Graphic novels are the latest blockbuster answer to an image-driven culture in search of stories and meaning | Marvin Olasky
Every once in a while Christians discover that they are way behind in some emerging art form—and then comes a rush to compete, sometimes by imitating the style of prominent secular artists. Contemporary Christian music has produced some original talent but a lot of sounds like singers, as in "Let's sign that group. It sounds like The Bangles." As Christians enter the field of graphic novels, will we see original work, or merely a sliding of toes into the spare sandals of Japanese manga?
Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves: What are graphic novels, anyway? Books that display explicit sex and violence? No: The term refers to comic books that tell a story—not necessarily fictional—and have enough pages to need a bookmark. And in the early years of the 21st century, they are hot in publishing:
Leading instead of following
Artist Doug TenNapel believes the new world of graphic novels is an open book for Christian artists | Marvin Olasky
Doug TenNapel, 41, stands out in a crowd: He is 6-foot-8. He also stands out among divorce-prone artists because he and wife will be celebrating their 18th anniversary next week; they have four children ranging in age from 1 to 6. TenNapel lives in Glendale, Calif., goes to Church for the Nations—a Bible-centered evangelical church—and attends through his church a weekly men's Bible study/accountability group.
He criticizes "bad Christian pop culture" that "follows culture instead of leads and paints an easy Christian experience over the brutal objective morality of our Bible." He notes, though, that God can still use mediocre products and embarrassing people: "There's a place for really bad Christians and really bad Christian comics." His major concern is not corporations just out for profit but "a church culture that doesn't encourage and champion artists and writers into this welcoming medium."
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Cartoons 11.07
