graphic Novel Series website
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Scripture Stories from Scandinavia
Another title with comic-style Bible stories is available in the Christian book market, this one from Scandinavia Publishing House in Denmark. Great Bible Stories is an original title from the publisher, first released in 2009, for children from 5 to 8 years old. The 38-page, full color book contains stories from Genesis to Revelation illustrated in a "cartoony" or humorous style. It has sold more than 10,000 copies so far. "We will probably publish more comic-style Bible related books," reports sales manager Jacob Vium Olesen. Scandinavia was founded in 1973 and specializes in illustrated children's books and Bibles.
SOURCE: Scandinavia Publishing House
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Retailer Mag Reports on Comics
The June issue of Christian Retailing magazine has a feature on "faith-based comics" in the Industry News section. The article states that the comic book industry "has yet to make much impact at Christian retail" but "creators and publishers are hoping to change that." It notes that Art Ayris, CEO of Kingstone Media, has exhibited their Bible-based comics at the mainstream MegaCon convention in Florida USA and has been contacting churches and Christian stores, including chains. "I'm hoping that as we grow this, there will be a Kingstone section in the stores," Ayris is quoted as saying. "Christian retail stores don't know where to put comics," according to Scott Shuford, of the Christian Comic Art Society.
"They don't know if it's a children's thing or put it with the books. There's an identity crisis about what to do with Christian comics," he adds. The Eye Witness graphic novels from Head Press, the Z Graphic Novels from Zonderkidz, and the Manga series from Tyndale are also mentioned in the article, among others.
SOURCE: Christian Retailing magazine
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Momentous Monograph Remade as Manga
Two organizations, NEXT and Japan Campus Crusade for Christ (JCCC), have teamed up to produce a new 4 Spiritual Laws manga. The idea for the booklet, entitled The Search, started with JCCC missionaries who approached two members of the NEXT Board at the church they all attend in Japan. The missionaries expressed their admiration for NEXT's Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis graphic novels by Kozumi ("Kelly") Shinozawa and proposed adapting their well-known tract into manga form as well. The original 4 Spiritual Laws tract was created in 1952 by Campus Crusade founder Bill Bright. "I frankly didn't think it was possible, as the original lacks a story," reports Roald Lidal of NEXT, "but they were persistent." After meeting with Weng Kong, the Singaporean CCC leader in Japan, Kelly Shinozawa developed the story and illustrated it. "So far only 20,000 copies have been printed in Japanese, but a second printing will be coming up soon," Lidal notes. "An English version will also be printed and hopefully other languages." Both organizations will market the manga to churches and individuals.
SOURCE: Roald Lidal/NEXT
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Weiss Relaunches Arts Group in Eastern USA
Christian cartoonist and pastor Dave Weiss has announced that his new AMOKArts Art Group will meet the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month. The gatherings will begin on Monday 7 June from 7:00 - 10:00 PM at New Creation Fellowship, 3646 Pottsville Pike, Reading, Pennsylvania USA. Attendees at the first meeting will "do a little creative jamming" and be given time to share artistic hopes and dreams. "We are going to get to know each other, create arts projects designed to serve others, and find ways to make a difference," says Weiss. He hopes to "move things to the web fairly quickly, so that the people can get the feeling of publishing" and to "find some mural/community beautification projects and community groups who can use our gifts to give the participants practical experience."
SOURCE: Dave Weiss
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Fourth Book Finishes Eye Witness Series
The final Eye Witness graphic novel, Eye Witness 4: Unknown God, will hit secular and Christian book stores in the USA on July 9th. "After 8 long years we've concluded the Eye Witness opus which will now top out at right around 400 pages," reports series creator Robert James Luedke. The latest full-color book may be harder to find at local comic shops because it is no longer being handled by Diamond Distributors. "We have fallen prey to the same fate as numerous other small and indy presses over the past year," says Luedke, who will be making a coast to coast promotional tour in the USA over the next 6 months. He will begin selling advance copies of Eye Witness 4: Unknown God in June at comic conventions in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. In addition, Luedke will appear at the Cornerstone Music Festival in Illinois and at comics shows in states from Massachusetts to California.
