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2010 Archives
DECEMBER 2010
Comics Course in Québec
The ministries EVQ Media and COMIX35 have partnered to hold L'événement BD , a Christian comics seminar in Lac-Brome, Québec, Canada, in April 2011. Teachers for the event will be Eric LeBlanc of Québec, Lisa Hutchinson and Nate Butler from the USA, and Didier Millotte of France. Millotte was recently named the latest winner of the prize for best French-language Christian comic which will be awarded at the Angoulême comics festival in January. Swiss comics creator Alain Auderset will also be speaking at the Québec seminar. It will be open to US attendees and will be taught in both French and English .

SOURCES: EVQ Media, COMIX35

John Piper Pens GN
A new 144-page, full-color Graphic Novel entitled The Gadarene has been published by desiringGod, producers of "God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper." The GN is "based on an original poem by John Piper" which in turn was based on the story told in the Gospels of Luke and Mark about a man possessed by a legion of demons. Piper describes his GN as "an extended, imaginary re-telling of a story that would be behind this Biblical story, that I hope captures the theological truth, the Gospel truth, and the Biblical truth of it all."The story is about a man named Alex who "wants to please his father, but always fails" and who eventually gives in to "raging depression and bitterness [and] the demon Legion possesses him." All seems hopeless until "a mysterious man comes by boat to Gadara." Piper says he hopes that for readers "who have any kind of family issues, it will be very, very healing."

SOURCE: desiringGod

Ways to Witness this Christmas
California USA-based Chick Publications is offering a variety of Christmas witnessing ideas on their website. Stating that "this is the greatest time of year to share the greatest story ever told," the site suggests giving out cartoon tracts while shopping, leaving them in public places, and handing them out to carolers and co-workers. Their site also lists suggested Chick titles including The Greatest Story Ever Told tract which is available in 17 languages.

SOURCE: Chick Publications Newsletter

Manga Reaching Many Nations
The Japanese edition of Manga Messengers , the final book in the 5-volume graphic novel series from NEXT Inc , is now in stores in Japan. Messias , the German version of volume 1, Manga Messiah , is now available as well, and the Italian version of that book should be released soon. The Portuguese translation of volume 2, Manga Metamorphosis , is nearly complete. Books are available in 21 language s with 13 in development. The publishers of the Pakistani edition have reported over 11,000 documented cases of people giving their life to Christ in that country after receiving a copy of the Messiah book following a viewing of the Jesus film.

SOURCE: Roald Lidal / NEXT

New Almighty Bible Volume Ships
The second graphic novel in The Almighty Bible series, Exodus , is "being shipped out to distributors right now" according to Apple of the Eye Entertainment. They are also releasing image banks for the books. "This gives users access to hi-res and lo-res versions of every image from the books on a CD," the publisher writes. These images can be used by youth ministers for Powerpoint, newsletters and video. The Exodus image bank is available now and totals 377 images, while Genesis will be out next week and contains over 400. The Exodus iPad/iPhone app is expected to be released around Christmas. The Joshua and Judges graphic novels are scheduled to come out in 2011.

SOURCES: Apple of the Eye PR and Almighty Bible FB page

Jesus GN Produced in Parts
Delaware USA artist Brian S. Dawson is releasing his King of Kings: The Chronicles of Jesus graphic novel in 3 volumes. The first 76-page, full color, square-bound book is already out and has been selling in Canada, Hong Kong, the USA and the UK. It "retells the Birth of Christ through the calling of the 12 disciples," Dawson writes. Book 2 will be out in February with the final book arriving around Easter. The complete 242-page edition is scheduled for release close to Easter 2011 as well. Dawson is also producing a Sunday School Companion to the books , and his King of Kings website is "up and running." In January, Dawson will be featured in the online and print edition of Inspire Magazine published in the UK.

SOURCE: Brian S. Dawson

Mag Mentions Media Missionary
COMIX35 President/CEO Nate Butler has been featured in back-to-back 4-page, full-color articles in the November and December issues of Megumi No Ame ("Showers of Blessing") magazine, the last 2 issues of the 56-year-old magazine to be published by New Life League, Japan . The first article featured Butler’s testimony and covered his "lost years" as a young man before he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1979 while working as a freelance cartoonist. The second article details Butler's work for the COMIX35 ministry, particularly in Japan as a consultant on the Manga Messiah series.

