Get an advance peek at a sampling of pages from the upcoming Eye Witness: Unknown God, graphic novel.
This is the fourth and final book in the award-winning Eye Witness series. The book will available nationally in book and comic outlets in July 2010.
Click here for your preview!
Enjoy!
R.J. Luedke
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
A Time to Show What/Who You Are?
Hey Gang....
Let me start out by saying how sorry I am that I've not been able to post much anything here lately. But the production of Eye Witness: Unknown God, has literally been consuming my life.
In fact, I just wrapped up the principle artwork on the project by completing the coloring yesterday. So the major hurdles have been cleared and now all that's left is to do the lettering and final editing. So we're still on schedule for a later June, early July release. I'll start posting more regular information and thoughts once pre-production begins to wrap up. Promise!
That being said let me share a few thoughts about Today....Easter Sunday, or ressurrection day, as I like to call it*:
To me, this seems like the holiday we should be celebrating above all others, (as opposed to Christmas), since as Christians it is at the core of what we are all about.
Sure Jesus birth into the world is significant, but his death, (Good Friday) and rebirth, (Easter), are what we are all about. Without them, Jesus would have been just another prophet...not the Son of the Living God, whom walked the earth and helped us to know God, because he was God.
It's Jesus ability to overcome death, (which was witnessed by the way, in over 500 separately reported incidents all around Palestine, over a 40 day time period), that separates him from every other Holy Man or figure, in every other religion. So this event should take on massive importance, (like in the same type of level Islam celebrates their holy week in Mecca, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in every city in the world where the Church exists).
But when it's all said and done...the public display of worship is just that! Jesus talked about it in fact, that men who worshipped primarily on the street corners were the ones to be weary of, since they were doing it for man, rather than for God. So, as a spiritual person....yes, attending corporate Easter worship at your local church is important, especially in Fellowship with your brothers in Christ...but more important is your personal worship this weekend. I worship God and especially his son Jesus with a personal fervor during this time, that rivals Islam in their shows of public display...in prayer, in compassion shown to everyone I come across, and in trying especially hard to honor Jesus this weekend with a sacrificial act for someone in need. For our love and compassion will show who (and what) we really are.
As Christians we all should hold these qualities within our hearts year-round, but especially during thise three day period... the most important of days in the history of mankind.
RJ Luedke
*These thoughts were a repost of an entry on this blogg from 4/09
Let me start out by saying how sorry I am that I've not been able to post much anything here lately. But the production of Eye Witness: Unknown God, has literally been consuming my life.
In fact, I just wrapped up the principle artwork on the project by completing the coloring yesterday. So the major hurdles have been cleared and now all that's left is to do the lettering and final editing. So we're still on schedule for a later June, early July release. I'll start posting more regular information and thoughts once pre-production begins to wrap up. Promise!
That being said let me share a few thoughts about Today....Easter Sunday, or ressurrection day, as I like to call it*:
To me, this seems like the holiday we should be celebrating above all others, (as opposed to Christmas), since as Christians it is at the core of what we are all about.
Sure Jesus birth into the world is significant, but his death, (Good Friday) and rebirth, (Easter), are what we are all about. Without them, Jesus would have been just another prophet...not the Son of the Living God, whom walked the earth and helped us to know God, because he was God.
It's Jesus ability to overcome death, (which was witnessed by the way, in over 500 separately reported incidents all around Palestine, over a 40 day time period), that separates him from every other Holy Man or figure, in every other religion. So this event should take on massive importance, (like in the same type of level Islam celebrates their holy week in Mecca, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets in every city in the world where the Church exists).
But when it's all said and done...the public display of worship is just that! Jesus talked about it in fact, that men who worshipped primarily on the street corners were the ones to be weary of, since they were doing it for man, rather than for God. So, as a spiritual person....yes, attending corporate Easter worship at your local church is important, especially in Fellowship with your brothers in Christ...but more important is your personal worship this weekend. I worship God and especially his son Jesus with a personal fervor during this time, that rivals Islam in their shows of public display...in prayer, in compassion shown to everyone I come across, and in trying especially hard to honor Jesus this weekend with a sacrificial act for someone in need. For our love and compassion will show who (and what) we really are.
As Christians we all should hold these qualities within our hearts year-round, but especially during thise three day period... the most important of days in the history of mankind.
RJ Luedke
*These thoughts were a repost of an entry on this blogg from 4/09
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Economy of the Word
Studying the word this morning, specifically the letters to Timothy from the Apostle Paul, I had an Epiphany!
It occurred to me that the current economic crisis we are experiencing might just be one of God's wake up calls to a world that has gotten itself way out of whack in how we prioritize our lives, view prosperity and the purpose of worldly wealth. The Bible is full of examples of situations that occurred on local, regional or even a global scale, which God used to redirect his people. I for one am a believer that God does still work in our world this way, though because of our enlightened condition many of us are blind to those occurrences, or dismiss them after wise secular analysis.
The apostle Paul had direct contact with Jesus after the time he was reported to have descended to heaven and shared much of the same wisdom Jesus imparted during his earthly ministry to his disciples (which are evidenced in his letters). In the first letter to his disciple Timothy (who was leading the church at Ephesus at the time and who Paul considered like a son), Paul shares some of that wisdom when he wrote about wealth and how Tim should deal with the wealthy in his church*:
"Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow (as many of us have experienced first hand over the past year or two). Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage...to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining a life that is truly life!
