Posted on 01/17/2005 6:17:32 AM PST by Theodore R.
Former UW football player launches Christian comic strip Web site
By Cara Eastwood rep4@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - Sin, judgment and temptation are more than just spiritual concerns to Lance Jackson.
They're also the names of characters in a Christian comic book series that he created and recently launched on the Internet.
The site, which he calls Secular.Nought, is designed to reach teens with compelling graphics and edgy characters, and to teach them in a non-preachy way about Christ.
"Our message and passion is Christ. Our delivery is visual, direct and in your face," reads the company's description on the Web site.
Jackson, a former University of Wyoming football player, said he first came up with the idea for the site while working with at-risk youth in Texas after leaving Laramie.
"I became more and more involved with correctional kids and it was a striking thing to see that the kids' needs weren't being met. That really shocked me. There was nothing that was grabbing them and bringing them to Christ," he said.
As he formed close relationships with teens who used drugs and experimented with sex and other risky behaviors, Jackson said he found a new way to relate to them.
"I learned not to judge them and how to keep my views to myself. I learned not to preach to folks - once you trust someone, you'll listen to them."
In 1996, Jackson drew inspiration from the Disney movie "The Prince of Egypt" and sat down to craft the first story that he would write and sketch into comic book style. As an amateur artist, Jackson later found professional artists to complete the final rendering of the story.
"I want my art to reach out to those people who are serious about it - it's serious art. I found guys back east and in Belgium to work with. Now I work with artists from Rockstar Games - the ones who make (the video game) Grand Theft Auto."
Jackson's comics deal with issues that many Christians might consider controversial.
"I'm not afraid to talk about how people use demonic forces to get ahead in life. A lot of people in the Christian community don't want to hear about it, or see a demon having power, but they come after Christians who are weak," he said.
Because the teens he aims to reach live in the same bitter reality that he found on the streets of Irving, Texas, Jackson draws story elements from his experiences there.
"We deal with guns and murder and death. Some characters don't make it. I pull drugs in there and show stuff in gang terminology," he said.
Jackson believes church should be a forum where people can discuss life's problems.
"I'll talk about pornography in my comics - people get all upset about it. I don't preach on my soapbox, I just talk about it."
As a black artist, Jackson says he has different experiences to bring to his work.
"My main character is black and his wife is white. He has mixed kids. That hasn't happened yet in comics."
Andrea Presse, director of micro lending at the Wyoming Women's Business Center, has seen Jackson's business develop over the past few years.
"His is a very novel idea, and he does have quite a following and has established a very large name for himself in the comic world."
Jackson is determined to make the site a success, she said.
"He has a goal, and he has tunnel vision for that goal. He's moving mountains to get there," Presse said.
Jackson's Web site, which also showcases the work of other artists, currently has about 100 monthly subscribers.
By publishing online, he avoids the costs that accompany print publications, he said.
"My first thought was, it's gotta be on the Web, it's gotta be cool, and it's got to catch people. I want to reach everyone, and I'm not going to reach the stores," Jackson said.
Traditional Christian stores won't market his work because they find it too controversial, he said.
"There's a market for us, but we're not accepted in our own stores. If we can't have shelf space, there's no need to print it. We've got to put it on the Web."
Jackson hopes his edgy take on Christianity will draw the interest of the teens playing video games and reading other comic books.
"It's that whole character-dream-fantasy kind of stuff. All kids want to be a superhero with bulging muscles - the character can do what they've always wanted to do. It allows them to get lost."
All of Jackson's comics carry a spiritual message, he said.
"The first one is called 'The Calling,' and it's like no matter what people go through they stood up for what they knew."
He compares the theme to the biblical stories of Paul, Peter and Barnabas.
Jackson knows his work won't appeal to all Christians, but he doesn't seem concerned about that.
"If you don't like it, don't read it," he said.
Online
To learn more about Lance Jackson's comics, visit www.secularnought.com
Pretty cool stuff!
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