August Newsletter

(Reposted a bit late to the blog but was sent by email in August, if you'd like to receive this update as an email sign up here: http://eepurl.com/bzpR9f)

This month is full of Christian events, caravaning, a random Bible exhibition and preparing for the launch. 

((Note: If the images are not visible in this email, look for "display images below" at the top of the email.))
 

Sneak peek at the Book of Mark

In this image Jesus rebukes Satan and the angels then comfort him. 

This image was released to our patrons on Patreon in all the way back in September 2017! To get exclusive access to pages before anyone else, be part of the creative process and simply support this project please consider becoming a patron from just $1 a month!. 
https://www.patreon.com/WordforWordBibleComic

August Events

New Wine

We’ve recently returned from New Wine which is a week-long event. The marketplace was open 10:30 am til 6 pm and 8:30 pm til 10:30 pm, so it was a long old week. It went really well though.

I met a few of you who backed the project’s Kickstarters and heard some great testimonies of teenagers really getting into it and reading whole books of the Bible in a morning.

I took my family with me to this event and the kids had fun in “Ground Breakers” but it was very full on getting them to their groups on time and fed between market shifts. Our new (to us) caravan served us well despite a few teething problems with the battery and such. 

Welcome to all the new people who signed up to this newsletter there!
 

Commission: Together at Westpoint

At the end of this week, we’ll be at a 5-day Christian event near Exeter. So we will see many of you there. 
 

Video: The Resurrection- Order of Events

On the Youtube channel, I occasionally release videos of my research. This is a recent one about the order of events surrounding the resurrection in the various Gospel accounts, which on the surface seem at odds with one another. 
 

Free Entry to Christian Resources Exhibition in October!

On October 16th-18th we will be exhibiting at CRE, a big event at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey, where church and ministry leaders go to discover new resources and services to support their ministry. 

If you’d like to come along you can get in FREE with by booking a ticket using this special link just for our customers. 

https://eventdata.uk/Visitor/CREcomp.aspx?TrackingCode=WORDFOR

Let me know if you take up the offer! 

Please be ready to add a review of Mark in September! 

On September 14th the Gospel if Mark will officially launch and be available on Amazon and in bookshops. At that time it would be really helpful if you could leave your reviews and thoughts on Amazon. Reviews and engagement of the book in its launch week will boost the books ranking on Amazon and make it more “discoverable” in searches. This helps it sell which also makes it rank higher and helps kick off a helpful loop on being discoverable and selling on Amazon.

I’ll send the newsletter then too, to remind you. ★★★★★

Ps. Also we’ll see them and hopefully be encouraged too. 

Random Bible Exhibition

Completely by chance while visiting Oystermouth castle in Mumbles, Wales (of all places), we stumbled upon a Bible exhibition in a local Christadelphian church. We stuck our head in to see and it was actually really good! Here is just one of the exhibits. If you are following the FB, Instagram, Tumblr or twitter you'll see the rest of the photos I took as I post them over the next week or so. 

Prayer 

We are really ramping up the promotion of the work this season, so please pray that the Gospel of Mark will get a lot of media attention at its launch and that many people will ultimately read the Good News for the first time through these graphic novels. Also, that we are healthy and very successful at these events and take home some healthy finances to fund the next year of bible comic creation.

June Newsletter

Kickstarter Backer Rewards Soon!

You will see below that we are very close to completing the Gospel of Mark, in July we will be sending out the first copies for the Kickstarter backs as well as the remaining digital PDF instalments. I've sent out the surveys so if you're a backer you'll need to input your address. 
 

At Events this Summer! 

This summer I will be at lots of events. In just 10 days I'll be at in a field near Swindon 'The Gathering' for Christian menfolk. Then in the school holiday's, we will be at New Wine: United Week 2, and Commission's 'Together at Westpoint'.  If you will be at these events please come and say hi, and drag your friends, church and family over to the new stand.

Have Your Say: Extra Pages at the Back? 

In the comic of The book of Judges and Ruth, I included extra pages with notes and sketches on character designs and some historical elements (like we discuss here). I didn't include any in Joshua and wasn't planning to in Mark, but some people have said they really liked these pages, they also add a certain amount of proof regarding the research involved. However, they cost more money to include and I imagine many people won't even read them. 

One alternative idea is to have one page to show the sort of thing and give a link to an online version for people who are interested. The advantage of this is you can potentially link them to buy other books, sign up to the newsletter etc. 
The Gospel of Mark is 164 pages, including just the comic and intro pages. The price will be £14.99. If I add pages there will be 16 pages of sketches and go up to 180 pages. 
In the comments below, I've included a few pages from the Judges sketchbook. 
Please add your opinion on the poll at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity/
 

Progress and Prayer

I didn't add a progress report last month due to all the boring GDPR stuff, but in the intervening time, we've covered a lot of ground. I have 8 pages of the comic to draw and 144 are complete. We are working our way through checking for errors and then it will be a case of finishing off the few pages that surround the comic (intro etc).