But if it's only money that people are after, they'll self destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble, nothing but trouble! Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
A Devote life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God."
*1 Timothy 6: 6, 10, 17-19 (The Message Bible)
As a nation and culture, do we put too much emphasis on acquisition of wealth and being wealthy? (That's a rhetorical question, in case you were wondering). As the current financial meltdown has shown, our whole economic prosperity was based upon greed and the illusion of wealth on paper, and like Paul wrote, in a cosmic blink of the eye, it was gone and in it's wake left a country...and by association the whole world...in turmoil, despair and regret!
Paul never disparages our right to support ourselves, profit from our hard work or even thrive, but rather this is a cautionary tale about what we do when prosperity comes our way. Do we congratulate ourselves and hoard our wealth, or do we count it as a wonderful blessing which should be shared with those not so fortunate?...and are far to few people doing this?
Of all the wonderful things that Jesus and his apostles shared, money and how we handle our money I believe tops the list of mentions in the Gospels. Both Jesus and Paul were very clear that worldly wealth is transient and for those who believe in the promise of Eternal Life, it only serves our needs a tiny portion of time. In other words, truly important wealth is gained by: Doing good, being rich in how much we help others in need and being generous to a fault. The kind of wealth these actions accumulate is sustaining throughout our Eternal Life...while earthly wealth is only good here and now...which in God's cosmic timetable is only a blip.
It's hard getting your hands around this kind of concept, especially when it runs so contrary to how our world seems to operate. But if you've ever met someone that has made the commitment to this kind of lifestyle, you many times will find a person who has a peace and joy in this life which (excuse the pun) "money just can't buy."
So take stock in your life and examine your faith. Do you truly believe that following Jesus is the way to Eternal Life? If so, Jesus and his apostle Paul have given us a blueprint to how best to enter and prosper in that next destination. Are you prepared to follow their direction?
R. J. Luedke
www.headpress.info
It occurred to me that the current economic crisis we are experiencing might just be one of God's wake up calls to a world that has gotten itself way out of whack in how we prioritize our lives, view prosperity and the purpose of worldly wealth. The Bible is full of examples of situations that occurred on local, regional or even a global scale, which God used to redirect his people. I for one am a believer that God does still work in our world this way, though because of our enlightened condition many of us are blind to those occurrences, or dismiss them after wise secular analysis.
The apostle Paul had direct contact with Jesus after the time he was reported to have descended to heaven and shared much of the same wisdom Jesus imparted during his earthly ministry to his disciples (which are evidenced in his letters). In the first letter to his disciple Timothy (who was leading the church at Ephesus at the time and who Paul considered like a son), Paul shares some of that wisdom when he wrote about wealth and how Tim should deal with the wealthy in his church*:
"Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow (as many of us have experienced first hand over the past year or two). Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage...to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining a life that is truly life!
But if it's only money that people are after, they'll self destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble, nothing but trouble! Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.
A Devote life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God."
*1 Timothy 6: 6, 10, 17-19 (The Message Bible)
As a nation and culture, do we put too much emphasis on acquisition of wealth and being wealthy? (That's a rhetorical question, in case you were wondering). As the current financial meltdown has shown, our whole economic prosperity was based upon greed and the illusion of wealth on paper, and like Paul wrote, in a cosmic blink of the eye, it was gone and in it's wake left a country...and by association the whole world...in turmoil, despair and regret!
Paul never disparages our right to support ourselves, profit from our hard work or even thrive, but rather this is a cautionary tale about what we do when prosperity comes our way. Do we congratulate ourselves and hoard our wealth, or do we count it as a wonderful blessing which should be shared with those not so fortunate?...and are far to few people doing this?
Of all the wonderful things that Jesus and his apostles shared, money and how we handle our money I believe tops the list of mentions in the Gospels. Both Jesus and Paul were very clear that worldly wealth is transient and for those who believe in the promise of Eternal Life, it only serves our needs a tiny portion of time. In other words, truly important wealth is gained by: Doing good, being rich in how much we help others in need and being generous to a fault. The kind of wealth these actions accumulate is sustaining throughout our Eternal Life...while earthly wealth is only good here and now...which in God's cosmic timetable is only a blip.
It's hard getting your hands around this kind of concept, especially when it runs so contrary to how our world seems to operate. But if you've ever met someone that has made the commitment to this kind of lifestyle, you many times will find a person who has a peace and joy in this life which (excuse the pun) "money just can't buy."
So take stock in your life and examine your faith. Do you truly believe that following Jesus is the way to Eternal Life? If so, Jesus and his apostle Paul have given us a blueprint to how best to enter and prosper in that next destination. Are you prepared to follow their direction?
R. J. Luedke
www.headpress.info
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Digital Remastered Version of Eye Witness Now Available
Beginning on Sunday May 10th, we are going live with our first "digital only" offering...a fully remastered and revised edition of the first book in the award-winning Eye Witness series, A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth.This is our first attempt at creating something specifically for digital distribution and since the original edition of the book was very experimental, production wise, I was dying to go back and remaster the colors, revise some of the narrative while cleaning up the editorial missteps.
Initially, the revised edition of Eye Witness Book One will be exclusively available through the Head Press Publishing website, at: http://www.headpress.info/order.html
...but also, we are currently having discussions to make it available through other select comic and Christian venues sometime in the near future (Stay tuned).
