With a pastor at the helm, Kingstone Media Group offers cross-over comics with a Christian worldview

In a world where “gay” characters are becoming more accepted in comic books, companies like Kingstone Media Group continue to stand on biblical principles, offering such titles as The Book of Revelation and The Pilgrim’s Progress.

“I’m really all about outreach and evangelism as a pastor,” said Ayris, CEO of the company and an executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Fla., outside of Orlando. His career experience also includes film and television production.

“We see it as a way to get the conversation going,” he added of the company’s work that often has cross-over potential into the general market.

Offering comic books and graphic novels for the next generation—which, Ayris notes, adults read as well—Kingstone Media offers “pretty test-driven” publications, he said.

Diamond Comic Distributors—the leading comic book and graphic novel distributor in the general market—picked up Kingstone’s titles. Companies in India and the Netherlands are also distributing Kingstone works.

In the last year, Kingstone has released comic books on the story of Jonah, Moses, Exodus and more.

“Comics decrease biblical illiteracy,” Ayris said, pointing out that parents and pastors have told him that their kids are “now more interested in Bible stories and they’re also retaining their knowledge of the Bible.”

The Book of God, a graphic novel for ages 9-13, has been optioned for a movie. In it, Ben Avery, lead writer and editor, shows how the Bible came into existence.

“We have to capture kids’ hearts and imaginations,” Ayris said.

Next January, Kingstone will publish Eternity, the first graphic novel by best-selling author Randy Alcorn (Heaven, Courageous) that will tell the New Testament story of Lazarus and the rich man.

The company is also committed to completing The Kingstone Bible in graphic novel form with high-end artwork within the next two years.

A recent addition to the Kingstone Media team is Gary ?, formerly a vice president with the VeggieTales franchise. Its president, Steve Blount, and director, Gene Mims, are former executives of LifeWay.

“We recognize that today’s audience does much of their reading in the digital format,” Ayris said. “That’s why The Book of God and all of our comics and graphic novels are available via multiple digital channels including iPad apps, Droid, Kindle, iBookstore and others.”

With offices in Leesburg and Tampa, Fla., and Dallas, Kingstone Media Group comprises Kingstone Comics; Bay Forest, with “cinema-quality” novels by best-selling authors such as Ace Collins and Ray Blackston, which are distributed by Atlas Books; and Kingstone Entertainment, the film development, finance and production arm. Kingstone also publishes Spanish-language graphic novels and comics.

In related news, the Christian Comic Arts Society, in partnership with Zondervan, hosted a mixer and two professional panels at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Held in July, the event is billed as the largest pop-culture entertainment event in the world.

Approximately 4,000 samplers of Zondervan’s The Book of Revelation (January 2013) were handed out, and the graphic novel’s artist, Chris Koelle, participated in Comic-Con panel discussions.

“We couldn’t be happier with the final product, or the reaction of graphic novel lovers of every stripe who gave us such positive feedback,” said Chip Brown, senior vice president and Bible publisher at Zondervan.

Additionally, more than 4,000 copies of Passport to Christians in Comics were distributed to attendees. The info-graphic charted the location of Christians who are active in the comics industry and offered a map where they could be found at Comic-Con events and booths.

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