Please pray that we finish the book in good time and there are no errors in the printing. Please pray that the Gospel of Mark will get a lot of media attention at its launch and that many people will ultimately read the Good News for the first time through these graphic novels. 

May Newsletter-Creating Comics and the Sanhedrin

Creating Comics and the Sanhedrin

Normally I create about a page a day, (that's drawing, inking and lettering). However, I started this page last Thursday and I've just finished it now (Wednesday). I created this little video about the making of the page and some facts about the image while I was making it. Now it waits to haunt the nightmares of the colourists. 


 

April Newsletter

I have realised I've forgotten to post Feb and March's newsletters on the blog. You can view them with these links:

FEB : https://mailchi.mp/8e372d713461/february-newsletter?e=276ff80ddf

MAR: https://mailchi.mp/c26682958a12/march-newsletter-snow-slow-and-go-go-go?e=ddb119009d

Here are some images and updates from us...

((Note: If the images are not visible in this email, look for "display images below" at the top of the email.))

A peek at the Gospel of Mark

Here is a little peek at a page from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 1:32-34

At the top, we have Peter's house which was drawn from the floorplan of the real site discovered with archaeology.  

If you'd like to see more pages of Mark now, you can do so by becoming a patron
https://www.patreon.com/WordforWordBibleComic
 

Interesting video I found "What did Yeshua think of the Mishnah? "

Doing my research I found this interesting video about how Jesus may have viewed the Mishnah. It's a balanced presentation by a Canadian Messianic Jew and Hebrew teacher Izzy. His views don't necessarily match those of ourselves but I found it very informative...oh yeah, it has slightly annoying inserted memes in this one but if you like this video his others don't have those.

To get more connected with our research and discussion come and join the FB group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity

My reviews (Instagram/Facebook/Tumblr) 

When I read comics or watch a movie or TV series, I write a little social media post with my thoughts. With so much great stuff coming out soon (Avengers Infinity War, Westworld, Runaways, Han Solo Movie, Ready Player One etc), I thought I'd flag it so you can come and geek out about it with me.  Use these links to connect!

• Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/wordforwordbiblecomic
• Facebook Group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/WforWBibleComic
• Google+ https://plus.google.com/+Wordforwordbiblecomic
• Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/wforwbiblecomic/
• YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/channel/wordforwordbiblecomic
• Tumblr - http://wordforwordbiblecomic.tumblr.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordforwordbiblecomic/ 

Progress and Prayer

I'm getting closer to the end of drawing the pages now. I'm about to draw page 131 and Jesus will be getting handed over to Pilate. Our colourists are going full throttle now too to ensure we get it all finished before the summer holidays begin, and that's when they'll go out to the Kickstarter backers. The official launch and release will be in September.  

Please pray that we continue to be productive and get this book finished in time. Also, for the ongoing financial provision for the work as we have been blessed so many times by the Lord from your prayers. 

Please pray that the Gospel of Mark will get a lot of media attention at its launch and that many people will ultimately read the Good News for the first time through these graphic novels. 

Buy your copy of the Word for Word Bible Comic...

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January newsletter

Happy New Year! Here are some image and updates from us...

A peek at the Gospel of Mark

Here is a little peek at a page from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 1:13b

I've just drawn a picture of Jesus as he will be in Revelation 19 riding a white horse coming with his angels and I'm really keen to show you that one, but I'm going to hold off until it is coloured. 

If you'd like to get to see the new full-colour pages of Mark like this as they are completed you can do so by becoming a patron of this project and giving a small donation of $1 a month or more. You can even get video blogs that are about 30-60 minutes long every two weeks with information about the historical research and the artist development of the comic. 

Please go to Patreon to find out more and get involved! 
https://www.patreon.com/WordforWordBibleComic
 

Kickstarter Backer digital rewards!

If you were one of our very special Kickstarter backers for the Gospel of Mark, then keep an eye out for the PDF instalment two, which will be out in the next two weeks. It's more than 20 complete pages the gospel or Mark!

(Note: Be sure to check your Kickstarter profile has your current email address. Digital rewards for all pledges of £15 or more)  
 

Judges first editions are running out! 

Size Comparison

The first 1000 copies of Judges are now starting to run very low. We will be reprinting them, of course, but if you'd like to get the original larger format copy before they disappear please get your orders in straight away! We've got about 7 copies here and there are a few at the distributor's warehouse.

