Hi all! Things are moving along to make sure you will finally be able read Parable, Volume 1 in 2010. In the meantime though, in the spirit of Christmas, I’d like to present James Mar’s entire 36 page story here for the first time! With the hustle and bustle of the holidays it’s easy to get swept up in a blizzard of craziness. James’ story helps remind us of the main reason we have cause to celebrate this time of year. Enjoy!

Check out this beautiful sequential by Ovi Nedelcu illustrating Genesis 1 & 2.

Also by Ovi: The Beginning

Fellow Parablers Doug TenNapel, Caleb Monroe and Scott Sava will all be part of the “Spirituality In Comics” panel this Saturday at the annual nexus of the comic universe: San Diego Comic-Con. If you happen to be there I encourage you to attend. All of the panelists participating have a wealth of knowledge to share. Here are the details:

Saturday, July 25

11:00am-12:00am Spirituality in Comics— Panelists discuss the influence of spiritual themes in comics and popular culture, and the importance of spirituality to readers, creators, and the stories they tell. Moderated by Leo Partible (Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture), with panelists including Doug Ten Napel (Creature Tech, Catscratch on Nickleodeon), Caleb Monroe (The Remnant for BOOM Studios), Scott Sava (The Dreamland Chronicles) and Holly Golightly (School Bites). Room 3

I’ve been back from North Carolina for a week now and have been busy trying to catch up on work, emails and following up with people I met at the conference. First off, Gideon was great! I think it’s something the Christian art world has been suffering from not having. Almost everyone I talked to or heard from had a very clear idea of what Christian media should be and how it should be presented and most agreed we have a LONG way to go before we reach the audience we want to reach. The best part though is how excited everyone is to take that journey, and for all of the right spiritual reasons.

Besides my wife, who came along to snap pictures and offer emotional support, I spent most of my time with fellow Parabler Ben Avery and the talented Ken Raney and it was great sharing our thoughts on art and comics and God and how they can all be integrated into awesomeness. We discussed for a bit on the last day how the whole conference felt more like a spiritual retreat than your typical film festival/art gathering. Maybe it had something to do with being up in the mountains or how super nice and selfless everyone was there. We were surrounded by creative intervals in the middle of, in my opinion, one of the more beautiful regions from God’s portfolio. Ben, Ken and I have all been invited back next year. I want to encourage any of you- if you are interested in using your art talents for more spiritual purposes, want to connect with other Christian creative types, or simply want to see what the current marketplace looks like and where its going- to sign up and attend next year. After only its second year it’s still a small conference that needs to grow and be encouraged because Lord knows we need more gatherings of this type. I don’t think I’ve ever been so inspired to create something meaningful than I was on the drive back home.

And for those of you wondering about the publishing status of Parable, some possible opportunities arose for that as well. Its too soon to say if anything will develop or not, but be assured this will be the FIRST place I announce a publisher if and when something becomes official. I will say that people did enjoy the preview copies I brought with me and you could tell there was general excitement for something like it to be out and available in the marketplace. For now though, it’s not too late to keep Parable in your prayers.

I head BACK to NC this weekend for Heroes Con in Charlotte, and then I look forward to finally taking a few days off.

May 31st – June 4th is the second annual Gideon Media Arts Conderence and Film Festival in Ridgecrest, NC. This year there is a big push towards graphic novels (yeah!) and I’ve been invited to be on staff with Ken Raney, Art Ayris, and fellow parabler Ben Avery. In addition to a panel discussion, a graphic arts gala and some one-on-one time with the students, I’ll also be offering a couple of workshops- one on webcomics and the other on comic anthologies. These are both subjects I feel I know plenty about at this point, even though there are a gazillion more experienced creators in both those areas that might have a lot more to offer. The difference in this case is that all of the workshops and events at Gideon will have a Christian emphasis to them and (hopefully) give everyone involved a stronger insight on how we can use our creative talents to better serve the Lord. Gideon will also be the first opportunity to see Parable in full book form, since I’ll be bringing a few sample copies with me to show around (although that probably won’t be as exciting as watching me try to talk in front of a room full of people).

Gideon is still excepting registrations so if you’re interested in attending, click HERE to find out the details. And for more info on the Graphic Arts section of the conference, including Ken, Art, and Ben’s involvement, click HERE.

I hope to see some of you there. I think it’s going to be a really fun time!