comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
s published by
Fleming H. Revell
Baker Publishing Group is a Christian book publisher that discusses historic Christian happenings for its evangelical readers. It is based in Ada, Michigan and has six subdivisions: namely Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Baker Academic, Chos ...
starting in 1972.
In the 1980s, Barbour & Company, founded by Hugh Revell Barbour, acquired the rights to republish many of the titles in the Spire Christian Comics line under the New Barbour Christian Comics imprint, keeping the comics in print until 1988.
History
Christian book publisher Fleming H. Revell had approached
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.God's Smuggler
Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl (; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles an ...
'' and ''
The Cross and the Switchblade
''The Cross and the Switchblade'' is a biographical book written by the Rev. David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, published by Bernard Geis Associates in 1963.
Summary
In 1958, Pentecostal pastor David Wilkerson of Assemblies ...
''.
Hartley's connection with Archie comics publisher
John Goldwater
John Leonard Goldwater (born Max Leonard Goldwasser;Saunders, David ''Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists''. Accessed Oct. 22, 2018. February 14, 1916 – February 26, 1999) co-founded (with Maurice Coyne and Louis Silberkleit) MLJ Comics ( ...
helped Spire license the ''Archie'' characters in a Christian-themed series, and in 1973 they launched the first of 19 ''Archie'' titles, ''Archie's One Way''.
Other comics were based on true stories, Christian novels, or Christian movies. Examples of this type include those based on
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as ...
's ''Born Again'',
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom (15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker, who worked with her father, Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family member ...
Charles Sheldon
Charles Monroe Sheldon (February 26, 1857 – February 24, 1946) was an American Congregationalist minister and a leader of the Social Gospel movement. His novel ''In His Steps'' introduced the principle "What would Jesus do?", which articu ...
's 1896 novel ''
In His Steps
''In His Steps'' is a best-selling religious fiction novel written by Charles Monroe Sheldon. First published in 1896, the book has sold more than 50,000,000 copies, and ranks as one of the best-selling books of all time. The full title of th ...
''.
A line of comics for very young children featured young Barney Bear, who lived with his parents in a cave in
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is border ...
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors ...
/
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spo ...
story)
* ''Jesus'' (also published as ''He's the Greatest!'')
* ''Live It Up'' (also published as ''The Prodigal Son'')
* ''My Brother's Keeper'' (modernised story of
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
)
* ''Noah's Ark'' (modernised (somewhat) version of the story because God does destroy everything)
* ''Paul: Close Encounter of a Real Kind'' (modernised story of Paul the Apostle)
Biographical and autobiographical
* ''Attack!'' (
Mitsuo Fuchida
was a Japanese captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service and a bomber observer in the Imperial Japanese Navy before and during World War II. He is perhaps best known for leading the first wave of air attacks on Pearl Harbor on 7 December ...
)
* ''Born Again'' (
Chuck Colson
Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to:
People
Arts and entertainment
* Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet
* Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer
* ...
)
* ''
Corrie ten Boom
Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom (15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker, who worked with her father, Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family member ...
The Cross and the Switchblade
''The Cross and the Switchblade'' is a biographical book written by the Rev. David Wilkerson with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, published by Bernard Geis Associates in 1963.
Summary
In 1958, Pentecostal pastor David Wilkerson of Assemblies ...
'' (
David Wilkerson
David Ray Wilkerson (May 19, 1931 – April 27, 2011) was an American Christian evangelist, best known for his book ''The Cross and the Switchblade''. He was the founder of the addiction recovery program Teen Challenge, and founding pastor of t ...
)
* ''
God's Smuggler
Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl (; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles an ...
'' (
Brother Andrew
Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl (; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. He was known for smuggling Bibles an ...
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...
''
* ''In the Presence of Mine Enemies'' ( Howard Rutledge)
* ''On the Road with
Andrae Crouch Andrae, Andræ (Danish) or Andrä is a surname and given name, which is a variant of Andreae, itself a patronymic (via the Latin genitive case) from the personal name Andreas.
Notable persons with this name include: Surname
* Ahmed-Tobias Andrä ...
''
* ''
Through Gates of Splendor
''Through Gates of Splendor'' is a 1957 best selling book written by Elisabeth Elliot. The book tells the story of Operation Auca, an attempt by five American missionaries – Jim Elliot (the author's husband), Pete Flemming, Ed McCully, Nate S ...
'' (
Nate Saint
Nathanael Saint (30 August 19238 January 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot who, along with four others, was killed in Ecuador while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca.
Early li ...
and
Jim Elliot
Philip James Elliot (October 8, 1927 – January 8, 1956) was an American Christian missionary and one of five people killed during Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador.
Early life
Elliot was born in Portland ...
)
* ''
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade Landry (September 11, 1924 – February 12, 2000) was an American professional football player and coach. He was the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), a position he held for 29 seasons. Du ...
and the Dallas Cowboys''
* ''Tom Skinner's Up from Harlem''
Kiddies Christian Comics
* ''Barney Bear: Family Tree''
* ''Barney Bear: Home Plate!''
* ''Barney Bear in Toyland''
* ''Barney Bear: Lost and Found''
* ''Barney Bear Out of the Woods''
* ''Barney Bear: Sunday School Picnic''
* ''Barney Bear: The Swamp Gang''
* ''Barney Bear Wakes Up!''
* ''God Is...''
Other book/movie adaptations
* ''Adventure with the Brothers: The Cult Escape''
* ''Adventure with the Brothers: Smashing the Smugglers' Ring''
* ''Adventure with the Brothers: Hang in There''
* ''
Hal Lindsey
Harold Lee Lindsey (born November 23, 1929) – known as Hal Lindsey – is a best-selling American evangelical writer. He is a Christian Zionist, a dispensationalist and a television host. He wrote a series of popular apocalyptic books – be ...
's There's A New World Coming''
* ''
In His Steps
''In His Steps'' is a best-selling religious fiction novel written by Charles Monroe Sheldon. First published in 1896, the book has sold more than 50,000,000 copies, and ranks as one of the best-selling books of all time. The full title of th ...
Jack T. Chick
Jack Thomas Chick (April 13, 1924 – October 23, 2016) was an American cartoonist and publisher, best known for his fundamentalist Christian "Chick tracts". He expressed his perspective on a variety of issues through sequential-art moral ...