This is a huge step for us toward making Eye Witness available to more people, both inside and outside of North America. We've heard from numerous potential fans, who've read a very complementary review on the Internet, only to find the books weren't available to them locally in stores or through web retailers. Now, virtually anyone with a computer and PDF viewer can purchase and read the first book in the Eye Witness series at a very reasonable price.
The fourth and final book in the Eye Witness tetralogy, Eye Witness: Unknown God, is currently in
production and tentatively scheduled for a summer 2010 release.
This is a huge step for us toward making Eye Witness available to more people, both inside and outside of North America. We've heard from numerous potential fans, who've read a very complementary review on the Internet, only to find the books weren't available to them locally in stores or through web retailers. Now, virtually anyone with a computer and PDF viewer can purchase and read the first book in the Eye Witness series at a very reasonable price.
The fourth and final book in the Eye Witness tetralogy, Eye Witness: Unknown God, is currently in
production and tentatively scheduled for a summer 2010 release. R.J. Luedke
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Are Christians Dumbing Down?
Hey gang....I just ran across a blog headline which grabbed my attention and I wanted to share and comment on it...since the site does not accept comments on it's posts.
Click sliceoflaodicea to read the original posting.
Addressing the part that got my attention (being someone who's championed the development of the spiritual based graphic novel), here's a taste...
Fast forward to 2009 and the rotting corpse of Western Christianity. This buffoonery is what now fills churches today—the entire idiotic scene inspired by a children’s cartoon of singing and dancing vegetables (which I assume refers to Veggie Tales). Infantalism rules, literacy is dead, and God-given intellects are dead, suffocated under years of video game playing, movie and television watching. Hard to believe that Christians used to produce books like “Bondage of the Will”, and translations of the Scriptures from the original languages. Today, pastors and church laity are reading “graphic novel” (comic book) versions of the Bible because they struggle to grasp anything beyond a one syllable word. Here are some of evangelicalism’s finest in action. Watch and weep.
Now, if you didn't visit the original posting, this commentary is mainly directed at a posted video showing a Christian congregation dancing, singing and worshiping in a way the author finds distastful and degrading. But for the purposes of my comment, I'm dealing with his/her misguided generalization about literature created for young people and/or the graphic novel.
This author seeks to make a point about the breakdown of sophisticated analitical thought and writing within the Western Christian culture by slamming things obviously not created to answer such demands by believers.
Raise your hand, if you think Veggie Tales was created to foster advance discourse on the tenants of Christianity among religious scholars! A Ridiculous question? Of course it is, but it's to make a point. Products like Veggie Tales and most literature (re: picture books) and video's aimed at children are not meant to teach advanced religious theory or complicated Christian Dogma, rather plant seeds of interest among children using forms and styles of entertainment that is prevelant among "our culture". Likewise with most Graphic Novels or Christian based comic books. DISCLAIMER: Before I go forward I will admit for the record, that in my Eye Witness series, I do attempt to dig a bit deeper and pair the Gospel as presented by the Biblical narrative with historical and cultureal data about the first century we now known, in an attempt to take the reader to the next level of interest...but will grant that is not the case with most product designed in this format of literature.
But I reject this author's base assumption that pastors and church laity are reading Graphic Novel adaptations of the Bible (and Christian based fiction) because they struggle to grasp the intrecacies of the Bible and anything beyond "one-syllable words."
First of all, I have yet to come across a publisher that is creating a graphic novel adaptation of the Bible, that is meant to replace the original prose form...that's not to say someone isn't working on one now and it will be a monumental undertaking...but for most of us following this course, I think it's a fair assumption to say that this form is meant to attract readers to the Bible narrative that wouldn't be reading it otherwise, or in other forms. With Eye Witness, I'm attempting to reach the skeptic or person that's uninterested in attending church or reading the Bible, but loves reading in the format of comic books, graphic novels and manga (which translates to comic books in Japan...but in general terms has come to represent the entire output of far eastern created works of that style). My goal is to attract that person through my use of dramatic graphic design and a fictional intermingling with the Biblical narrative to make the story come alive with a contemporary feel. The endgame is to get the attention of someone who wouldn't think twice about reading these stories otherwise and God Willing, to create a spark of interest that might lead them to their local church, teen ministry or even picking up the source material.
Once again, I'll make the assmumption that many of the titles being published today in this format, share a similar goal. Now is that a bad or good thing for "the Church Body"...especially when you consider the docuemented drop off that occurs among young people when they get to high school age? But could there be their churches out there using graphic novel adaptations in their sermons? If there are, I'd wager a guess they are a seeker church that is catering to a high school to college age attendee...and this is the way to get there attention.
Secondly to generalize that those who read Graphic Novels cannot grasp anything beyond a
one-syllable word, is this author basically showing their ignorance about the whole format. As anyone who's actually familiar with what's been produced in graphic novel or comic book form over the last 30 years can attest to, charagorizing the format as being simplicist or for those who struggle to read, is a blatent misnomer. Trust me, if you can grasp the involved prose of a Neil Gaiman (Sandman) or Alan Moore (Watchmen)....much of the Biblical narrative would prove to be a snap! Sure there are comics like those produced by Archie Comics and DC's animated line, that are rather simplistic, but than again they are targeting a 10 and under audience.
