The Guardian Line Finds Religion
by Laurel Maury, PW Comics Week -- Publishers Weekly, 6/19/2007
Christian comics make people squeamish. Comics people fear they'll be preachy. Hardcore Christians look askance at the sex and violence they associate with the medium. But Michael Davis, creator of the Guardian Line, has a different take. He sees Christian comics as good business. Between Davis's Hollywood connections, the mainstream talent he commands and the distribution offered by his publisher, Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI), he may be right.
"It's not about my faith," said Davis. "Let me get that straight with you. I'm all about making good comics." Davis considers himself a Christian, but said, "I just want to make good comics that feature people of color and give a more realistic picture of America." He's certainly done that in the past. Davis cofounded Milestone Media, which published the popular African-American comic, Static, which later became a Saturday morning cartoon, and has worked extensively in the music industry and TV. Davis sees the 70,000 African-American churches in America as a market for excellent, faith-based comics that feature people of color.
Although Davis has deep respect for the comic world, what's going to give the Guardian Line, which launched in 2006, a chance is that UMI is not only a publisher but a distributor. "We're regularly represented in 40,000 African-American churches in America," said Carole Cartwright, v-p, general manager, for UMI. The company has sold religious books, materials and Sunday School curriculum for 35 years. UMI's 25 salespeople have personal relationships with the churches they serve, including the Sunday school teachers, which Cartwright sees as an excellent opportunity to place the Guardian Line into the hands of young readers. UMI has 10,000 churches that Cartwright describes as "extremely loyal customers." All 10,000 will receive promotional materials and sample issues. She estimates this will put the Guardian Line in the hands of 250,000 readers.
The Guardian Line's four series are Code, The Seekers, Genesis 5 and Davis's favorite, Joe & Max. All are set in the fictional New Hope City. Code is about a man who fights for God, but wakes up every morning with total amnesia. Genesis 5 is the story of five angels who come to earth, only they're teenagers with teenage problems. Both titles appear to be aimed at older teens , especially Genesis 5, which depends on tense social situations, and so could do well with the shojo crowd. In The Seekers, two brainy friends find a time machine. Joe & Max is about a kid with his very own guardian angel, Max, a 6'3" Hispanic biker-dude who can fly. (Imagine waking up to find out your imaginary friend is real and a superhero.) The Seekers and Joe & Max have a Disney/Nickelodeon style and appear to be aimed at 'tweens.
Davis has been able to bring in real comic book talent with his vision and ideas. Mike Baron (Punisher, Nexus) and Keith Giffen (The Blue Beetle, 52) and both wanted to write for Code, although Giffen had to back out due to other commitments. (Giffen describes himself as a "bewildered agnostic," but said he was "interested in the premise" of the series.) Baron, who ended up as the writer, likes Code, the hero of the story, because he is a "man of inconsistencies," with most parts of his life hidden. Davis has also signed up Lovern Kindzierski (Tarzan), penciler Claude St. Aubin (Aquaman, Green Lantern) and letterer Dave Lanphear, who has done lettering for Marvel and DC for years.
The art is compelling and uses standard superhero styles, though the palate is far warmer than is typical, with strong orange, yellow and purple colors. The characters grow on you, especially the kids, and unlike many new imprints, the Guardian Line comics aren't making "new comic" mistakes, such as cluttering the early issues with too many plot points. They've got a good villain, Stephen Dark, who is either Satan or one of Satan's head honchos, and real-feeling situations concerning class, status, gangs and bad neighborhoods. (Even the churches have class tensions.) Single mothers aren't valiant so much as worried and stressed. Hallways in the projects smell of urine. Yet the friendships between people, especially between the kids, are deep and memorable.
"It's like Marvel, back when I was a child," said Davis. "The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad." The heroes follow the Ten Commandments, and when they stray, they suffer consequences. Everyone has a faith. "Even the bad guys, they worship Satan." Davis believes that this is a realistic depiction of America. "A huge number of Americans have a faith," said Davis. "But you never see it in regular comics." Davis compares this omission with the comics world 15 years ago, which rarely showed people of color.
Davis controls the tone of New Hope City and its characters through something called the bible (with a small b), a document he wrote that has several hundred pages of text and artwork. The bible describes New Hope City and the characters who live in it, including minor characters. Davis is keen that he be the one who creates every person and place of significance. It's a setup that will allow for easy crossover between titles without inconsistencies and is also designed to make sure artists and writers don't create things without Davis's oversight. "You can play in it, but it's my universe."
Davis wants this control because he sees the Guardian Line as a way to develop future ideas for movies, TV and animation, areas in which he has experience: "Comics are about the cheapest way to develop content." BET and its parent company, Paramount, have been speaking with UMI about having UMI's huge network distribute their products. Davis hopes that, somewhere in their interest, they will take notice of the Guardian Line.