SOURCE: New Life League, Japan

Carroll's Current UK Comics
United Kingdom-based writer/illustrator Steve Carroll is now producing the Bible story – "based on a much greater telling of the story, of course," he notes – for the PLUS+Eagles Wings comic paper . It will be coming out every other month. Previously Carroll had created comic features such as "Kerygma" and "The Life of David" for that publication. Carroll is also the writer of the Riddler's Fayre graphic novel series, illustrated by Christian Comics Pioneer Bob Bond . The PLUS+Eagles Wings comic paper is a subscription-based publication for children 7-11 years old. Launched in January 1966 by the late Alan Bird , PLUS+Eagles Wings has had the longest issue run of any Christian comic paper in the UK.

SOURCE: Steve Carroll

NOVEMBER 2010
Comics Cross the Continents
US Christian comics writer/artist Alec Stevens reports that his non-fiction and biographical books and graphic novels have "sold in the multiplied thousands" across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Currently his best-selling editions are Sadhu Sundar Singh and Clendennen: Soldier of the Cross . Pacific Garden Mission has distributed over 20,000 copies of his Unshackled! The True Story of John Hauff tract worldwide as well. Stevens' next publishing project is slated for a spring 2011 release and will be 450 pages in length. "It is not a graphic novel, but primarily text with many, many drawings and some photographs, somewhat akin to E. J. Pace: Christian Cartoonist , but not a biography per se,"Stevens writes. His other books include Marx, Lenin, Mao, & Christ , Revival Among the Zulus , and Glory to God , all available through Calvary Comics. His Clendennen GN is also sold on the School of Christ International website.

SOURCE: Calvary Comics

Swiss Sequel Both Silly & Serious
In Switzerland, Christian cartoonist Alain Auderset has just printed 10,000 copies of his newest comic album, the "slightly fragrant, really funny and yet involved" Les Vacances de Marcel ("Marcel's Holiday"), a sequel to his earlier Le Petit Monde de Marcel ("The Little World of Marcel"). Auderset spins a story about musician Marcel and his band whose plans to go to Spain for "sun, beach, sea, and pretty girls" are upset by a dying child they see on TV. They spend the rest of their vacation trying to raise money for starving children through crazy schemes and inventions such as Marcel's "Liposuction Express" for the many obese beach tourists. At the end of the comic, the reader is given the opportunity to actually sponsor a child through Compassion . For the sake of total immersion in the story, the always innovative Auderset has had his comic "impregnated with a discreet and subtle scent of the sea." The award-winning author has sold more than 100,000 copies of his comic albums.

SOURCE: Atelier Auderset website

Collected Eye Witness Now Available
Dallas, TX USA-based Head Press Publishing is offering a limited edition slipcase collection of their award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series . When author/illustrator Robert James Luedke was originally inspired to produce Eye Witness in 2004, he envisioned it as a single volume. The series, described by the publisher as "a unique blending of a Biblical adaptation and a modern day action-adventure story," has since grown into 4 volumes. The slipcase collection will be available through book and comic stores nationwide as well as the Christian Comics Catalog and most major retailer's online stores. Also, Head Press is offering a limited edition of 200 signed and numbered sets, available only at personal appearances or through their website. Coming up on Friday 3 December, Luedke will be interviewed about his series on the " Atlanta Live " show.

SOURCE: Head Press Publishing

African BD Bursts Into Being
A new comic book for Francophone Africa has been released by Publications pour la Jeunesse Africaine (PJA) and the youth magazine Jouv'Afrique in partnership with COMIX35 . Assembled under the working title Les BD de Jouv'Afrique ("The Comics of Jouv'Afrique"), the 36-page, black & white anthology has been published as Éclats: Bandes Dessinées d’Afrique ("Bursts: Comics of Africa”), as in "bursts of laughter" or "bursts of light that radiate across Africa," the publisher explains. On 21- 22 November, the comic will premiere at the big CEIA event in Lognes , an annual Evangelical Protestant Fair and Exhibition in the suburbs of Paris. Éclats is entirely written and drawn by Africans for Africans with contributions coming from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Senegal, Cameroun, Congo, République Centrafricaine (Central African Republic), and Chad. The project has allowed many of those involved to publish something for the first time, the publisher writes, "giving African Christians a voice/presence in the world of BD in their own cultures where they rarely have this chance."