So what do we make of this uninformed rant? Not knowing the author, my guess would be they have a serious bone to pick with the western Christian Church and like a magician they seek to "pull things out of the proverbial hat" that will support their generalization that it has basically devolved into a chanting, dancing bunch of fools who have no foundation in advance learning or culture. Take a peek inside any Christian bookstore (or religious section of your local Borders) and you'll see their is an abundance of books being produced by contemporary authors every month, who seek to challenge the intellect as well as rouse the passion of the highly literate Christian reader.
Secondly, it's obvious the author has difficulty with the concept of OUTREACH and how it can be used effectively in our comminities. The Apostle Paul called upon us to discover our spirutal gifts and use them to advance the word among the people of the world. By his very actions, Paul demonstrated how we, as followers of Christ, we must be able to converse with "the world" in styles which they use...To the Jews, he was a jew, to the Greeks he became a Greek!
Using something like Veggie Tales, or Christian rock music, or the graphic novel, are all ways to speak to different segments of our culture (and/or age groups) that communicate in a way that they relate to and are attracted to. It surely doesn't mean that our message is deluted...but that it's just in a different language, metaphorically speaking! It's the same premise behind why we have four different Gospels, each written in a way to commuincate with a different aspect of the first century world.
R.J. Luedke
Award Winning Author/Illustrator
http://www.headpress.info/about.html
Click sliceoflaodicea to read the original posting.
Addressing the part that got my attention (being someone who's championed the development of the spiritual based graphic novel), here's a taste...
Fast forward to 2009 and the rotting corpse of Western Christianity. This buffoonery is what now fills churches today—the entire idiotic scene inspired by a children’s cartoon of singing and dancing vegetables (which I assume refers to Veggie Tales). Infantalism rules, literacy is dead, and God-given intellects are dead, suffocated under years of video game playing, movie and television watching. Hard to believe that Christians used to produce books like “Bondage of the Will”, and translations of the Scriptures from the original languages. Today, pastors and church laity are reading “graphic novel” (comic book) versions of the Bible because they struggle to grasp anything beyond a one syllable word. Here are some of evangelicalism’s finest in action. Watch and weep.
Now, if you didn't visit the original posting, this commentary is mainly directed at a posted video showing a Christian congregation dancing, singing and worshiping in a way the author finds distastful and degrading. But for the purposes of my comment, I'm dealing with his/her misguided generalization about literature created for young people and/or the graphic novel.
This author seeks to make a point about the breakdown of sophisticated analitical thought and writing within the Western Christian culture by slamming things obviously not created to answer such demands by believers.
Raise your hand, if you think Veggie Tales was created to foster advance discourse on the tenants of Christianity among religious scholars! A Ridiculous question? Of course it is, but it's to make a point. Products like Veggie Tales and most literature (re: picture books) and video's aimed at children are not meant to teach advanced religious theory or complicated Christian Dogma, rather plant seeds of interest among children using forms and styles of entertainment that is prevelant among "our culture". Likewise with most Graphic Novels or Christian based comic books. DISCLAIMER: Before I go forward I will admit for the record, that in my Eye Witness series, I do attempt to dig a bit deeper and pair the Gospel as presented by the Biblical narrative with historical and cultureal data about the first century we now known, in an attempt to take the reader to the next level of interest...but will grant that is not the case with most product designed in this format of literature.But I reject this author's base assumption that pastors and church laity are reading Graphic Novel adaptations of the Bible (and Christian based fiction) because they struggle to grasp the intrecacies of the Bible and anything beyond "one-syllable words."
First of all, I have yet to come across a publisher that is creating a graphic novel adaptation of the Bible, that is meant to replace the original prose form...that's not to say someone isn't working on one now and it will be a monumental undertaking...but for most of us following this course, I think it's a fair assumption to say that this form is meant to attract readers to the Bible narrative that wouldn't be reading it otherwise, or in other forms. With Eye Witness, I'm attempting to reach the skeptic or person that's uninterested in attending church or reading the Bible, but loves reading in the format of comic books, graphic novels and manga (which translates to comic books in Japan...but in general terms has come to represent the entire output of far eastern created works of that style). My goal is to attract that person through my use of dramatic graphic design and a fictional intermingling with the Biblical narrative to make the story come alive with a contemporary feel. The endgame is to get the attention of someone who wouldn't think twice about reading these stories otherwise and God Willing, to create a spark of interest that might lead them to their local church, teen ministry or even picking up the source material.
Once again, I'll make the assmumption that many of the titles being published today in this format, share a similar goal. Now is that a bad or good thing for "the Church Body"...especially when you consider the docuemented drop off that occurs among young people when they get to high school age? But could there be their churches out there using graphic novel adaptations in their sermons? If there are, I'd wager a guess they are a seeker church that is catering to a high school to college age attendee...and this is the way to get there attention.
Secondly to generalize that those who read Graphic Novels cannot grasp anything beyond a
one-syllable word, is this author basically showing their ignorance about the whole format. As anyone who's actually familiar with what's been produced in graphic novel or comic book form over the last 30 years can attest to, charagorizing the format as being simplicist or for those who struggle to read, is a blatent misnomer. Trust me, if you can grasp the involved prose of a Neil Gaiman (Sandman) or Alan Moore (Watchmen)....much of the Biblical narrative would prove to be a snap! Sure there are comics like those produced by Archie Comics and DC's animated line, that are rather simplistic, but than again they are targeting a 10 and under audience.So what do we make of this uninformed rant? Not knowing the author, my guess would be they have a serious bone to pick with the western Christian Church and like a magician they seek to "pull things out of the proverbial hat" that will support their generalization that it has basically devolved into a chanting, dancing bunch of fools who have no foundation in advance learning or culture. Take a peek inside any Christian bookstore (or religious section of your local Borders) and you'll see their is an abundance of books being produced by contemporary authors every month, who seek to challenge the intellect as well as rouse the passion of the highly literate Christian reader.
