One of my favorite “modern” Christian stories is “The Gospel Blimp” by Joseph Bayly. It is a short (long short story, or novella) tale that is not only humorous but gives a great lesson regarding ministry. Since that lesson has a lot to do with a book that I am writing (still called “Slow Missions,” unless I change it again), I started looking it up again. My own personal copy of it is in the Philippines right now while I am still stuck in the US for a few months longer.
Going online, I was surprised to find a comic book version of the book. It was put out by Spire Christian Comics back in 1974. I used to collect comic books, and have a few hundred in boxes around my place. But I never really collected “Christian Comics”— partly because they tend to be of questionable quality, and often story and art is sacrificed for the sake of a rather unambiguous and hypersimplified evangelistic presentation.
But looking at the comic, this was a bit different. It is absolutely “Archie Comics”- style in its art. Relatedly, it is absolutely oozing with the style of the early 1970s. I am not sure that this detracts from the comic at all. It follows the story pretty well as best I remember it. The ending does have a couple of panels that really take away a bit of the subtlety of the message. But sometimes readers may need the point hit home— especially since the message is very much out of line with typical American Pop-Christianity. I would even say that the comics form worked sometimes a bit better than the book as one sees how ridiculous it was for a blimp to combine Christian messages with American capitalism messages.
What is especially great is that the comic is fully preserved and readable online.
Looking at the inside cover of the comic, there were a lot of other stories published by Spire Comics. A couple of them I do believe I vaguely remember seeing at our Christian bookstore up in Jamestown, New York when I was young.
Adam and Eve
Archie’s Clean Slate
Archie’s Love Scene
Archie’s One Way
Archie’s Parables
Archie’s Something Else
Archie’s Sonshine
Archie’s World
Attack!
The Cross and the Switchblade
Crossfire
God is… (Kiddies Christian Comic)
God’s Smuggler
The Gospel Blimp
The Hiding Place
In the Presence of Mine Enemires
Live it Up
My Brothers’ Keeper
Noah’s Ark (Kiddies Christian Comic)
There’s a New World Coming
Through Gates of Splendor (I believe I do remember reading this comic back in the 1970s)
Time to Run
Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys
Up from Harlem
Christmas with Archie
<I am giving no recommendations on the other ones since I haven’t read them; but I am sharing this if it is of interest to anyone.>
