In a graphic novel, the illustrations are there, and the text is there to support that—but you can’t have the same amount of text that you would have in a normal Bible. How did you find ways to simplify, condense, or refine the text to make it work in that format? https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-18-what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-end-of-the-world

Donald Richie. A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press 2007. ISBN 978-1-933330-23-5https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-12-how-can-a-loving-god-send-people-to-hell https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-5-is-the-resurrection-a-true-story The Book of Revelation differs from the rest of the New Testament, because it contains mostly visions and prophesies. [15] Siku represents this by telling the revelation through the dreams of a girl in a hospital in the 21st century. Now when it comes to adult themes like murder and genocide, we report it accurately—we just don't go over-the-top with the sexuality and the violence. And when I was doing my initial research and talking with people about it, I found that even the term "graphic novel" was intimidating for parents— sometimes even terrifying. They hear that word "graphic"—

Here’s an example: There’s a lady who works in one of our ministries who adopted a young girl from a totally dysfunctional family situation—prostitution, drugs, all that. She brought her girl to church, and the girl had brought some form of Christian graphic media. The pastor made reference to some obscure Old Testament story, and asked the congregation, “Who knows the answer?” The deacons who’d been at that church for 50 years had no clue. Nobody knew the answer—except for this girl, because she’d read it in her graphic Bible. We have to realize that when we sit in our towers away from humanity, we’re disconnected from how people are really living. Most professing Christians wish they read the Bible more. We feel that our books are no different from any other visual representation of God’s Word, whether it’s visual art, films, TV, plays, or what have you. These images are intended to help you ‘see’ the scenes written in the Bible, by those who walked and talked with Christ. To help you imagine them as they could have happened, and to give you a chance to put yourself in their position. https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-11-is-there-such-a-thing-as-absolute-truth Scripture does not shy away from it, and neither should God’s people. Also, the Bible provides the answers to every difficult and perplexing human situation. We want people to understand that Scripture has some amazing things to say and helps us make sense of our world and culture today.”https://kingstone.co/collections/kingstone-bible-comic-collection/products/the-patriarchs-1-abraham The biblical text used comes from the King James Version of the bible, in its entirety. Every verse, sentence, and word will be included when this project is completed. I’m reminded of Marshall McLuhan’s adage that “the medium is the message.” How do you respond to critics who think the medium of graphic novels is not befitting a holy text? The text and quotes in The Manga Bible are from The Holy Bible, Today's New International Version that was first published in 2004. [5] For those people who want to read further in the Bible, the artists have included “Want to know more?” links indicating the references that help to find the passage in the original scripture. [6] Those links are also a good indicator for the reader to know which passages from the original Bible are included in The Manga Bible and which passages were left out. At the end of the book commentaries about key scenes are included. They give away some of the ideas that inspired Siku and Akin to write The Manga Bible, as well as the influences they had during the process. There are also sketches included that show the development of the art process. Besides the serialization of the biblical narrative that you mentioned earlier, is there anything else about this project that you are particularly proud of?

I was really inspired by The Chosen TV show, and I would really like to create a comic book or an original graphic novel which relates the stories contained within the Bible in a manner which is also a genuinely high-quality creative work. The Manga Bible is a summary of the Bible, which implies that many parts are left out, altered a bit, or only partially used. The text and the drawings are based on the original scripture, but they also use free interpretation. [13] Even though many of the important stories from the Bible are included, there are also some that would be expected, but are left out. For example, the building of the Tower of Babel and the whole Book of Esther are missing, In the Old and the New Testament only about half of the books are used as a source for The Manga Bible. Many of the books that are left out would give only little to the development of the narrative, such as the Leviticus or books from the second part of the Old Testament, such as Micah or Habakkuk. This is mostly due to the style of manga, where the use of epic stories and action play an important role. [11] Thus, The Manga Bible focuses on books that provide action and it also shows the violence and sexuality that is portrayed in the Bible. In the Book of Joshua the bloody fall of the Israelites’ enemies is shown. The weakness of different characters is illustrated with the examples of the moral downfall of David with Bathshebe or when Samson is deceived to give away the secret of his power. https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-1-origin-of-the-races And really, more than anything else, I’m just excited that people who have never read the Bible are now having a chance to interact with it in way they haven’t been able to before.Our origin is also directly linked to the Gospel, since it was through those first parents that sin and death entered the world (Genesis 3) and has passed on to all of humanity. Only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, our kinsman-redeemer, can we be saved. https://kingstone.co/collections/kingstone-bible-comic-collection/products/kingstone-bible-volume-12 Another example for the close connection between the Japanese culture and its aesthetic is shown in the silent wandering of Jesus through the wilderness, triggering on the sensory memory of the reader. [10] Siku describes the appearance of Jesus for example as “a Samurai stranger, who’s come to town, in a silhouette”. [11] He also works with facial expressions of his characters. When the Egyptians are punished with the death of their first born, because the Israelites are not freed, Siku draws the characters with a facial expression that also elicits compassion in the reader, an effect that is often used in manga. [12] Narrative [ edit ] https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-17-what-does-the-bible-say-about-demons https://kingstonecomics.com/collections/animated-comics/products/101-questions-10-what-were-the-high-places