Secondly, it's obvious the author has difficulty with the concept of OUTREACH and how it can be used effectively in our comminities. The Apostle Paul called upon us to discover our spirutal gifts and use them to advance the word among the people of the world. By his very actions, Paul demonstrated how we, as followers of Christ, we must be able to converse with "the world" in styles which they use...To the Jews, he was a jew, to the Greeks he became a Greek!
Using something like Veggie Tales, or Christian rock music, or the graphic novel, are all ways to speak to different segments of our culture (and/or age groups) that communicate in a way that they relate to and are attracted to. It surely doesn't mean that our message is deluted...but that it's just in a different language, metaphorically speaking! It's the same premise behind why we have four different Gospels, each written in a way to commuincate with a different aspect of the first century world.
R.J. Luedke
Award Winning Author/Illustrator
http://www.headpress.info/about.html
Monday, November 17, 2008
Radical Christian Graphic Novel is praised
David Crumm, the highly respected journalist formerly of the Detroit Free Press, who now publishes ReadtheSpirit.com, (which is a wonderful site devoted to discussing all things spiritual from around the world)...had graciously included Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle, in his listing of "10 Books to Watch" in his 11/17/08 edition.
In the article Crumm pays me the ultimate complement...and no, I don't mean his labeling me a "radical Christian" (which I kind of like, BTW)... but by bringing my work into focus through a comparison of Eugene Peterson's "The Message New Testament Bible." Crumm states when attempting to describe Eye Witness, "Think about a marriage between Indiana Jones and Eugene Peterson's dramatically rewritten Message Bible...Fresh, Fun, Faithful and Frantically Pulse-Pounding." Wow...that last part felt like Crumm had channeled a bit of Stan Lee's penchant for the dramatic!
Since I was not that familiar with Mr. Peterson's work before reading this, (and I'm always on the look out for books exploring the original themes, writing style and presentation of the gospels), I dug a bit deeper into Mr. Peterson and this book. It appears Peterson and I share a some common goals for our works, (paraphrasing Peterson) "To bring the New Testament to life for those who haven't read the Bible because it feels to distant or irrelevant to them (in its current form) and to those who read the Bible so much, that it's become "old hat"'. Crumm has indeed hit the nail on the head with this comparison, since that is exactly the foundation behind the Eye Witness graphic novel series...to reach those who may not be reachable otherwise through a presentation they are attracted to, as well as entertained by.
Now that sounds like a book I'm going to have to seek out!
R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
In the article Crumm pays me the ultimate complement...and no, I don't mean his labeling me a "radical Christian" (which I kind of like, BTW)... but by bringing my work into focus through a comparison of Eugene Peterson's "The Message New Testament Bible." Crumm states when attempting to describe Eye Witness, "Think about a marriage between Indiana Jones and Eugene Peterson's dramatically rewritten Message Bible...Fresh, Fun, Faithful and Frantically Pulse-Pounding." Wow...that last part felt like Crumm had channeled a bit of Stan Lee's penchant for the dramatic!
Since I was not that familiar with Mr. Peterson's work before reading this, (and I'm always on the look out for books exploring the original themes, writing style and presentation of the gospels), I dug a bit deeper into Mr. Peterson and this book. It appears Peterson and I share a some common goals for our works, (paraphrasing Peterson) "To bring the New Testament to life for those who haven't read the Bible because it feels to distant or irrelevant to them (in its current form) and to those who read the Bible so much, that it's become "old hat"'. Crumm has indeed hit the nail on the head with this comparison, since that is exactly the foundation behind the Eye Witness graphic novel series...to reach those who may not be reachable otherwise through a presentation they are attracted to, as well as entertained by.
Now that sounds like a book I'm going to have to seek out!
R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Friday, October 31, 2008
New Books from Ann Rice
Ann Rice, acclaimed creator of the southern-gothic vampire genre, (which is currently roaring full bore in sales...especially among teen to YA women), though her Vampire Chronicles series, is following up her first journey into Christian Fiction (Christ the Lord: Out of Eqypt: http://www.annerice.com/ChristTheLord-OutOfEgypt-Editions.html), with a new memoir detailing the rebirth of her faith.
I was so touched by her presentation in Christ the Lord, that it inspired some of the storytelling direction I took with Eye Witness: Acts of the Spirit (http://www.headpress.info/eyewitness2.html) and Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle (http://www.headpress.info/eyewitness3.html).
Her memoir is to be followed up with a new series of books chronicling the early ministry of Jesus.
Yahoo News just posted this story on the topic:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081030/ap_en_ot/books_anne_rice
I was so touched by her presentation in Christ the Lord, that it inspired some of the storytelling direction I took with Eye Witness: Acts of the Spirit (http://www.headpress.info/eyewitness2.html) and Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle (http://www.headpress.info/eyewitness3.html).
Her memoir is to be followed up with a new series of books chronicling the early ministry of Jesus.
Yahoo News just posted this story on the topic:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081030/ap_en_ot/books_anne_rice
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Where are those Christian Comics?