SOURCES: PJA, COMIX35

Christmas Comic from Singapore
This year, for the first time, Singaporean cartoonist Fei-Wen (Favian) Ee is making his comic book, The First Noel , available for international orders with free shipping worldwide. Originally published in 2006, the 48-page, full-color evangelistic comic has Ee's characters Fav and Chris guiding readers "on a journey back to ancient Bethlehem to witness one of the greatest turning points in human history – the birth of Jesus Christ." A preview, consisting of the first 6 pages , is viewable online. Ee has operated the Wen's World website since 1999 with the goal of "Communicating Christ through Comics and Cartoons." Wen's World products such as Christmas cards, notebooks and calendars can be found in various bookshops around Singapore.

SOURCES: Favian Ee, Wen's World website

Brazilian Creates Naruto Alternative
Professional illustrator and former Marvel Comics intern Igor Cicarini is producing two Christian manga titles in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The first manga is called J5 – "something like Jesus' five," explains Cicarini – and features a group of kids led by a lamb named Morning Star who travel through history trying to recover "the book of life" stolen by "the Dark Prince." The full-color manga title is directed at a teen audience and was created to combat the influence of shonen manga titles such as Naruto, a secular best-seller in both Japan and Brazil. The second title, D.Quest , relates the story of David "starting in his teen years until his ascension to the throne of Israel." This black & white manga is published monthly. "Our goal is not only entertain but preach the word of God to kids, teenagers and adults that enjoy this style," says Cicarini, who belongs to one of the largest Christian churches in Brazil, Lagoinha Baptist. "We're teaching not only history but also the Word of God, with a lot of drama, action and adventure – all the ingredients that teenagers like."

SOURCES: Joshua Ginter, Igor Cicarini

Manga/Anime Workshops in WA
Organizers of the International Reaching Japanese For Christ (RJC) Conference have announced a new addition for their 10th annual event: Short workshops and seminars on manga/anime evangelism. The next conference will be held 17-19 February 2011 at Northshore Baptist Church in Bothell, WA USA. Roald Lidal from NEXT , Tim Ingle from Let's Love Japan , and Nate Butler of COMIX35 will be the main presenters. Comics writer/artist Kathleen Webb will assist Butler with a "Share Your Testimony in Manga" workshop on Saturday afternoon. The RJC Conference will also feature special speakers, music, and testimonies, plus "Christian Hawaiian Hula."

SOURCE: Don Wright / RJC

An Almighty Bible Update
The publishers of The Almighty Bible series, Apple of the Eye Entertainment, will be exhibiting at the National Youth Workers Convention in Nashville, TN USA, from 19-22 November. Their first book, Genesis , will be available along with the final version of the iPad/iPhone app which they will demo at the show. In addition to what the print version already offers, the Genesis app will "provide the reader with narration, maps, glossary, historical commentary and many other features." It will be available at no charge along with the story of Adam and Eve. Each of the additional 3 sections of Genesis can be purchased for a small fee. Pastor Charles Kim, leader of their advisory board, is holding seminars for parents at Korean American Churches in the USA to discuss using new media to reconnect youth to the Bible. The release of the second book in the series, Exodus, has been push backed until early December .

SOURCES: Almighty Bible website and FB page

Manga Ministers to Millions
The Japanese Manga Bible series produced by NEX T Inc. – which so far includes Manga Messiah , Manga Metamorphosis , Manga Mutiny , and Manga Melech – continues to grow in number and influence. To date, there are almost 2.2 million books in print in 21 languages plus more than 1 million copies of the Gospel booklet, The Messiah. Translation is ongoing in another 13 languages, and NEXT is also working on an animatic version as well as an iPhone/iPad application. "We thank God for the literal millions that have been reached with the good news of Jesus Christ," reports Roald Lidal of NEXT. "But the open doors set before us and the opportunities given to us are just staggering." He says a mission leader in India, who works with more than 1600 indigenous church groups and organizations, has asked "for 10 million copies for a start." The books are already being used in prison ministries, for youth evangelism, and in public schools in countries such as Uganda, Pakistan, Japan, Canada, and France.

SOURCE: Roald Lidal / NEXT

OCTOBER 2010
Additional Updates on Cook Comic
In a recent article entitled "The State of the Word Is Good," Publishers Weekly quotes the Senior Director of Marketing at David C Cook as saying that "initial orders are strong" for The Action Bible: God's Redemptive Story and "a second printing is scheduled." The article discloses that Cook's "significant initial marketing budget of $100,000 could grow in order to meet the goal of selling one million units." The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) reports that The Action Bible has been "a best-selling children’s resource at Parable, Family Christian, and Lifeway bookstores in recent weeks." At the Long Beach Comic Con in California on 29-31 October, the Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) will have hourly drawings to give away a total of 100 copies of The Action Bible, plus they will have "up to 4000+ sampler copies" to hand out as well.

