Yun, The Illustrated Story of the Heavenly Man

 

Yun, The Illustrated Story of the Heavenly Man (2006), Monarch Books, Paul Hattaway  (co-writer), Rico Rival (artist), 126 pp., $11.99.

In 1997 Paradox Press (a DC Comics imprint) published the Big Book of Martyrs. This book presented stories and legends primarily of early church and Roman Catholic martyrs for the faith. Martyrs and the persecuted church made up a very rich source for Christian sequential stories (comics). The graphic biography of Brother Yun is an excellent example of what can be done within the comics medium with modern persecution stories.

Brother Yun was born in 1958 in the tiny farming village of Liu Lao Zhuang of China’s Henan Province. The story follows Yun’s life as he was born into a family where his mother was a devout Christian and his father an ex-imperial soldier (who was miraculously healed by fervent prayers of terminal cancer). The book gives some historical background of the Protestant church in China. The rest of the book follows Yun’s  intense childhood desire to own a Bible and how God used him to teach and preach in the underground house church in China. There are many ups and downs in Yun’s life journey as he faced beatings, torture, imprisonment, temptation and conflict within the church itself. This is a story of the triumph of faith and God’s love in the face of seemingly overwhelming hardship and persecution.

Artist Rico Rival uses varied panel layouts and dramatic poses to keep the story moving. The inking tends to look rushed—almost as if these drawings were preliminary sketches. Since Rico is such an excellent comics story teller with very smooth transitions from page to page and from panel to panel in a very episodic story is a minor criticism. Still if he had taken more time or had a top notch inker doing the finishes— the art would have been even more effective. Nate Butler and Ed Morris helped in adapting the script to comics format.

The Christian church is facing heavy and increasing persecution in many Muslim, Hindu and communist countries. Graphic biographies like Yun, the Heavenly Man is an excellent way of calling attention (and the need for help and prayer) to our brothers and sisters who are in very real ways suffering for their faith.

www.lionhudson.com

Tomo

 

Tomo,  (Volume 1-I Was An Eighth-Grade Ninja), (Volume 2, My Double-Edged Life), 2007, Zondervan/Funny pages Productions., Andrew Simmons (writer #1), Rob Corley (writer  #1), Jim Krueger (writer #2), Ariel Padilla (artist), 160 pp., $9.99 each

All right – the new Zondervan series that most surprised me was Tomo. It’s the story of a Japanese girl who loses her mother and comes to America to live with her grandfather…boooooooooring, right? Wrong! It has a cool fantasy element tied into it…the best yet out of the six ZVGs. I all works extremely well together for this book! There is a very cool back-story that is still a mystery after two issues, ‘real-life’ intrigue for the girl (assimilating to American culture, etc.). It’s fun, smart, action packed, and has subtle spiritual elements that seem to be growing with each issue. I can only assume that the payoff should be big. Anyway, if you like fantasy, martial arts, fish-out-of-water stories, or just a good plot fully realized in script and art, get this book!

Review by Steve MacDonald

zgraphicnovels.com 

Acts of the Spirit

Eyewitness (Book 2) Acts of the Spirit (2006), Head Press Publishing, Robert James Luedke, 104 pp., $13.99.   

Spiderman 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Star Trek:
The Wrath of Khan. Sometimes the sequel is better
that the original. In 2004 Robert James Luedke/Head Press
published Eyewitness: A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth.
This full color 94 page graphic novel tells the story of
Terrence Harper, a world renown forensic
archeologist who is called to Israel to examine a
recently discovered ossurary (bone box) dating from
the first century AD. The ossury contains ancient scrolls
and other artifacts. The scrolls once translated appear to
be an independent account of the New Testament gospels
written by Joseph of Arimathea. Luedke weaves a story of
modern day international intrigue with extended visual
glances of the Biblical story presented in the scrolls.

The scrolls’ Biblical story begins somewhat before the last
Supper and proceeds through the Trial, Passion, Crucifixion
and Burial of Christ. The book concludes with Harper making
a confession of faith in Christ, in a car with his good friend and
assistant Raj, immediately before being caught in an explosion
triggered by a suicide bomber.

