Postby Azier the Swordsman » Tue Jul 24, 2007 8:18 pm
1) Can we Christians do comics without the comics being cheezy?
Yes. But Christians more often then not are simply jumping on the bandwagon attempting to capitalize/Christianize every new popular medium that comes out.
Companies with this type of mindset are simply trying to make a Christian manga. They are not neccesarily concerned with making a Christian manga with a quality storyline on par with what is avaliable on the secular side. Chances are they are not even avid fans/regular readers of manga. I'm not saying this is neccesarily the present case, but it is for a fact the track record thus far.
2) Will the Gospel get lost in the "flash and glitter" or is it the heart of the work?
It will most certainly be there in some form, but again, whether the actual story surrounding it is good or great or not remains to be seen.
3) What about Japanese Christians in Japan making a Christian Manga? Now that would be cool. (There are Philipian and Korean artist working on the Zondervan comics, but what about Japanese?)
Manga being the most popular form of entertainment in Japan, Japanese authors of Christian manga would know a lot more intrinsically their native form of entertainment and the storytelling methods and styles used, and would be more likely to have an actual passion for the job themselves. So Japanese authors of Christian manga would likely be a good thing.
4) Can an American (like me) be a Manga-ka?
They are rare still, but American manga are already popping up here and there. Given its rapidly rising popularity, I could forsee it eventually turning into a multiculturally accepted medium of entertainment down the road, so I would say the future looks optimistic if this is indeed your true interest.
Those Qs are just to jump-start discussion. I'm excited Zondervan is doing something we Christian fans of Manga have dreamed of 
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