So I’m catching up on Previews magazine (more about which in my Wednesday column) and I notice this drop-dead gorgeous art in the Marvel Previews insert that caught my eye and made me stare at the page for like a minute and a half.  And I’m one of those “usually more into the words than the art” comics people.

It was either an interior page or Jo Chen’s cover art for Last of the Mohicans #1, adapted from the James Fennimore Cooper novel by veteran scribe Roy Thomas.  Okay, probably the cover, but the interior pages in that Marvel Previews issue were equally gorgeous, with rich, lush inks.  I wish I knew who did those inks.  The pencillers are listed as Steve Kurth and Denis Medri, and their scene-setting and composition is indeed wonderful from what I’ve seen, but geez Marvel, whom do I have to bribe to get inkers’ names into your PR?

In any case, particularly having just come from the Kids’ Comic Con, I find this news of Marvel doing Classics Illustrated-type stuff to be welcome indeed.  Last of the Mohicans is the second title in the nascent Marvel Illustrated line If you haven’t yet grabbed Jungle Book by Gil Kane, Jo Duffy and P. Craig Russell, get it now), to be followed by Treasure Island and the Man in the Iron Mask.  Hey, can a woman-written classic be far behind?  I know Frankenstein‘s been done to death, so to speak, but how about some Virginia Woolf or a Bronte or two?

It was a lovely day in the Bronx yesterday, perfect for the 5-minute jaunt southward to attend the first ever Kids’ Comic Con at the Bronx Community College.

I thought this was a terrific venture for the first time around.  Lots of tables geared, as it should be, specifically for kids, who responded with wonder and enthusiasm.

The convention was the brainchild of Alex Simmons, seen here giving the welcoming address.  Alex, who has over 30 years of experiencing working with children and the creative arts, is also terrific at introducing like-minded adults to one another; I was mostly there to take in the event for ComicMix rather than participate, but I still found myself acquainted with at  least a half dozen "new" folks thanks to Alex!

Alex also serves as Educational Outreach Director for MoCCA, and it’s always great to see this organization at any local convention.  They’re one of the most visible faces of NY comics, and hold lots of must-attend events! (more…)

Believe it or not, there’s other ways to use comics to reach the faithful than those little Jack Chick pamplets prostelytizers hand to you.

In the more traditional way, we have The Guardian Line, a line of comics put out by traditional comics pros like Michael Davis, Mike Baron, and Lovern Kindzierski. They have three titles so far with a fourth on the way, all intended for a young urban audience who are more comfortable with traditional action/adventure stories.

Then we have The Manga Bible, brought to us by British religious publisher Hodder & Stoughton. This is a manga adaptation of the TNIV Bible, itself an updated and current language version of the Bible. The Manga Bible only adapts the New Testament, but the Old Testament should be done by the end of the year.

Although I really do wonder where all the cherry blossoms come from when Jesus is dying…

And finally, we go from traditional comics to manga to webcomics. Called Today is an online web presence from the National Office for Vocation which uses webcomics to help illustrate the myriad ways that people can follow a religious calling today.

Of course, we all know that Superman’s just one great big Christ metaphor, right?

Hat tip to Wired for the Manga Bible info.