The second book, Acts of the Spirit takes up where Eyewitness
left off. We find that Harper has survived and is in crucial
condition. Luedke’s art has improved dramatically from the
first book. The coloring is much improved and the pacing from
panel to panel is better and the burdensome dialog balloons
that clogged a number of pages in the first book have been
streamlined and makes for a more enjoyable literary experience.
In the first book there are sections of pure prose copy interrupting
the flow of the graphic narrative. These sections are gone in the
second book making for a better and simpler reading experience.
Luedke effectively uses humor to lighten the heavy sense of conspiracy and foreboding evil.  He takes a lesson from Charles Dickens and places a ‘Ghost of Easters Past’  to guide an unconscious Harper through Christ’s Resurrection, Ascension and the early days of the church as recorded in the book of Acts. Luedke continues to switch back and forth between events in First Century Israel to a modern 21st Century spy thriller—and he does it very well.

In this Acts of the Spirit Luedke tops his first effort and we can
look forward to the concluding volume in the trilogy in two years.
As Christian readers we pray that this book will cause the
non-Christian reader to seriously consider the claims of Christ.
Robert James Luedke desires this book to have ministry
beyond its entertainment value.
(This review was written in August 2006).

www.headpress.info

Manga Messiah

 

Manga Messiah, (2006), Next, Hidenori Kumai (script), Kozumi Shinowaza (artist), Atsuka Ogawa (assistant artist), 288 pp, FC, $12.99

Manga Messiah is very cool! I got an advanced copy, and if you like manga (and in color. too!) then get this book! It follows the story from all four gospels synoptically; the art is by actual Japanese artists, not  just someone drawing in the manga style. The retelling is dialogue heavy, not text box heavy, as in many versions. The characters are given true human dimensions, aand everyone has a distinct look to them. The American publishers know the gospel and are making sure that this is both accurate and evengelistic. Great for sharing with those who do not know Christ but would be willing to read manga. Extremely well done! High marks.

Review by Steve MacDonald

ChristianBookDiscount

[Note from DinoDon: I agree very strongly with Steve's review of Manga Messiah. This is one of the very best comic adaptations of the life of Christ ever published. The manga art for this volume has an emotional immediacy and passionate impact that  fits extremely well with this gospel retelling. There are also helpful features such as an Area map detailing the places in Israel where the events of the life of Christ took place and Character profiles of the major people who were significant to the gospel stories. Excellent gift to receptive non-Christian manga fans.]

Merry Christmas.

Shelter of Wings

 

Shelter of Wings,  2006 (1st Edition),  Brethren Entertainment Media Group, Lisa Hutchinson (writer, artist), B & W, 194 pp., $14.95.

Spiritual warfare is one of the most popular genre within the Christian Comics movement. Perhaps the most notable example is the popular Archangels: The Saga produced by Cahaba Productions (formerly Eternal Studios). The notion of angels and demons battling like super heroes and super villains for the souls of man is one that translates easily into comic book or graphic novel form. It is one that seasoned and new comic book readers can readily relate to.

Lisa Hutchinson who has developed a very manga like art style has produced an excellent example of spiritual warfare comics in Shelter of Wings. Hutchinson not only draws well but her storytelling dynamics are very highly developed. This book has outstanding page to page, panel to panel action sequences that rival the best of any of its secular manga competitors. For this non-manga comics reader she is teaching me why manga is such a popular form of sequential art. Manga is a “hot” form of comics in the sense that it is very visceral—it packs a surface emotional intensity that, for the most part, western comics lack. The cartoony aspects of manga, the enormous eyes, pointy noses, spikey hair, contorted mouths, over-the-top action sequences combined with the emotional intensity of the characters make for an irresistible read for many young fans.

Shelter of Wings follows the adventures of Jenna Ruth Hadley who has just lost her mother in an auto accident. Because of this tragic event she is struggling with his faith in God as she has gone to live with her grandmother in Montana. However divine providence has plans for Jenna—plans that make her very important to the future destiny of mankind. The demonic hosts are set on thwarting those plans and the angelic realm is there to protect her. Some of the bickering and brawling among the demons add an oddly humorous element to an otherwise serious story. The story is aimed at a tween and young teen audience–perhaps mostly female- however this much older male reader looks forward to future installments of Shelter of Wings.