SOURCE: Robert J. Luedke/Head Press
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Bestseller Becomes Graphic Novel
After some delays, today (13 May) is the scheduled release date for the new Chasing the Dragon graphic novel. This manga-style book is the latest version of the bestseller about Jackie Pullinger, a Protestant missionary who worked within the infamous Walled City in Hong Kong. Her story has been adapted into comics format by UK scriptwriter Chris Spencer and Toto Winarno, an Indonesian comics illustrator. The project was developed
by the Edge Group UK which has been instrumental in previous Christian comics productions such as Behold 3-D, The Graphic Bible, and YUN: The Illustrated Story of the Heavenly Man.
SOURCES: Edge Group UK, Amazon website
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Don't Miss New Hit by Webb
Snokie, a new online entertainment company aimed at tween, teen, and young adult Christian readers, has just released Hits & Misses written by veteran comics scribe Kathleen Webb. Hits & Misses is a 480-page graphic novel about a girls fast pitch softball team at a Christian school. It's the first new project for Snokie, a venture established by Buzz Dixon, known for creating Serenity, the popular Christian manga-style series. "It was a LOT of fun to write," says Webb. "Buzz had created some really fun characters, and I got to add some to the mix. I really enjoyed working on it." Snokie titles are sold exclusively online through Amazon as both POD volumes and Kindle downloads. "Since Amazon has created an iPhone app for the Kindle, we expect a lot of sales to iPhone, iPad, and similar devices," reports Dixon.
SOURCES: Buzz Dixon/Snokie, FamilyFiction FB page
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Mexico City Seminar Changes Location
The up-coming COMIX35 seminar in Mexico City, Cómics con Poder, will now be held at the offices of MilaMex, the host of three previous COMIX35 seminars in 2001, 2003, and 2005. "We are very pleased to be partnering once again with the marvelous folks at Milamex," says COMIX35 president Nate Butler. "They have a long history of hosting successful events in Mexico." Butler will be one of four teachers at the seminar along with José Carlos Gutiérrez, Rubén Curiel, and Iván Tapia. Tapia, winner of the Concurso de Historietas Cristianas en Español (Spanish Christian Comics Competition) in 2006, has produced a new color poster for the event. The seminar will be held 23-26 June, and translation will be available for any English-speaker who attends.
SOURCE: COMIX35
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Japanese Manga Take Top French Prize
The French-language editions of Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis – entitled Manga Le Messie and Manga La Métamorphose and pubished by BLF Europe – were the 2010 winners of the annual International Prize for French Language Christian Comics (Le prix international de la bande dessinée chrétienne francophone). Both graphic novels are 288 pages with full color artwork by Kozumi ("Kelly") Shinozawa of Japan.
The prize was received by a representative of BLF Europe at the Angoulême Comics Festival (Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême) in January. This festival has been called "the graphic novel's equivalent of the Oscars" in France.
SOURCES: BLF Europe website, NEXT
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Prison Comic Produced Through Partnership
The literature ministries Crosswind Comics and COMIX35 have teamed up to produce the first black & white mini-comic in the Christian Comics Tracts for Prison Inmates project. The new "Heart of Stone" comic is based on the testimony of Bill Corum, an ex-offender who currently works in prisons. Artwork is by professional Frank Fosco. The tract will serve as a template for selected inmates to produce their own personal testimony comics to reach fellow inmates and at-risk youth. Kansas USA-based Crosswind has produced comics such as The Amazing Gospel and is currently developing Tortured for His Faith, a graphic novel about the late Dr. Haralan Popov, a pastor in Bulgaria during the Communist era. COMIX35 is part of the Operation Starting Line (OSL) network of ministries and organizations. Copies of the first print-run of the new "Heart of Stone" comics will be distributed during OSL's April meeting at Prison Fellowship in Virginia USA.
SOURCES: COMIX35, Crosswind Comics
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New Bible Comic Series for Children
Tennessee USA-based Ideals Publications is the North American distributor for a series of four 20-page comics that it is calling "Bible Graphic Novels." These full-color paperbacks were produced by Macaw Books of Virginia USA for children ages 5 to 12. The publisher's product description says that the series "helps youngsters become more familiar with the Bible stories, but in a fun, graphic novel format." Three of the titles – Moses, David, and Miracles of Jesus – stay within the general frame of the Scriptures, but Adam & Eve contains quite a bit of extra-Biblical material which some Christian parents may find objectionable.