SOURCES: Publishers Weekly, ECPA's Rush to Press, Scott Shuford

Christian Mag Pubs GN Edition
The Christian & Missionary Alliance Church (C&MA), based in Colorado USA, has published their "annual graphic novel issue" of aLife: Alliance Life . The current magazine features 4 true stories, including one by Beryl Glass, the Designer of Alliance Life. Any reader who is "an experienced artist with a fuzzy spot in your heart for graphic novels" is invited to submit PDFs of their artwork to be considered for next fall's edition. Issues are themed, and all stories are "true and Alliance related." Stories are chosen by Editor Peter Burgo and Managing Editor Melinda Smith Lane and are assigned to selected artists based on their ability and style. Artists must "have experience working with others in a production situation, with the ability and willingness to make changes quickly in order to meet a schedule," says Lane. She adds that they are "happy to look at art from non-Alliance sources ... but the truth is that we cannot pay our artists well. We think of it as a labor of love."

SOURCES: Don Ensign, Alliance Life website and staff

More Convention Ministry for CCAS
The Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) will be involved in two more comic conventions this year. They will have a table and panel discussion at the Long Beach Comic Con in California on 29-31 October and a table at the Tucson Comic Con on 6 November in Arizona. "We will be giving out tracts as well as selling Christian comics," writes Don Ensign of the CCAS. "Pray for open hearts among the many convention goers (young and not so young)." Founded over 20 years ago, the CCAS incorporated as a non-profit organization recently and is "making slow but steady progress in growing our membership and expanding our ministry," according to board member Kevin Yong.

SOURCES: Don Ensign, Kevin Yong

Comics-Style Resources Offer Hope
Florida USA-based OneHope has two new versions of their Book of Hope for children. The Child of Prisoner Book of Hope is a 48-page, digest-size book designed with "manga-stylized art" for elementary/upper elementary students. The stories are about 5 ethnically and environmentally diverse children dealing with different aspects of a parent’s incarceration. The Middle School Edition Book of Hope combines a "comic book style with a dramatic digital painting style" and is designed to address the top issues of children 10-13 years old in the USA. Two contemporary storylines run through the book featuring characters who are middle school aged pre-teens. "These stories intertwine with the story of Jesus and Scripture passages chosen specifically to address their heart felt needs," OneHope reports.

SOURCE: OneHope

Spencer Scripts UK Christmas Comic
The Edge Group UK has put together a new Christmas Bible Comic written by long-time comics professional Christopher Spencer. Spencer learned his craft on the classic British comic publications Eagle and TV21 and later wrote many TV-based comic scripts for sci-fi weekly Countdown . Also he has worked extensively with Scandinavian comics publisher Egmont. In Christian comics he has scripted the Journey into Life: Graphic Edition , the "Sir Rafeem: Knight for the Light" feature in Behold 3-D , the regular comic book feature in Guideposts for Kids and Guideposts for Teens , and the Chasing the Dragon graphic novel released earlier this year. The Edge Group UK has been instrumental in the publication of many Christian comic s and graphic novels including The Lion Graphic Bible , Yun: The Illustrated Story of the Heavenly Man , and The Manga Jesus by Nigerian-born artist Siku, which will be available in German soon.

SOURCES: Edge Group UK, Amazon.co.uk

Magazine Manages Amazing Milestone
This month marks the 50th Anniversary of t he French comic Tournesol , published since October 1960 by Ligue pour la Lecture de la Bible (LLB) in Valence, France. The current 40-page, full-color issue (no. 372) notes "50 Ans: Un Demi-Siecle de BD" ("50 Years: A Half-Century of Comics") on the cover. Some pages can be viewed online . Christian Comics Pioneer Philippe Hochet , a contributor to the magazine since 1978, has been head of the Tournesol publication team from the end of 2009. Although David C. Cook's Sunday PIX began in the US in 1949 – and even supplied some comics material to Tournesol in the 1960s – it is no longer a comics-driven publication primarily. Therefore Tournesol is now the longest-running Christian title that remains a "true comic." Currently Tournesol is published 6 times a year. Subscriptions are available in North America through LLB in Québec, Canada .

