Hello folks - I wonder if you might have a look at my wordless retelling of the life of Jesus. The full thing exists as an iPhone/iTouch app but you can get an idea on the website.
thejesuscomic.com
As you guys probably know, these sorts of things tend to be misunderstood by the Church and therefore any kind of feedback/encouragement would be great.
Ooooh, I like this. Similar to what The Jesus Film project has done - but I don't know that they've yet gone the route of making an app out of their content. Good work, do you mind if I post this at Mobile Ministry Magazine?
I am thrilled that you have had a chance to look at it. One of the tensions for me in putting this together was whether to make it all exposed and clear or to leave it as more of a visual puzzle. I have erred on the side of the original aim - presenting a visual meditation of the events and their meaning (Jesus building a bridge to life by his death and resurrection).
We beta tested it with a few people who were frustrated in the same way and decided to put two things in place:
a. a text reference at the start of each chapter heading which gives a sense of the context (please see the 'minimal text' page on thejesuscomic.com for further info)
b. a more detailed explanation of the scroll symbols that appear throughout the comic - these have a dedicated page on thejesuscomic.com - called 'the BIG story' page.
Beyond that you could tell me which chapter you don't get and I would be happy to explain.
The thing which I think the VSN is likely to be strong on is the idea of exploring visual language and the pure difficulty of having to work things out.
Thanks so much for your feedback - please let me know what you think.
Jason
PS this is version 1 of the app and your feedback will probably influence what we do in the future.
Jason,
Thanks for the reply. The first time I looked at the app I didn't see the informational button at the beginning of each chapter. That is helpful to give me a context. Without that, I was lost on many of the chapters. After reading the info button, I could follow the first few I looked at. Chapter 7 was difficult to follow even with the verse context.
I'm still confused by the crown. Is that always the symbol for God Himself or for His lordship? Because I use the app on my iPhone, I'm not used to going to a website to understand the app. I'm used to it being self-explanatory.
I'm all for not making it too easy. I understand the desire there.
Do you have a sense for how God is using this? You're doing visual story in a simple, but powerful way.
Do you plan on keeping/making this available in a non-app (aka web-based) format for those whom would like the comic, but aren't on an iPhone (the percentage of iPhone users is pretty small compared to the rest of the market, and I'm sure that this would be a solid content offering given how comics and mobile seem tailor made for one another)?
The purpose of this group is to discuss and share best practices on how to increase awareness, connect with your "audience" and spread the message of Christ broader through your visual tools and resources.