SOURCES: Amazon.com, Ideals Publications
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Kingstone's COO Comments on Comics
In a new Christian Retailing article entitled "Drawing in the comic book consumers," Steve Blount, COO of Florida USA-based Kingstone Media Group, offers advice to retailers about the category. Blount says Christian retailers might take a lesson from libraries to increase their book business. To draw different groups of readers, many libraries have added both comics and graphic novels to their shelves resulting in increases of 40% or more in circulation. "The popularity of these formats cannot be denied, as they represent one of the fastest-growing categories for publishing and bookselling," says Blount. "And with Christian books one of the fastest-growing genres in all bookstore channels, faith-based comics and graphic novels represent a potential 'sweet spot' between these two high-growth areas." Blount notes that in-store placement is important: "Consider positioning near your store's music department or another area that already naturally attracts young customers." Kingstone's comics division includes titles with overt Christian content and others that "read and look very much like mainstream material, while having a definite faith theme."
SOURCE: Christian Retailing magazine April 2010 issue
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CCAS Continues Outreach at Comic Cons
Don Ensign, co-founder of the Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS), reports that the CCAS will have a table at the WonderCon in San Francisco, CA USA from April 2-4, at the Phoenix Comic Con in Phoenix, AZ USA from May 27-30, and at the San Diego Comic-Con in San Diego, CA USA from July 22-25. Ensign and other CCAS members such as Ralph Miley, Buzz Dixon, and Kevin Yong will manage the tables during the shows.
Ensign requests that people "pray for open hearts for Gospel seed planting and harvesting." The CCAS has existed for over 20 years "to support Christian Professionals, Hopefuls, and Enthusiasts within the comic book and related industries."
SOURCES: Don Ensign, CCAS website
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Cook Renames New Release of Picture Bible
A complete 784-page, full-color, hardcover version of David C. Cook's newest comic book Bible will be out this coming August and will be entitled The Action Bible. It was originally to be titled The New Picture Bible, but Cook's long-lasting classic, The Picture Bible, continues to be a bestseller, so the new edition has been given a distinctive title to avoid any confusion. Cook, located in Colorado USA, had released a shorter version of the work entitled the Picture Bible New Testament in February 2009. The artwork in the new editions is by comics professional Sergio Cariello. Cariello was chosen to be the illustrator of the new Bible after Cook staffers noted that he had won the 1st International Christian Comics Competition in 2005.
SOURCES: Sergio Cariello on Twitter, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com
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Aussie Comic is "Upgraded"
Former Disney animator Matt Baker of Australia reports a major upgrade to the 24-page, black & white comic-tract he illustrated for the Bible Society in Australia last year. The Story of Jesus comic is now being re-released in a full-sized, full-color edition in April. It will have the same title and cover as the earlier edition. The script by Jeremy Wright has been modified to eliminate "Australian-ized speech" contained in the first edition. Baker says the Bible Society will be offering it to all Christian retailers that purchase from them including Koorong and Word. The comic will be featured in their catalogs, and one free copy will be sent to approximately 10,000 churches in Australia in April/May. Baker was one of the winners in the 2nd International Christian Comics Competition, and his illustrated testimony appears on the Personal Testimony Comics web page.
SOURCES: Matt Baker, Bible Society in Australia
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New Shelter of Wings Updates
The popular manga-style graphic novel Shelter of Wings by Lisa Hutchinson is now being published by Gold Plum Studio, a new collaboration between Hutchinson and Shaina Widmer. The first edition, originally released in 2006 by Brethren Entertainment, has been revised and expanded into a new 224-page printed version which is available for sale through the Gold Plum website. Reportedly over half the print-run had been pre-ordered before the new books were received by Gold Plum. There is also an online version of the first edition with new pages being added weekly, and Shelter of Wings is featured as one of Clash Entertainment's weekly comics. "The readership is expanding," says Hutchinson. "But the most exciting part is that I'm able to communicate with agnostics and atheists to talk about spiritual issues and hardships." The revised first edition will also be translated soon for French-speaking Canada. "We feel this is the direction God is leading us very strongly," Hutchinson adds. A second volume of the series is currently in development.