For those wanting to sample manga style spiritual warfare comics Shelter of Wings is a must read.

www.shelterofwings.com/

The Dreamland Chronicles

The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One, Scott Christian Sava (writer, artist), 2006, 294 pp, $19.95. This is a collection of web comics.

On a brief trip to Chicago in 2003 George Macas, Jr took me to a local comic shop and while there I discovered a comic about purple haired elves, fairies, rock men, cyclops, magic swords, and dragons with gorgeous computer generated art. Later I happened upon the web site for the The Dreamland Chronicles where the creator Scott Christian Sava was producing more pages of this elegantly produced online comic.

The Dreamland Chronicles records the adventures of Alex Carter, a college student, whose dreams take him to a world replete with castles and fantasy denizens like talking animals, elves, fairies, giants, pirates and huge, cunning and malevolent dragons. Alex gains a magic sword and armor and a romance with a beautiful elfian Princess. The story is a delightful fairy tale where the distinction between good and evil is very well defined. Alex alternates between the real world where his brother Daniel provides a geeky, but intelligent foil for the more athletic sibling. The story combines daring do adventure and romance with some philosophical and theological discussions. The Christian elements are subtle rather than overt.

The Dreamland Chronicles is a genuine publishing success with it’s wonderful 3-D like art, engaging characters and captivating storyline. The Dreamland Chronicles web site logged on 2 million unique readers by June 2007 (from its January 2006 startup). This all age comic is also one of the most accessible. You can go to the web site and view all of the 500 plus pages Sava has produced so far. Also numerous issues of The Dreamland Chronicles are available for free download from the www.wowio.com web site. Also there is a recently released second volume that allows you to curl up with a print version. Which ever form you find most enjoyable you are in for a page turning compelling read with characters and a tale that you can honestly care about.

www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/ 

The Enchanter

The Enchanter, (The Crusaders, Vol 18, 2007), Chick Publications, Jack T. Chick (w), Fred Johnson (a), 32 pp. Full Color comic book size. $3.50

Jack T. Chick is a genuine phenomenon in Christian comics. He is a polarizing figure whose work has spawned analytical studies and critical web sites both pro and con. Chick’s comics leave little middle ground- you either love or hate his work. While his small black and white tracts are uncompromising in presenting the Christian gospel, it is his full-sized color comic book series, The Crusaders, that has generated the most controversy. Perhaps the web of conspiracy theories presented in these comics is the issue that sparks the most heated discussion. Whatever the issue, a new Crusaders comic is a major publishing event seeing that the last one came out almost two decades ago.

The Enchanter is a biography of Joseph Smith Jr. (1805-1844), the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints (Mormons). The story begins with a modern day vignette of a women living in Utah whose husband (an ex-Mormon) is found dead in their house. The authorities pronounce it suicide but the wife suspects murder. She calls Jim Carter and Tim Clark (The Crusaders) to help, as she is frightened by the seemingly menacing behavior of strangers toward her. Fearing for her safety she takes a flight out of state with funds provided by the Crusaders. This incident causes Jim and Tim to investigate the history of Mormonism. They contact ex-Mormon David Franks who gives them a detailed account of the beginnings of this heterodox religion. Franks account starts with the birth of Joseph Smith Jr. and follows him as he dabbles in folk occultism as a youngster, his first marriage to Emma Hale, the discovery of the illusory golden plates (supposedly the source of the Book of Mormon), several of his plural marriages, his links to the Masonic Lodge, the development of the Mormon church, and the organizing of his army, ‘The Danities’ Franks’ account, shows Smith as a unbalanced power hungry charlatan with great personal charisma which eventually leads to his arrest in Carthage, Missouri and subsequent murder by a rampaging mob.

