The Intersection of Christianity and Comics via Manga

From the Makers of G.I. Joe and My Little Pony
Wal-Mart welcomes the gospel in the form of a new Christian-themed manga. Familiar with the term manga? Many aren’t. In a nutshell, it’s Japanese style comics. And manga is etching out a niche in today’s media. Serenity: Bad Girl in Town by a veteran comic team is really making waves because it embeds a Christian theme in a manga art form. Following is an excerpt from a review of Serenity:

And although comics-lovers might find the Christian aspect annoying, and Christians might find the comics aspect annoying, at least one higher power has smiled on it—the power of Wal-Mart. This summer, a lot of kids associated with neither hard-core Christians nor comic-cons are going to be thumbing through Serenity—I predict many will like what they see.

The Only Thing We Have to Fear...
I find it interesting that the article mentions the Christian trepidation. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the differing opinions recently over an Apostolic on American Idol. Certainly there are other factors there, but for the sake of this magna discussion, it's interesting to see how the medium and the message interact. (Remember the famous book The Medium is the Message?)

Medium
It can be threatening to venture into uncharted territory, so I see the magna catching flack from traditionalist Christians, perhaps because of inconsistencies in the message, but perhaps also because the medium is so non-conventional. However, isn’t there something to be said for any venture that at its core is an attempt to share the hope of Christ, even if it is a nonconventional medium? In the case of Serenity, doesn’t the end justify the means?