SOURCE: Gold Plum Studio
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Artist Auderset Coming to Québec
Swiss cartoonist Alain Auderset, a two-time winner of the International Prize for French Language Christian Comics (Le prix international de la bande dessinée chrétienne francophone), will be attending the 23rd Festival de la BD francophone de Québec. The Canadian comics festival is held every April in old Québec City. COMIX35 is flying Auderset over as part of the ministry's plan to inspire the production of Christian comics for the Quebecois people.
José Carlos Gutiérrez and Nate Butler of COMIX35 also plan to attend the festival. In addition, Auderset is scheduled to speak at an evangelistic event organized by the Église de la Victoire du Québec (EVQ) Media ministry in the city of Granby on Saturday 10 April at 8:00 pm.
SOURCES: COMIX35, EVQ website
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Slemons Shares Supernatural Story
Colorado USA based artist Jeff Slemons has published his "personal comic project" Rude Awakening on WOWIO, the eBook marketplace website. The 35-page black & white comic relates "a supernatural story told from a Christian perspective" about a pastor who "is forced to confront the sum total of his life's work behind the pulpit [and his] long held perceptions of life and death." Several pages may be previewed for free, and the complete comic can be downloaded as a PDF file for a small price. Slemons has worked as a professional illustrator for almost 25 years. His lengthy client list includes Coca-Cola, Hasbro, and the old CARtoons Magazine. In Christian comics he has done work for Armor Quest and The Megazeen, and he is involved currently in the production of a new four-issue graphic novel series.
SOURCES: Jeff Slemons, WOWIO website
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New BD for Francophone Africa
Christian comics creators in the French-speaking countries of Africa are being invited to contribute to a new magazine being produced by Publications pour la Jeunesse Africaine (PJA) and Jouv'Afrique : magazine de la jeunesse africaine in partnership with COMIX35. The working title for the magazine is Les BD de Jouv'Afrique ("BD" is the French term for "comics"). Deadline for submissions is 2 July. Last year COMIX35 helped Christian comic creators in Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and South Africa produce a comic in English. These African comics are part of COMIX35's P.I.C.S. Projects initiative to help Christians around the world create their own evangelistic stories for their own people in their own languages. The continent of Africa has more French-speakers than anywhere else in the world. Information on the new Francophone comic is available at the COMIX35 website in both French and English.
SOURCE: COMIX35
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Chick Releases New Crusaders Comic
It appears Chick Publications of California USA may have resumed releasing full-color, 32-page Crusaders Comics in the standard US size on a semi-regular basis. Their second new Crusaders title, Unwanted, came out in February and has the theme "Salvation of a Rebel." It relates the story of Dann Slator, a man who "felt like damaged goods... unwanted and unloved." Their last new title, The Enchanter, about Joseph Smith and Mormonism, was released at the end of 2007 and was the first new Crusaders comic to appear in a number of years. The Crusaders titles are written by Jack T. Chick and illustrated by Fred Carter. Chick Publications also has a new "Chick Tract" warning young people against the occult. It was created in response to the current generation's obsession with stories about "heroic" vampires, werewolves, and witches.
SOURCE: Chick Publications newsletter
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Third Graphic Bio Published
Another new biographical graphic novel has been released by Calvary Comics in New Jersey USA. Clendennen: Soldier of the Cross is a 48-page, full color presentation of the life of B. H. Clendennen (1922-2009) adapted and illustrated by Alec Stevens. "It is the illustrated biography of a dynamic man of God who was born into abject poverty, joined the US Marine Corps in December, 1941 and saw heavy combat in the Pacific theatre in World War II," Stevens reports. "God spared his life, and subsequently Clendennen was saved and responded to the call to ministry, culminating in The School of Christ International which trains the native to reach the
native with the Gospel of Christ in over 150 nations." There are preview pages at the Calvary Comics web site. This is the third 48-page, full color graphic novel by Stevens in the past 4 years, following Sadhu Sundar Singh (2006) and Revival Among the Zulus (2008).