I recently ran across a blog posting dealing with the frustration a college-age Christian reader of graphic novels has over the lack of spiritual and/or Christian based books and comics on the shelves (http://knightword.wordpress.com/2008/10/24/chrisitan-super-heroes/#comment-54). My thoughts are as follows (which if you've met me at a convention...you've probably heard me talk about at length. It's Bob's economics of the comic industry 101):
I share your frustration on this issue, my brother. As someone who has been creating a Christian based graphic novel series since 2002, I've ran across many of what I call "Closet Christian Creators" in the industry, who commend me for taking a stand for Christ in what I am doing. Many also tell me they'd love to do likewise, or have a story they've wanted to create for years, but that there is just not an outlet (I.E. a publisher) for them to bring it to market. In fact one writer (who shall remain nameless) who was the creator of one of our more high-profile and more "demonic characters", is among that group.
You've got to remember that most people working in comics are not like movie or TV directors and/or actors....who make enough through their trade to be financially independent. Most are working stiffs who rely on their monthy assignments to pay their car payments and mortgages... like most of America. And so this doesn't give them the opportunity to take months to years to underwrite creating their spiriutal or Kingdom honoring project. Sorry to say but it's just simple economics. That's why now most of what is being created comes from either very small press publishers, who only publish a title or two a year, or the creators themselves through self-publishing.
Part of my goal through the Eye Witness series, has been to create enough attention and buzz within the comic and book trade to demonstate both to the retailers and publishing community that the paring of spirituality and comics/gn's can work, does have a massive willing audience and will sell if given a quality product. Once that is established and the money is flowing through the system...so to speak, then you'll be amazed at how many books/stories you'll see roll out. But the good news-bads news scenerio will then be...will they be published for the right reasons once the big-boys are involved, that is to say will the spirit which drives many to follow this path, be corrupted by an industry who's bottom line is the bottom line, rather than outreach. Just some food for thought.
If you, like the original poster are new to the genre, checkout my 3 Eye Witness graphic novels...which combine an American style Biblical adaptation...with a modern day action-thriller, at: www.headpress.info
bob-
I share your frustration on this issue, my brother. As someone who has been creating a Christian based graphic novel series since 2002, I've ran across many of what I call "Closet Christian Creators" in the industry, who commend me for taking a stand for Christ in what I am doing. Many also tell me they'd love to do likewise, or have a story they've wanted to create for years, but that there is just not an outlet (I.E. a publisher) for them to bring it to market. In fact one writer (who shall remain nameless) who was the creator of one of our more high-profile and more "demonic characters", is among that group.
You've got to remember that most people working in comics are not like movie or TV directors and/or actors....who make enough through their trade to be financially independent. Most are working stiffs who rely on their monthy assignments to pay their car payments and mortgages... like most of America. And so this doesn't give them the opportunity to take months to years to underwrite creating their spiriutal or Kingdom honoring project. Sorry to say but it's just simple economics. That's why now most of what is being created comes from either very small press publishers, who only publish a title or two a year, or the creators themselves through self-publishing.
Part of my goal through the Eye Witness series, has been to create enough attention and buzz within the comic and book trade to demonstate both to the retailers and publishing community that the paring of spirituality and comics/gn's can work, does have a massive willing audience and will sell if given a quality product. Once that is established and the money is flowing through the system...so to speak, then you'll be amazed at how many books/stories you'll see roll out. But the good news-bads news scenerio will then be...will they be published for the right reasons once the big-boys are involved, that is to say will the spirit which drives many to follow this path, be corrupted by an industry who's bottom line is the bottom line, rather than outreach. Just some food for thought.
If you, like the original poster are new to the genre, checkout my 3 Eye Witness graphic novels...which combine an American style Biblical adaptation...with a modern day action-thriller, at: www.headpress.info
bob-
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Is Thomas Nelson Moving away from the CBA?
A very interesting article was brought to my attention this morning from fellow author, Sue Dent, (www.shoutlife.com/suedent), that Thomas Nelson had gone on the record with the trade publication, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, that they are not a publisher of Christian Fiction!
Wow...that would be news to the publishing world indeed. Before going any further, read the entire article to understand the context: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6530751.html?industryid=47140
Now that your back ....Let me explain what I think this all means, from a position of one who's been in these Graphic Novel publishing trenches.
Thomas Nelson (http://www.thomasnelson.com/) is indeed a company that people look to for quality "Christian based Fiction" (which I define as stories that go anywhere from overtly Biblical, to those with spiritual or Christian principles or ideas at their core), but a company who is now attempting to make headway into the GRAPHIC NOVEL MARKETPLACE, which is not so friendly to Christian based works (partly due to a bias created by years of persecution from the politically Christian Right, over freedom of speech issues with the product...among other issues).
With their upcoming line of GN's they are attempting to parlay the success they've found with their prose fiction (re: Dekker's works) to their GN lines...which is you read the orginal article talks about that 70% of their prose fiction sales come from outside of the CBA, while only 50% of their current GN sales are outside of the CBA (re: Dekker's trilogy and Serenity).
For those of you who are not in the know, GN's represent the largest catagory of growth in Publishing over the past few years in the USA. Outside of the USA it represents the top catagory of publishing worldwide and now we in the states are catching up in sales, beause the US book market is finally understanding that ANY KIND OF STORY can be told in this format, not just kids stuff or superhero's, but serious literary works of all genres.