SOURCES: Tournesol magazine and website

"Super Sheep" Shares Scripture Stories
A new book designed for "adventure-loving boys" 3- to 6-years-old has been published by Tyndale House under their Tyndale Kids imprint. Rumble! Zap! Pow!: Mighty Stories of God is a 196-page, full-color, hardcover written and illustrated "in an interactive, comic book style." It highlights 40 Old and New Testament adventure stories, each one introduced with a "Mighty Thought" – a simple statement that summarizes the Bible story lesson – by the little hero character "Super Shee p." A "Power Words" section at the end of every story gives a short Scripture verse for memorization. There is also an activity to help reinforce the message of the story in the child's mind.

SOURCES: Tyndale House on Twitter, Amazon website, Tyndale Kids news release

Cook Comic Climb Continues
David C Cook's The Action Bible has remained one of Amazon's top 10 best-sellers under Christianity > Bible > Stories since the third week of September and is selling an average of 15 to 20 books per week through that site alone. Based on Cook’s best-selling Picture Bible , this updated version has 752 full-color pages depicting 215 Bible stories in chronological order. The original Picture Bible has been translated, in full or part, into more than 140 languages with a total of more than 3 million units in print. Cook has launched The Action Bible consumer website featuring a video trailer, video of the artist, sample art and games.

SOURCES: Sergio Cariello, Amazon and Action Bible websites

Update on Kidz Creator's Comic
After a short delay for some creative adjustments, the first issue of the new quarterly comic book Jesus the Christ will be shipping October 30th. Based on the 4 Gospels – primarily Mark, with "select events" from Matthew, Luke, and John – this Bible series is "retold" and illustrated by Reggie Byers and published by Reborn Unlimited LLC. The title is scheduled for a 20-issue run. The premiere edition starts when "Mary receives word from the angel Gabriel of her destiny" and concludes with the calling of the first disciples. Each issue will be 24 pages in full color. Signed and numbered copies of a limited first run of the book will be available through the Jesus the Christ website . Byers and his wife Dionne are also the creators of the well-known Kidz of the King comic book series.

SOURCES: Reggie Byers, Jesus The Christ Graphic Series FB page

Cariello Crafts Comics for Kingstone
One of the most active Christian artists in the business, Sergio Cariello is the illustrator of the new The Christ Vol. 1 comic book for Kingstone Media. Since winning the 1st International Christian Comics Competition in 2005, Cariello has drawn hundreds of pages for the Son of Samson Z-Graphic Novels and David C Cook's The Action Bible . Cariello's newest series is written by Ben Avery who also wrote several titles in the Z-Graphic Novel series as well as Betrayed! for Literature Ministries International. Cariello and Avery are also creating a graphic novel for Kingstone entitled The Book of God . "We are excited about this," says Art Ayris, CEO of Kingstone. "It describes the reliable process on how God gave us the Bible." Kingstone is publisher of a number of other Bible-based comics titles including Incarnation , The Last Convert of John Harper , and Martyrs .

SOURCES: Sergio Cariello's FB page & blog, Art Ayris

Organize & Order for 31 October
It's time again to plan your Halloween outreach efforts and gather resources for that night. Barna Research reports that 85% of all Christians commit their lives to Jesus Christ between 5-14 years old which makes Halloween an ideal time for witnessing. Individual publications that may be appropriate for older children include the 32-page Hairy Polarity and the Sinister Sorcery Satire comic book on the dangers of sorcery and witchcraft published by The Truth For Youth Ministry, the new Stinky cartoon tract from Chick Publications, and The Witch Doctor comic booklet created by FMP graphic artist Eric Jansen , all produced in the USA. Publishers with tracts targeted at younger children include Good News , American Tract , and Community Comics . Comic tracts not specifically created for Halloween but which could be effective witnessing tools include Betrayed! from Literature Ministries International and The Dave Roever Story from Roever & Associates, both produced in the USA, as well as a number of others available from A New Thing in Canada. A 16-page, black & white, Spanish-language comic, Eternidad , may be purchased from COMIX35. All materials should be ordered immediately to guarantee on-time delivery. For a last-minute, back-up resource you can download, print and distribute an 8-page, copyright-free Gospel tract created by cartoonist Cedric Hohnstadt in English, Spanish and several other languages.