For those who have studied the history of Mormonism (from either non-LDS sources or even Mormon records) most of this is fairly familiar material. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the restraint Chick shows in some controversial areas. For instance, in 1977, a book titled ‘Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?’ was published (with a new and greatly expanded edition following in 2005 with more evidence, making an even stronger case for this theory exhibiting strong evidence that Smith plagiarized much of the Book of Mormon from a stolen manuscript by a man named Solomon Spalding. However, The Enchanter makes only one oblique reference (p. 17) to other sources for the Book of Mormon. Another incident surrounds the controversy of Smith’s fatal escape attempt from the Carthage jail. Some accounts have him armed with a smuggled pistol defending himself against his attackers. Chick instead has an unarmed Smith being executed by apparently angry Masons.

Artist Fred Johnson does a very credible job with the material. Johnson is an excellent draftsman and it is surprising how little his work has changed (some may feel that his work has improved from his earlier efforts) over the past three decades. His work is still retains a pristine tightness and precise quality and for an essentially talking heads comic it communicates very well.

Chick’s overarching conspiracy theory is revealed early on (p. 8, 18-19) as a Satanic plot to quell the revivals of the early 19th Century by sowing the seeds of heretical cults like Mormonism and Christian Science, as well as virulent ideologies like Communism, Nazism, Masonry, evolution as well as resurgent non-Christian world religions like Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. And, of course (as they have been a primary target of Chick’s attacks in the past), the Roman Catholic church and the Jesuits are mentioned in this mix. The Bible does teach Christians how to battle spiritual forces, though one can debate with some of the exact details that Chick presents.

www.chick.com

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese, 2006, First Second, Gene Luch Yang (writer, artist), full color,
233 pp., $17.95. This is a collection of web comics.

This book combines three stories that intersect by the end of the book. The first is the adventures of the magical Monkey King, an ancient Chinese folk deity and Kung Fu master who achieves the four major disciplines of invulnerability. This leads him to a meeting with his creator, Tze-yo-Tzuh. Tze-Yo-Tzuh says of himself:

“I was, I Am, and I shall forever be. I have searched your soul, little monkey. I know your most hidden thoughts. I know when you sit and when you stand, when you journey and when you rest. Even before a word is upon our tongue, I have known it. My eyes have seen all your days.” (p 80)

Of course this and other such sayings sound suspiciously like the God of the Judeo-Christian scriptures speaking from various Bible passages, including Psalms 139. The second story deals with the trials of the young Taiwanese boy Jin Wang who came to America with his immigrant parents. Jin’s story is one of trying to make a place for himself in an alien culture. The third story concerns Danny (an Anglo appearing high school student) whose main trial in life is an annual visit of his extremely stereotypical and socially embarrassing Chinese cousin Chin-kee. The interactions between Danny, his friends and Chin-kee make for some hilarious situations. As mentioned previously all three of these seemingly divergent tales come together at the conclusion of the story.

Gene Yang’s art is simple and effective storytelling with the flat, bright coloring by Lark Pien complimenting Yang’s linework perfectly. This tale is more than a Asian boy trying to adjust to American culture. This is an amusing story that can teach lessons about prejudice, teenage romance, fitting in and tolerance. This is an excellent graphic novel and the well-deserved of the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

www.humblecomics.com

Welcome to Holsom

Welcome To Holsom #1-24 (2005-2007). Gospel Publishing House, Craig W. Schutt (w), Steven Butler (p 1-6, 8-12, 14, 16, 18, 20-24), Sonny Carder (p 7), Gordon Purcell (p 13, 15, 17, 19), Jeff Albrecht (i 1-5, 7-15, 17-20, 22), Al Milgrom (i 6, 16, 21, 24), Dan Davis (i 5, 23) $3.75 (for packets of three consecutive issues), 12 pp.

This series centers around the lives and adventures of a group of tweens and young teens in a small middle-American town named Holsom. The story begins with the discovery of an abandoned laboratory under a barn by four young people – Lucy (an adopted Asian girl), Shelby (a strong Christian), Mouse (a near-genius African-American boy) and Jorge (a Latino bad boy). This laboratory was owned by Horatio Holsom, an eccentric scientist who the town was named after, and who, in the late 1950s, secretly created giant robots. The children attempt to keep the lab a secret (along with a reactivated giant robot, Rover), but it eventually becomes known, attracting the attention of the wealthy, unscrupeous and power-hungry businessman JD Raye and his attorney, Miss Vile (a cross between Phylis Diller and Cruella DeVille). The cast expands to include many others, such as Jordan, the local pastor’s pretty daughter, Noah, a good-hearted jock, Tabitha, a social outcast goth girl, Otto “Chopax” Farless, a hermit obsessed with UFOs and strange phenomena.