We also have about 40 of the special Collector's editions (these are numbered as one of the first 100 prints, they are signed and have a unique hand-drawn a sketch on the inside cover). 

So if you are a collector or you think this comic will be as big a Harry Potter one day, here's your chance to get one of the limited first editions. 

Progress and Prayer

We have passed the halfway point with regards to creating the uncoloured pages! Phew! We are currently on target to finish by July, ready for the summer events and sending out the book to Kickstarter backers! The official launch will be in September too. 

Please pray that we continue to be productive and get this book finished in time and that some opportunities that are still in the air come through. Please pray that the Gospel of Mark will get a lot of media attention at its launch and that many people will ultimately read the Good News for the first time through these graphic novels. 

#bgbg2

October Newsletter

Progress

We are steadily doing more and more pages. We have had several minors setbacks like my wife's broken foot, a funeral and then several bouts of illness from various members of the family. Hopefully, things will calm down now and we can start catching up. 

Here's how far we are along so far. 


 

Christian Resources Exhibition: Tomorrow  

Tomorrow I'm off to CRE for the day as a punter, many of you may also be there too, so give me an email if you have a stall or you wanna say hi. Our book will be there on display at the CLC stand too so if you're there with a friend be sure to drag them over an get some. 

creonline.co.uk
 

Get the last copies of Judges 1st edition

We are beginning to run low on the first edition of the Judges books. I have about 80 here and there are some waiting for distribution, so if you'd like to get hold of these original, larger size, numbered first editions please get those orders in asap! 

Shop link : https://wordforwordbiblecomic.squarespace.com/buy/

We are preparing the second edition for print now. It will be the smaller size that Joshua and Ruth are, and we will be adjusting the font to allow for the smaller format. 

Christmas Orders, HO HO HO! 🎄🎅 🕯🎁

A great gift for family and friends that you are keen to get more into the Bible! We look forward to sending them out to you and if you live far from the UK you may need to get these orders in soon to ensure they'll get there on time. 
 

 

All new packaging

Exciting, right! We have decided to move away from those plastic bubblewrap jiffy bags to a more robust and environmentally friendly option of cardboard. For single books we have the reinforced envelop and for more these great all-card wallets. 

 

Prayer Requests

If you are a praying person please help us pray that we can secure a recent opportunity to arrange USA shop distribution through a large US Christian distributor. I am really confident that this would mean a real boost for the company. 

Please also pray for our continued health and productivity between now and the end of the Mark project so we can be ready for the summer events next year. 
 

Patreon 

More and more of you are getting involved and supporting the Patreon! Thank you! I create videos explaining the pages in depth, including the research, artist choices, character design and more. So aside from supporting our work, you can learn more about the Bible and it's setting and see the pages of Mark as they are finished. 

Example video

Go to : 
https://www.patreon.com/WordforWordBibleComic
 

Joshua Launched

The launch has gone really well, bolstered by being featured in Christianity magazine, and our presence at the recent Christian Resources Together event. 

What would be really helpful is to see some extra reviews on Amazon to helps improve the visibility of the book in searches and confidence of other people to buy!

Here are the links...

The Book and Kindle Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-translation/dp/0995603529

The Book and Kindle Amazon USA-https://www.amazon.com/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-translation/dp/0995603529

ComiXology- http://bit.ly/2eHp90M

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35993102-the-book-of-joshua
 

HAVE YOUR SAY: Parables in different time periods?

My Plan for when Jesus tells a parable in the comic was to place them in different settings for the interest of the reader, to help understanding, a fresh way to see it and as a break from the 1st century. But is it a good idea?...

As parables are just 'stories' to illustrate a point, not memories, I thought it would be fun to change the setting. (Seen below). Here are some pros and cons:

PROs:
◦ Old familiar parables in a new light.
◦ More variety and thus more interesting.
◦ Break away from the 1st century. 
◦ Help understanding- sometimes a modern setting helps modern reader understand the point. 
◦ A hint that Jesus' examples are not limited to his human experience. 
◦ A wider variety of places and ethnic people groups can be used.

CONs:
◦ Too Jarring and Incongruous. 
◦ Uneducated people might get confused.
◦ Not the right feel for the "historically accurate" project. 
◦ Some people may really hate it/think it's silly.

CONSIDERATIONS: 
◦ The parables are clearly differentiated from the story with this pink colour scheme. (see Below) 
◦ A foreword in the introduction to the book could be used so people expect it. 
◦ The new setting would always support all the points of the original stories. 
◦ Though the events are not in the same time period they will themselves be internally historically accurate.