SOURCES: The various publishers websites noted

SEPTEMBER 2010
Oboe's Back in Blog
Fans of the classic Oboe Jones comic strip will be excited to learn that Christian Comics Pioneer Kevin Frank has started The Oboe Blog ("For anyone who still remembers") . The new blog will feature "all of the Oboe Jones comics which ran in Cornerstone Magazine from 1985-1998, and a few extras." Frank says he has "no big plans or goals" but will be "writing a little about each comic as it's posted... odd facts and details about them." He will also have "out-takes" of comics that have never been published, including an entire 2-page comic that only made it to the pencil stage plus some rejected scripts. Eventually the final post will be the thumbnail script for the last strip on which Frank was working when the feature came to an end. The Canada-based cartoonist continues to produce Heaven's Love Thrift Shop for King Features and just passed his 4th year anniversary on the Sunday-only strip.

SOURCE: Kevin Frank

New Comic Will Chronicle Christ
Just a few years ago Delaware USA artist Brian S. Dawson was "a homeless, unemployed addict" who lived in his truck. The Lord Jesus Christ saved him when he was on the verge of suicide and set him free from drugs. Now Dawson is the Creative Services Director for a newspaper company and feels the Lord has called him into "a Youth Ministry through artwork." He is in the process of creating a 220-page graphic novel entitled King of Kings: The Chronicles of Jesus that is "based on the harmony of the Gospels that illustrate the life of Christ." Dawson has produced a promotional trailer to show his vision for the project. The graphic novel "is not intended to replace the Gospels," but Dawson hopes it "will serve as an additional resource to Christians everywhere."

SOURCE: Brian S. Dawson

More Mobile Messages from Ramasami
UK-based Christian cartoonist Jason Ramasami announced the release of another free iPhone App comic this month, Hope After The Fall Of Adam And Eve . The new comic, which may be viewed in iTunes, is "an illustrated version of the story of what happened at the beginning" and shows how God "created men and women to live in a perfect relationship with Himself." The comic reveals that a ruined relationship with God can be restored because "He has promised that He will restore it." A version for Arabic-speakers is awaiting approval from Apple. Ramasami 's original mobile app The Jesus Comic is available for free in 2 shortened excerpts as Jesus Comic: Nativity and Jesus Comic: Easter .

SOURCES: Jason Ramasami on Twitter, saamvisualapps iTunes pages, epiloguetv website

"Happiest Manga Artist" Shares Her Story
Japanese Christian manga-ka Kozumi ("Kelly") Shinozawa was featured in a 4-page, full-color article in the July issue of Megumi No Ame ("Showers of Blessing") magazine, published by New Life League, Japan. The article describes how she became a manga artist at 19 years old, but the "pain, anxiety, and fear" she was experiencing made her unable to draw the "cheerful school stories" that were a popular trend in manga at the time. When her editor advised her to draw horror manga, her emotional and psychological well-being deteriorated to the point where she was thinking about death and cutting herself. After moving to New York to go to art school, Shinozawa San read the book Shiokari Pass left behind by a Christian roommate, and started to attend a Bible study. Later she decided that Jesus Christ "is the only one for my life" and was baptized. In 2005 she was chosen to illustrate Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis . Through drawing these manga, Shinozawa San "felt like she was able to travel with Jesus in His journeys as one of His disciples, and thinks she is probably one of the happiest manga artists in the world."

SOURCE: New Life League, Japan

Revised Bible GN Released in Germany
This month German publisher Gerth Medien has issued a newly revised version of The Graphic Bible entitled Die Bibel: Das Buch der Bücher als packende Comic-Story ("The Bible: The Book of Books as a Gripping Comic-Story"). The 256-page paperback edition is "the Bible in a whole other way [with] excellent, realistic painted images that capture all the excitement, vibrancy and power of Biblical stories in an inimitable way." It is intended for children 10 years old and up . The Graphic Bible was first published in 1998 by Lion Publishing in England. It is fully hand-painted by former Judge Dredd/2000AD artist Jeff Anderson and took 5 years to produce. It was retitled The Lion Graphic Bible in 2004. Reportedly it has been a "huge success" for Lion with over 700,000 copies sold, 17 languages in print, and two international book awards received.