This series was developed as an aid in teaching young people basic decision making skills on ethical questions from a Biblical perspective. The issues are offered in packets of three issues each (i.e, #1-3; #4-6, ). These are intended for give-aways to children attending Sunday School. Most issues feature a plot summary of what has happened previously, a back-page word puzzle, and discussion questions about the behavior of the characters in each issue’s story. The didactic element is developed subtly within the stories as the children are confronted with moral and spiritual dilemmas – and while the kids often make the right decision, sometimes they don’t. Whichever the case, the consequences flow naturally from those decisions. The Christian characters are not presented as perfectly flawless paragons but rather exhibit poor attitudes and commit sins like anyone else. However, they do grow through their mistakes and become more mature and ‘real’ in the process.

This series is part Archie, part 1950s sci-fi, part Andy Griffith Show, part Disney classic animated movies with a solid Christian foundation carefully laid into the mix. The story works because the moral and spiritual teaching seems natural and not forced. Steven Butler, the main penciller, takes a cartoony approach to the characters that works well with the material, and one could easily see this story translated into an animated cartoon series. Interesting tidbits are thrown in for observant comics fans, like Al Milgrom’s homage to Wally Wood in inking issue #6. Here’s hoping that Welcome to Holsom is a great success and that there will be many return visits to this quintessential American-as-apple-pie small town.

Black, The Birth of Evil

Black, The Birth of Evil, (Book 1 The Circle Trilogy) Ted Dekker (writer), Ig Barros, Eduardo Pansica, Ricardo Ratton (artists), Published by Circle Media/Westbow (a division of Thomas Nelson), 2007, 131 pp., $14.99 each.

This book is the first part of three graphic novels composing the Circle Trilogy by Christian novelist Ted Dekker. All three original Circle Trilogy prose novels were published in 2004, and writers Matt Hansen (Black and Red), Bob Strachen (Black), J. S. Earls (White) and Mike S. Miller (White) have adapted them to graphic novel format.

The trilogy follows a young man named Thomas Hunter who, after he fends off an attack by a mysterious assailant on a dark Denver street, finds himself transported to a fantasy world when he falls asleep. This world is divided by a river into two regions – the abysmal Black Forest and the beautiful Green Forest. The evil and cunning black bat-like Shataki dominate the Black Forest, while intelligent and good white bats dwell in the Green Forest along with a human population. Both worlds seem all too real to Hunter, with the fantasy world appearing to be the future of the modern world, and Thomas falls into a pattern of waking in one when he falls asleep in the other. The story switches back and forth frequently from the modern world to the dream world, and both worlds quickly come to crucial moments in their respective histories – a viral pandemic with the potential for ending billions of lives threatens the modern world, while the fantasy world exists in an uneasy balance between the two forests that could collapse if compromised. In the dream world Thomas meets the lovely Rachelle and her father Tanis, both of whom will play pivotal roles in the unfolding drama, and in the other world he kidnaps Monique de Raison, designer of the vaccine that could mutate into the deadly virus, in an effort to stop its production. Readers should be aware that this is a trilogy in the spirit of J.R.R. Tolkien, with one story spread across three volumes, and these are not stand-alone stories.

The story is very fast paced with many twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. It is easy to recognize that these are prose novels adapted to comics format with much expository dialogue included. For the most part the frequent talking heads work and add a needed counterpoint to the action sequences. This is certainly a strength to the extended graphic novel approach. The artists from Big Jack Studios do a very credible job with this volume; Big Jack Studios artists are also responsible for volume two (Red), while volume 3 (White) is handled by Mike S. Miller, the cover artist for all three volumes.

www.thecircletrilogy.com