SOURCE: Alec Stevens
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New Seminar in Old Mexico
The New Mexico USA-based ministry COMIX35 will hold another Christian comics seminar in Mexico City, Mexico, from Wednesday evening 23 June to Saturday evening 26 June 2010. The event, Cómics con Poder: Cómo crear cómics eficaces de alcance ("Comics with Power: How to create effective comics for outreach"), will be hosted by Plenitud de Vida Church. Teachers for the seminar will be José Carlos Gutiérrez, Rubén Curiel, Iván Tapia, and Nate Butler. Gutiérrez, Curiel, and Tapia are all past winners of COMIX35 competitions.
SOURCES: COMIX35, José Carlos Gutiérrez
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Standard Sets Super VBS Standard
Ohio USA-based Standard Publishing's 2010 Vacation Bible School (VBS) program has been voted "Best VBS" by Your Church Magazine, a Christianity Today publication. Each year the magazine conducts an independent study of many VBS programs, evaluating them based on music, content, crafts and more. This year Standard's comic book-inspired "Hero HeadQuarters, Where Kids Join Forces with God!" program rose to the top. "The strong theme of unsung Bible heroes and the message to kids of being an everyday hero is exciting to churches who are using Hero HeadQuarters this year," states Standard president Larry Carpenter. Standard first began producing VBS programs in 1922, making it the original publisher of VBS material. Standard was also one of the earliest publishers of Christian comics in the USA, having launched "The Bible Visualized" ("Life of... Visualized") comics series in 1942. They also published "Bible Hero Stories" and "Bible Story Cartoons" in the 1970s.
SOURCES: ECPA's Rush to Press newsletter, the Standard Publishing website
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 Clash Comics Ready to Read
The web-based business/ministry Clash Entertainment, Inc. has announced the official "grand opening" of their new entertainment/portal website for Christian teenagers. The site is "designed to be so rich and deep with entertaining media, that teens will want to visit, and stay for sustained periods of time." The site is updated regularly with fresh content including new comics every day of the week. "A site like this offers much to the Christian community," says Ken Raney, president of Clash. "Teens will have access to entertaining, enlightening, and even edifying media; Christian creatives will have an outlet to use their gifts for the Lord and His Kingdom; and Christian publishers will now have access to the teen market, something that has been very difficult in the past." Creators whose comics appear currently on Clash's site include Christine Kerrick, Steven Butler, Lisa Hutchinson, and Christian Comics Pioneer Kevin Frank. The company's name "Clash" comes from Ephesians 6:12.
SOURCE: Clash Entertainment
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"Cutting Edge" Comics for Youth Workers
Cartoonist and pastor Rick Bundschuh of Unkommon Media (UM) reports he is in the process of designing a series of booklet-size comics "in a form that Youth people are more likely to use." They are being called Grab&Go Comics or "take home cartoons" because "tracts is kinda old school terminology." UM has one simple comic designed for Middle School kids, Sowing Seeds, available as a free download and is inviting youth worker feedback on it. "The concept is this: we all know that addressing all the various issues and Bible truths within an hour or two each week is difficult," Bundschuh explains. "Grab&Go Comics have been created to put on a small table so that kids can scoop them up on their way in or out of a meeting.
This has worked REALLY well with our youth group." Eventually these downloadable, print-it-yourself comics will be available in both black & white and color versions. UM was formed by Bundschuh and Ken McCoy to "create cutting edge stuff for youth workers by youth workers."
SOURCES: Rick Bundschuh, the Unkommon Media website
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 Finley Furnishes Famous Funnies for Free
Christian Comics Pioneer Tom Finley has posted his classic Diabolus Seeks Revenge and Wilbur, Master of the Rats comics online at his new Hershel Snodgrass Comics website. The comics were published originally in 1982 and 1983 by Regal Books/Gospel Light Publications. Finley's Snodgrass site is intended for children in upper elementary and middle school. "Everything there is free – no ads, no links to other sites – so it's completely safe for kids," Finley says. The former Southern California USA based surfer cartoonist also maintains CLAMcentral, a commercial website "for churches with children's programs in need of inexpensive or free resources." The site includes downloadable curriculum, clip art, games books, colorized and expanded versions of the Snodgrass comics, how-to videos, and "anything else we can come up with." Finley is the Children's Pastor at Kauai Christian Fellowship in Hawaii USA.