EXAMPLES: 
◦ Good Samaritan: Modern day Palestine
◦ Faithful Servant: Victorian (upstairs downstairs) 
◦ Sower: Modern day farmer and interpretation
◦ Rob strong man's house: Swashbuckler/pirate(below) 
◦ Wicked Tenants: Medieval- noble son has father's heraldry. 
◦ Prodigal Son: Heiji Japan (below)

September: Joshua, Gifts and Injury

Today, we are launching the Book of Joshua officially in print and digital formats. The book is now available to buy from our website, available on Amazon, in Christian book shops and the digital version will be available through Kindle and Comixology (Comixology on the 6th). 

Since the last update, we've had some big blessings and a big set back, see below.
 

Book Launch Today!

Promo Video- Please share!
Video Link for Sharing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyZdJC6fN8w

Please share this video far and wide!

How to Support the Launch

I really need your help getting the word out about this launch.

Review on Amazon and Kindle: This one is so important! If you've already read our Book of Joshua that you bought face-to-face or got through Kickstarter then please go to the Amazon/Kindle listing and write a little review (ideally a good one). Having lots of customer reviews helps improve the visibility of the book in searches and confidence of other people to buy!

Here are the links...

• The Book Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-translation/dp/0995603529
• The Kindle UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-Translation-ebook/dp/B073ZGV232
• The Book Amazon USA- https://www.amazon.com/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-translation/dp/0995603529
• The Kindle USA -  https://www.amazon.com/Book-Joshua-Bible-English-Translation-ebook/dp/B073ZGV232
• ComiXology- http://bit.ly/2eHp90M

Facebook/G+/Twitter etc: Please post about it, share the video, come and Like, Comment on and Share/RT our posts wherever you can find them on FB, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Linkedin, YouTube, Tumblr you name it. Especially on the launch day (today) and over this weekend.

Here are the links if you are not following them already, you can even like and comment on some older posts to help them get seen too. 

• Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/wordforwordbiblecomic
• Facebook Group- https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordforwordbiblecomiccommunity
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/WforWBibleComic
• Google+ https://plus.google.com/+Wordforwordbiblecomic
• Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/wforwbiblecomic/
• YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/channel/wordforwordbiblecomic
• Tumblr - http://wordforwordbiblecomic.tumblr.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordforwordbiblecomic/ 

Received your Joshua preorder?: Please post about it :) 

Please Pray :Please pray that this third book will take off, that new people will want to report and blog about it and include them in their radio shows. Please pray we sell lots of copies to help provide funds for the project and make it a success and so that more people will start to read the Bible. 

Setback: Disaster! Wife injured,
family in Chaos!

On Monday this week, my wife broke her foot! Not skydiving or rally-racing but putting the laundry out. She will be off her feet for 4-8 WEEKS! This has meant I've needed to stop work during the day and look after the kids who are on their school holiday to do all her many chores, which is totally not tiring, honest  

Our church has rallied around though and we have a people bringing meals on a rota for the next two weeks and a few people who have taken the boys out so I can do some work. Thankfully, the eldest boy is back at school this Tuesday and the younger is going to start school on the next Monday so they will be at school most of the time which will help. 

If you are a praying person, please pray for a miraculous recovery. A few years ago, Sian broke her wrist falling off her bike and someone at church prayed for healing and at the review, with the Consultant, a week later told her it was not broken and as he couldn't explain it, he insisted there must have been a misdiagnosis or something. So, please pray. 

Blessings

Last weekend we attended our Regional Church gathering called Together at Westpoint, in Devon UK. A hundred or so of you signed up for this mailing list at the time so a big welcome to you! 

The stall did pretty well selling the books, and I ran a workshop about The Art of Creating Comics. I have a recording and I will be posting it in sections on our YouTube channel. 

I addition to that we were very blessed by God prompting people to give us financial gifts to support the project and/or us as a family, each one hundreds of pounds. We take this as a real encouragement and thank God for his provision. 

Patreon off to a great start. Come and join us!

Our Patreon page was launched two weeks ago, and there are 11 patrons, together donating over $40/month to help keep us going. 

If "Patreon" is new to you, put simply it's a way to donate $1/month (or more) to an artist to allow them to continue making art. In exchange, you get rewards! 

In this case, you can see the pages of the Gospel of Mark as they are completed which will be up to a year before they are in print!  And at a high tier, a "behind the scenes" video every two weeks about those pages, the historical research, bible insights and process. (Example at bottom of the pages) 

Check out the page! See the video! Find out about the other rewards and more here...

https://www.patreon.com/WordforWordBibleComic

Please consider being a patron and share the link with your friends!