So far the CBA has been kind of resistent to the GN format for a number of reasons, (a. don't really understand the format or it's potential to attract teens into their stores... and b. don't really understand how to display and market it, etc....). So TN, is being proactive to all book retailers by making this statement. They are in essence announcing...HEY, we're not just publishing illustrated Bible adaptations or tracts...this is serious fiction here FOR ALL BOOK RETAILERS, not just the CBA! But that does indeed kind of put them in a rocky place where their membership with the CBA is concerned. But, in the big economic picture they realize there is much more money to be made outside the CBA then their is inside. They just have to have a internal sitdown, I'd guess and decide what kind of publishing house they really want to be!
Footnote: We here at Head Press Publishing have been traveling down this Christian Graphic Novel path and clearing the brush for these larger publishers to follow. Through the publication of the AWARD WINNING Eye Witness graphic novel series, (which premiered in August of 2002), we have experienced and worked through many of the same barriers to our product in both the CBA and secular book trade that TN now is attempting to overcome. As they are finding, given the format, it creates challenges that are unique and quite different from prose only works.
But unlike TN, (or other very large publishing concerns), our bottom line goal with Eye Witness is not to generate the most income possible, but rather to impact the most people with the story of the Gospel shared within it who may not hear about it otherwise. Now don't get confused and think we're socialists (LOL)....if the books sell big-time and generate a healthy profit, we won't complain, but on the other hand that is not what spurred us to create this work, that would just be a nice benefit.
And when all is said and done, staying centered on that goal is what will keep the series on track through it's conclusion (all four books of the tetralogy published)!
Bob Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Wow...that would be news to the publishing world indeed. Before going any further, read the entire article to understand the context: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6530751.html?industryid=47140
Now that your back ....Let me explain what I think this all means, from a position of one who's been in these Graphic Novel publishing trenches.
Thomas Nelson (http://www.thomasnelson.com/) is indeed a company that people look to for quality "Christian based Fiction" (which I define as stories that go anywhere from overtly Biblical, to those with spiritual or Christian principles or ideas at their core), but a company who is now attempting to make headway into the GRAPHIC NOVEL MARKETPLACE, which is not so friendly to Christian based works (partly due to a bias created by years of persecution from the politically Christian Right, over freedom of speech issues with the product...among other issues).
With their upcoming line of GN's they are attempting to parlay the success they've found with their prose fiction (re: Dekker's works) to their GN lines...which is you read the orginal article talks about that 70% of their prose fiction sales come from outside of the CBA, while only 50% of their current GN sales are outside of the CBA (re: Dekker's trilogy and Serenity).
For those of you who are not in the know, GN's represent the largest catagory of growth in Publishing over the past few years in the USA. Outside of the USA it represents the top catagory of publishing worldwide and now we in the states are catching up in sales, beause the US book market is finally understanding that ANY KIND OF STORY can be told in this format, not just kids stuff or superhero's, but serious literary works of all genres.
So far the CBA has been kind of resistent to the GN format for a number of reasons, (a. don't really understand the format or it's potential to attract teens into their stores... and b. don't really understand how to display and market it, etc....). So TN, is being proactive to all book retailers by making this statement. They are in essence announcing...HEY, we're not just publishing illustrated Bible adaptations or tracts...this is serious fiction here FOR ALL BOOK RETAILERS, not just the CBA! But that does indeed kind of put them in a rocky place where their membership with the CBA is concerned. But, in the big economic picture they realize there is much more money to be made outside the CBA then their is inside. They just have to have a internal sitdown, I'd guess and decide what kind of publishing house they really want to be!
Footnote: We here at Head Press Publishing have been traveling down this Christian Graphic Novel path and clearing the brush for these larger publishers to follow. Through the publication of the AWARD WINNING Eye Witness graphic novel series, (which premiered in August of 2002), we have experienced and worked through many of the same barriers to our product in both the CBA and secular book trade that TN now is attempting to overcome. As they are finding, given the format, it creates challenges that are unique and quite different from prose only works.
But unlike TN, (or other very large publishing concerns), our bottom line goal with Eye Witness is not to generate the most income possible, but rather to impact the most people with the story of the Gospel shared within it who may not hear about it otherwise. Now don't get confused and think we're socialists (LOL)....if the books sell big-time and generate a healthy profit, we won't complain, but on the other hand that is not what spurred us to create this work, that would just be a nice benefit.
And when all is said and done, staying centered on that goal is what will keep the series on track through it's conclusion (all four books of the tetralogy published)!
Bob Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Graphic Novel has Life of Its own!
After much conversation, prayer and reflection, I've made the call to expand the Eye Witness graphic novel series into an additional volume, taking the series from a trilogy to a tetralogy (utilizing the ancient Greek term for theatrical works constructed in four parts).
Back in 2002, I had started out to create only a stand alone graphic novel about the Passion week with the original Eye Witness volume, (A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth), but shortly after it's publication in August of 2004, I began hearing from enough of fans of the book that expressed interest in seeing the "rest of the story", that I decided to extend the series to a trilogy, through incorporating an adaptation of the Book of Acts into the narrative and thus creating a sort of graphic novel presentation of the birth of the Christian faith (see: http://www.headpress.info/ ).