SOURCES: Amazon.de website and the Edge Group UK

Rare Redondo Title Reissued
New Jersey USA based publisher Alec Stevens has released another graphic novella under his Calvary Comics imprint. The latest book is a reprinting of the Marx, Lenin, Mao, & Christ comic originally p ublished by Open Doors in 1977. The new 48-page, perfectbound edition is black & white with color covers. It contains the original 33-page story, handsomely i llustrated by the Nestor Redondo Studio , plus "some single panel cartoons dealing with the themes of Communism versus the Gospel by E. J. Pace, F. W. Alden, U. S. Abell, and Jack Hamm" according to Stevens. There are also short bios of Brother Andrew of Open Doors and comic artist Nestor Redondo . Stevens specializes in producing non-fiction and biographical material and published Clendennen: Soldier of the Cross earlier this year. His other titles include Sadhu Sundar Singh (2006), E.J. Pace: Christian Cartoonist (2007), Revival Among the Zulus (2008),and the Glory to God anthology (2009).

SOURCES: Alec Stevens and his Calvary Comics website

Distribution of Bible with Comics Continues
This year National Truth for Youth Week was held from 30 August to 3 September on American Family Radio. As a result "over 50,000 Bibles are on their way to the nation's public schools [and] hundreds of students will find Christ because of [these] efforts," according to the American Family Association (AFA) . AFA partners with evangelist Tim Todd at the beginning of every new school year to get copies of The Truth For Youth (TTFY) Bible into the hands of Christian teens who are willing to share them with friends who don't know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The TTFY Bible consists of the entire New Testament along with 100 pages of full-color comics about issues such as evolution, abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and witchcraft, all told from a Biblical perspective. The Students Legal Rights on Public School Campuses are also included to let young people know they have the right to distribute Bibles during non-instructional time.

SOURCES: AFA and TTFY websites

Newest Comic Bible to be Print and App
Another new comic book-style Bible series, The Almighty Bible , is being launched simultaneously as an Apple App and as a graphic novel this month. According to the publisher, Apple of the Eye, "The Almighty Bible is a Biblically accurate series of graphic novels that will stimulate young people's interest in the Bible." Their plan is to combine "the fastest growing book format for young people (graphic novels) with the newest technology (iPad/phone app)" to create "a Bible for today's kids and teens." The stated target reader is ages 9-21, and the target buyer is parents and grandparents. Book 1 of the series, titled simply Genesis , will be 163-pages in full color. Exodus is scheduled to follow in November with 3 or 4 books releasing per year after that. Text is derived from the World English Bible, based on the American Standard Version. In addition to their website, there is an Almighty Bible Facebook page with rough lay-out sketches from the up-coming Exodus graphic novel and reports on reactions to The Almighty Bible at various festivals and conventions around the USA.

SOURCES: Christian Retailing magazine and Almighty Bible website

College Produces Comics/Coloring Guide
A 12-page comic book-style guide to Wheaton College, entitled Emily and Andy Go to Wheaton , has been prepared on the occasion of their 150th anniversary, apparently to interest children in someday attending. The booklet, subtitled "A Visit to a Very Special College," also functions as a coloring and activity book "for Members of Wee-Town." It was produced by the Marketing Communications and Annual Giving departments at the college which is located in Wheaton, IL USA. Wheaton College was founded in 1860 with the motto "For Christ and His Kingdom" and a commitment to "a combination of intellectual growth and Christian faith."

SOURCES: Elisabeth F. de Isais and the Wheaton College website

Cariello Converses on Cook Comic
September 1st was the official national release date for The Action Bible , an updating of David C Cook’s successful Picture Bible , and Brazilian-born illustrator Sergio Cariello has been interviewed about his work on this book in the September issue of Christian Retailing . The interview appears in a special "Meet the Artist" section of the magazine's Buyer's Guide. Cariello discusses how he "went to a Bible school to study God’s Word full time at age 16" and about his entry into the comics industry. Cariello has drawn Spider-Man and Batman, and he received an Eisner Award "Best New Series" nomination for his work on The Lone Ranger in 2007. He also relates how his style differs from the original Picture Bible and the "great thrill combined with a great weight of responsibility" he felt in portraying Jesus Christ. Cariello's interview is also available for viewing on ChristianRetailing.com .

SOURCE: Christian Retailing magazine

AUGUST 2010
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

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

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

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

JULY 2010
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JUNE 2010
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

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

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

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

MAY 2010
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

APRIL 2010
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

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

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

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

MARCH 2010
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FEBRUARY 2010
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

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

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

"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

JANUARY 2010
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

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

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

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

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