Comic influences
A version of this article first appeared in the March 2005 issue of Youthwork magazine
After suffering a decline in popularity in the '80s and '90s, comic books and their characters are now enjoying something of a renaissance. SIMON CROSS, co-creator of Christian graphic novel SAM119, looks at the history and influence of comics and suggests several ways to use this accessible format within a youth work setting.
If you were kidnapped and the only way to escape was to name as many comic book characters as you possibly could (a fairly unlikely scenario I know - but stick with it) how many names would you come up with?
I suspect you would start with the obvious: Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and Hulk, but then as you began to think, memories long hidden would start to kick in. Before long you would be naming Judge Dredd, The Green Lantern, and Daredevil, perhaps characters from the Beano and the Dandy, and maybe it would dawn on you that The Simpsons were all comic book characters... Before long your captors would have surrendered before your all-conquering barrage of trivia, and you would have scampered off, free as a bird.
Although this is definitely an unlikely scenario, you might surprise yourself with the amount of comic characters you could recall if you tried to. There's something unusual about a comic, something that seems to invade the brain. It's the unique combination of words and pictures that grab you and help you retain information. But what can be used for good can also be used for bad. Although the Beano and the Dandy are still big sellers, so are the 'darker' American comic book superheroes and villains.
I, and a number of others, believe that Christian comics can be a valuable tool in our fight for the hearts and minds of young people.
A comic history
Comic style goes back a long way. In the 18th and 19th Centuries, cartoons drawn by caricaturists like William Hogarth became widely and cheaply available. These printed satirical illustrations were some of the first recognisable comic strip-style art works to be produced.
During the mid 1800s the first modern looking magazines began to appear. Boys of England, first published in 1866, and The Boy's Own Paper, which appeared in 1879, were seen as counterpoints to Penny Dreadfuls which glorified crime and criminals. Boys of England and its ilk promoted the virtues of valour on the battlefield and sports field alike.
There's a heritage of Christian involvement in 'proto comics' even in the Victorian days. Rev. John Erskine Clarke, inventor of the world's first parish magazine, The Inset produced a magazine called Chatterbox which set out to provide wholesome illustrated stories for children, and which continued to be produced in annual form right up until the 1950's. However, these magazines were not comics as we know them today. The first accepted comic book is held to be Richard Fenton Outcalt's The Yellow Kid, published in 1896, in which the 'word balloon' was first used.
Not until 1950, when the first issue of The Eagle appeared, was Christian comic production born. Shortly after the Second World War, Frank Hampson met Marcus Morris, a vicar, who had ambitions for founding a national Christian magazine with a special emphasis on material for youngsters. Together they went on to produce The Eagle, which was phenomenally successful, and was read by everyone from schoolboys to politicians. Its success was mainly thanks to the adventures of the legendary Colonel Daniel MacGregor Dare, aka Dan Dare. Hampson, Dare's creator and a committed Christian, combined realistic, full colour illustration with a very high level of production. This had a huge influence on comic production.
Together, Dan Dare, his faithful sidekick Digby, and Professor Jocelyn Peabody (the first empowered female character in comics) bravely fought the evil Mekon until the last ever The Eagle annual (1995). Things have changed since the 1950s. Without The Eagle, Britain's current intergalactic comic book lawman is the decidedly more contemporary Judge Dredd.
Christian comics have moved with the times. There is now a respectable spread of Christian titles and artists, each with a different way to get the gospel message across. These range from the 'cheese free' fanzine-styled American 'Megazeen', which functions as a clearing house for a huge range of Christian comic creators, largely writing and drawing humour based strips, to the much more mature end of the market which includes graphic novels and the Lion Graphic Bible.
In the UK, SAM119, a sci-fi cyberpunk thriller with a strong gospel message (published by my own outfit, Undercurrent Comics) is fairly unique. Encouragingly though, another new series of British Christian graphic novels is due to be launched in 2005. Written by Steve Carroll, and drawn by Jeff Anderson, Riddler's Fayre is an action-packed medieval mystery, telling the story of a teenage amnesiac trying to solve the riddle of his identity and life itself.
Is anyone still reading?
There is a popular misconception that comics have had their day, that nobody buys them, and that anyone who seeks to use comics in youth work is trying to use an outmoded form of communication. It is also believed that comics are for children alone.
It is a mistake to believe that comics are not a viable form of contemporary entertainment. In the UK, 2000AD still notches up sales, as do American import comics from Marvel, DC Comics, Image and other publishers. And don't forget the huge children's comic market, monopolised in the UK by the all-conquering Beano and Dandy.
The success of cartoon pop band Gorrillaz showed that a collection of comic-style characters could make it all the way to the top - granted their abilities and voices were human, but their appearance entirely cartoon. Comic-inspired films, and films containing comic artwork are very popular too. From Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, X-men, and more recently Hellboy, to the inclusion of Japanese 'anime' sequences in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, comic art is everywhere. Comic culture - including characters, catchphrases and styling - is firmly entrenched under the skin of contemporary society. Comics are still seen as a 'street level' form of communication, easily picked up, quickly read and re-read, and passed from friend to friend.
If we can accept that comic book culture is an accepted part of youth culture in the UK, and therefore that comics still have something to offer us in terms of reaching young people in a way that is culturally relevant to them, the next question must be: How can we use comics in Christian youth work?
Relational evangelism
The first and perhaps most important use of the comic book is in the realm of relationship-based evangelism. Arguably the best-equipped missionaries for reaching young people are other young people. They naturally speak the same language, share the same cultural knowledge, and have pre-established relationships within which they want to work.
Unfortunately, peer pressure effectively robs most of these young people of the will to take opportunities to share their faith. In this context a comic book that can be passed round among a group of friends could be the solution and could invoke an organic pattern of conversation, which leads to a potential sharing opportunity.
In this context, differing types of comics work in specific ways. A fanzine-style comic that carries a number of strips will allow debate over the relative merits of each individual strip, and the message contained therein. Another story-based comic may either engross or bore the reader, depending on the nature of the individual.
Often the kind of person who would not read a book will happily skim through a comic; the amount of text is small, the language is usually fairly basic, and the visuals are by necessity strong. Someone who is intimidated by dense textual material will have no problem with a comic.
The 'pass along' value of a comic is therefore huge, but it would be a mistake to perceive a comic as a glorified tract (there are comic-style tracts but they are not the same as comics).
The healthy alternative
Christian comics can provide a healthy alternative to the mainstream comics and cartoons. There is often an emphasis on the occult, sex and violence in mainstream comics that needs to be guarded against. It is, of course, naïve to expect young people not to want to read content that is exciting and has 'an edge' of some sort. In this way Christian comics function in a similar way to contemporary Christian music, which provides something that is wholesome to listen to, but still mirrors an aspect of popular culture.
An aid to life
Comics can effectively challenge young people on issues in their lives and could be seen as discipling aids because they have the ability to tackle genuine emotional difficulties that a young person may be going through (e.g. bullying or fashion). Their use as a discipling aid will vary according to the nature of the comic and the age of the young person. Also, comic writers need to be aware of their influence and act responsibly towards various age groups.
One group that has succeeded in this is America's Megazeen. Creators managed to tackle issues with tact and integrity, which goes to show that it can be done. For younger readers a good example may be PowerMark, which - although maybe unpalatable for older readers - is able to effectively question behavioural and attitude issues in young readers.
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