Back in 2002, I had started out to create only a stand alone graphic novel about the Passion week with the original Eye Witness volume, (A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth), but shortly after it's publication in August of 2004, I began hearing from enough of fans of the book that expressed interest in seeing the "rest of the story", that I decided to extend the series to a trilogy, through incorporating an adaptation of the Book of Acts into the narrative and thus creating a sort of graphic novel presentation of the birth of the Christian faith (see: http://www.headpress.info/ ).
Upon writing the working script and laying out the pages for the third volume though, (Rise of the Apostles), I have found that this final book in the series was taking on a life of it's own and was going to run in excess of 170 pages (twice the size of either of the first two). Given the fact that the plan was to release book three in the summer of 2008, it had become apparent that that deadline was looking more and more tenuous, (since I not only do the writing, but also the illustrations for each volume). Every time I sat down and started to layout pages, I was adding more and more content in an attempt to get the book just the way I wanted it, (the good news and bad news of being a self-publisher). With the number of pages and amount of detail I was putting into them, realistically I would not have had the book ready for publication possibly till early-2009...and that was way too long to leave the fans of the series waiting. So the decision was made to roll the one large and ever-expanding story into two volumes, released within a year of each other.
Eye Witness (book three): Rise of the Apostle, is scheduled for release in August of 2008, with a world-premier at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the last week of July ( http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_reg.shtml ). The cover painting for this volume is provided by Lee Moyer, (http://www.leemoyer.com/) and additional internal coloring by Carsten Bradley, (http://www.comicspace.com/vagabondarts/).
The fourth and final (as of yet, un-named) volume of the Eye Witness tetralogy, will tentatively release from late 2009 to early 2010.
Robert Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day and Christianity?
I was inspired by a message from my pastor yesterday, (Matt Chandler/The Village Church, http://www.thevillagechurch.net/), on how we (as Christians) should think about Memorial Day.
He shared his phone conversations with one of his brother ministers who this year took up a mission in The People’s Republic of China. When they speak on the phone they must be very careful what they say, for you never know who may be listening in that country, since being convicted of sharing the Gospel and/or proselytizing can easily land you in jail or worse. Because of this, they have developed a very simplistic code system, which allows them to speak about the Church and it’s success and/or failure without every really talking about it. Needless to say, it can result in humorous and even confusing messages, if both parties aren’t synched up on the code, (“We are running short of ‘user manuals’ at the office, can you ship us over another 500?”).
So what does this all have to do with Memorial Day? Simple! On this day every year, we should bow down in prayer before God and thank him for all the people who have sacrificed their blood that we may live in a country where speaking in code about our Lord is not necessary!
Living our entire lives under the protection of freedom of speech and religion, we tend to forget that such freedoms are not universal. We may look at being imprisoned or executed for speaking about Jesus and his gospel as historical and belonging to a bygone era, when in reality it still happens daily in many parts of our world! In my Eye Witness books, I write about and illustrate followers of Jesus being beaten, stoned and crucified, (see: www.headpress.info), but 2000+ years later these same punishments occur regularly to Christians, (though the cross has been replaced with more modernized forms of torture and execution).
We may sometimes find we are not very enthusiastic about some of the things our current leadership is doing, but that does not mean that our philosophy or system is wrong… maybe just a bit askew sometimes. But our country is still the paragon of freedom that allows our church to flourish and we must always remember those who laid their lives down to make that a reality.
So May God bless those who had the courage to provide the freedoms under which we can freely worship on this Memorial Day 2007!
Robert Luedke
www.headpress.info
He shared his phone conversations with one of his brother ministers who this year took up a mission in The People’s Republic of China. When they speak on the phone they must be very careful what they say, for you never know who may be listening in that country, since being convicted of sharing the Gospel and/or proselytizing can easily land you in jail or worse. Because of this, they have developed a very simplistic code system, which allows them to speak about the Church and it’s success and/or failure without every really talking about it. Needless to say, it can result in humorous and even confusing messages, if both parties aren’t synched up on the code, (“We are running short of ‘user manuals’ at the office, can you ship us over another 500?”).
So what does this all have to do with Memorial Day? Simple! On this day every year, we should bow down in prayer before God and thank him for all the people who have sacrificed their blood that we may live in a country where speaking in code about our Lord is not necessary!
Living our entire lives under the protection of freedom of speech and religion, we tend to forget that such freedoms are not universal. We may look at being imprisoned or executed for speaking about Jesus and his gospel as historical and belonging to a bygone era, when in reality it still happens daily in many parts of our world! In my Eye Witness books, I write about and illustrate followers of Jesus being beaten, stoned and crucified, (see: www.headpress.info), but 2000+ years later these same punishments occur regularly to Christians, (though the cross has been replaced with more modernized forms of torture and execution).
We may sometimes find we are not very enthusiastic about some of the things our current leadership is doing, but that does not mean that our philosophy or system is wrong… maybe just a bit askew sometimes. But our country is still the paragon of freedom that allows our church to flourish and we must always remember those who laid their lives down to make that a reality.
So May God bless those who had the courage to provide the freedoms under which we can freely worship on this Memorial Day 2007!
Robert Luedke
www.headpress.info
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
POPTHOUGHT.COM does review
Joe Hilliard, writer/reviewer at POPTHOUGHT.COM, has just posted a review for EYE WITNESS: ACTS OF THE SPIRIT (www.headpress.info).
To view, go to: http://www.popthought.com/display_column.asp?DAID=1322
To view, go to: http://www.popthought.com/display_column.asp?DAID=1322
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