SOURCES: Tom Finley, the Hershel Snodgrass and CLAMcentral websites
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New Kingstone Comics Coming
More Christian-themed comic books will be released by Kingstone Comics this year. Based in Florida USA, Kingstone Media Group produces their comics line to "spread the Gospel message, Christian values, and teachings of the Bible in an easy-to-understand, fun-to-read style for people of all age groups." Comics already in circulation include The Beginning , Incarnation, The Last Convert of John Harper, and The Revelation. Some of the 2010 titles will be Samson, Esther, The Book of God, The Christ series, The History of Christianity, and the Book of Martyrs. Each comic has a 26-page story written by Kingstone founder/CEO Art A. Ayris illustrated in full color. The company has also licensed four comic titles from Tennessee USA based No Greater Joy Ministries which is no longer producing individual comic books derived from their 312-page Good and Evil graphic novel. Kingstone has issued these comics under the titles Beginning, Exodus, Moses, and Elijah. An Arabic version of The Revelation is in production, and a Spanish version of The Last Convert should be in print soon.
SOURCES: Art Ayris, the Kingstone comics website
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 African Cartoonist Wins International Award
The Nigerian Observer newspaper's cartoon journalist Francis ("Francodus") Odupute has been selected as the winner of a Global Media Award for Excellence in the category of Best Editorial Cartoon. The award for his cartoon "The Local Government Chairman" was presented in December 2009 at a ceremony in Washington DC. "This cartoon depicts the struggle Nigeria has had in getting political leaders to acknowledge that population growth has had many significant consequences," the Observer reports. "This is especially important since Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa." Odupute is the head of the cartoon section/editorial department of the newspaper, located in Benin City, Edo State. He is also owner of Francodus International Communications, an art/media/publishing firm, and is founder/president of Beautiful Feet International (BFI), a 10-year-old ministry in Nigeria. BFI is planning a new Christian comic book project in 2010.
SOURCES: Francis Umendu Odupute, Nigerian Observer newspaper website
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Titan to Publish Classic Eagle Comics
A new hardcover collection of comic strips based on stories from the Bible will be released by Titan Books in March, 2010. Originally published in the classic British comic Eagle, the comics in the first 112-page edition are Jesus: The Road of Courage, written by the Rev. Marcus Morris and illustrated by Frank Hampson, and Mark: The Youngest Disciple. The book will also include background information on the featured Bible stories as well as how the strips were created. Reportedly, Titan has plans to publish David: The Shepherd King by Frank Bellamy plus Paul: The Great Adventurer in a separate volume, dependent on sales of the first book. (Originally the first title had been announced as Jesus & David: Tales of Two Kings: The Road of Courage and The Shepherd King.) An earlier 1981 collection of The Road of Courage strips by Hampson is a much sought-after collectable that often brings high prices on Internet auction sites. The Rev. Marcus Morris created The Eagle after the World War II as a Christian antidote to the influx of dark and violent American comics during the post-war period in Britain. At its peak, the comic achieved a circulation of a million copies a week.
SOURCES: Amazon.co.uk, downthetubes British Comics News
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 McColloughs to Retire in February
Two more Christian Comics Pioneers have announced their retirement. Jerry and Faith McCollough entered missions in 1987 and illustrated the "Heroes of the Faith" Bible comic series for the International Correspondence Institute (now Global University) in Belgium. More than 100,000 copies of those comics have been distributed in over 27 languages. The McColloughs also lived and worked in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Germany. They produced a hardcover historic comic album, Cyril & Methodius: Illuminators of the Slavs, about the Christian roots of the Slavic languages, in 2001.
A second book, Heaven's Forge, was finished just recently for the Czech Republic. They have produced additional new titles in the "Heroes" series as well. "Even in retirement we will continue to write, illustrate and attempt to publish these evangelical books," the McColloughs report.
SOURCE: The McCollough's Dec 09 postal newsletter
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