Between the Panels

If you have been around me as a fellow anime fan, you'll likely hear my adoration of the anime series Bleach (available to binge watch on Disney+).  In summary, Bleach features this teenager (Ichigo) who becomes a Soul Reaper that fights off bad spirit beings (hollows) to keep the world of the living safe.  What makes this series amazing is not just the epic fights Ichigo gets into, or the rocking, cheesy 90's theme music during those scenes, but the heart behind what Ichigo is fighting for.  When he is given this power/role of being a Soul Reaper, it was to defend his family from a hollow.  Whenever Ichigo picks up his massive sword (zanpakto), he doesn't swing it for himself; he is always swinging it for the aid of those around him.  He is the defender of those who can't defend themselves.  What makes it even more amazing is that when he faces a foe that is seemingly impossible to fight, he goes to work and pushes himself even further to be able to fight ...

What if I asked you to join me in an adventure? An adventure that would give you lots of opportunities to see amazing wonders, meet a variety of people, would challenge you at your core, but would change your life for the better. Sounds pretty intense right! Nerds have this drive for adventure in a plethora of platforms: novels, graphic novels, RPGs, video games, board games, movies, tv series, etc. It is really a part of who we are; wanting to venture into something big and unknown, but also able to share in it with a group of friends to help along the way.  Whether you are a hobbit, a teen in a galaxy far far away, or a hero trying to find the path to true justice, adventure calls out in your heart.  I think this is something we can all relate to in some way or another; that there is something we feel a draw to pursue that is bigger than ourselves. I would say the first example of an adventurer would be Abraham.  When you meet Abraham in Genesis 12 (Abram at this point)...

What's not to love about a character like Reinhardt (Overwatch tank hero)? He is a giant, older man who dives into the fray to protect his team in the middle of the fight.  This epic, German hero not only has a ginormous rocket hammer and massive armour, but also sports an immensely huge energy shield.  An energy shield that acts as both protection and a mobile fortress for the team to advance their ground.  However, this all pails in comparison to the enthusiastic battle cry from this mythically large brute, "Ich bin euer schild!" Translated from German to English (varified by our own German International Staff) "I am your shield!" As a player in the game I have seen this shield in action and it definitely offers a sense of peace as well as a drive to advance forward in competitive game play. I know in my life I have been in what feels like a battlefield.  A battlefield in my mind of what I think of myself or the worry of what others think about me.  The battle...

Voltron might ring a bell to you if you watched the 1984 classic anime or if you have kiddos that like to watch lion shaped spacecrafts from the latest 2016 version on Netflix.  Either way this show has some moments that are fantastic to drive home.  A unique thing about the show is that Voltron is the title of the giant space robot that is formed from the five lion shaped spacecrafts (check out this link to see it for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtqKaUc6Uas&ab_channel=VOLTRON ). So these lions are piloted by five " paladins " that are to protect the galaxy from any evil threats.  Each one is powerful and has their own abilities, but they can't force the team to become Voltron.  Voltron is only made by the five paladins working in unity as one and having the same goal in their fight to save the galaxy . What I love about this is that they are willing to show how different these paladins are from one another and having disagreements. However, they ...

November has been a bit of a hard month for the nerd community with the passing of two iconic, childhood heroes. First with the passing of Kevin Conroy ; the voice actor of Batman in numerous animated shows, games, and a live performance as Old Bruce in a TV series.  Second and most recently Jason David Frank ; most well known for his character " Tommy " in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show and the icon for the Power Rangers franchise.  These two deaths were certainly not just a blow to my childhood (rushing to watch Batman: The Animated Series or learning karate from Tommy in his instructional video), but have been a blow to the nerd community with several tribute posts and videos on social media. However, it was not just the roles that they played that left an impact on their fans, but their actual heart to be an encouragement to their fan base. Even amidst their collogues, there is this sense of great loss for the world at large as these people were a source of ent...

I am ten billion percent sure that you are going to love this anime recommendation! Why ten billion percent you might ask? Because I can! No in all seriousness, you are going to want to check out the anime " Dr. Stone ".  Essentially, humanity has been turned to stone for almost 4,000 years and Senku (Dr. Stone) is the only one trying to restart civilization.  However, the cool part is that he is doing this by taking modern day science and applying it to a Stone Age world.  Throughout the show he has this wonderful catchphrase of " ten billion percent " that he attaches to everything that he is absolutely sure of. I love that he is absolutely sure in his knowledge of science that he is even willing to defy logic by saying he is ten billion percent sure of what he is doing. You may remember an old hymn " Blessed Assurance " that you may have heard in your grandparents church services or records playing in the background.  This song has a wonderful connect...

Imagine being able to play a game as a dragon, flying through the air and making your own path. But watch out! There are other dragons and their path might lead to your own destruction if you are not wise or tactful. I am talking about our latest favourite board game, Tsuro .  Your whole goal is to keep your dragon on the board by guiding its path and making it difficult for other dragons (players) to stay on; thus being the last dragon standing!  At then end of the game it is quite fun to see all these different paths laid out and to see all the possibilities that could have happened. However, there can only be one path to victory . Jesus said something very similar to this in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." In this passage, Jesus is talking about our relationship with God and being able to reconnect with Him forever.  Jesus is making the exclusive claim that He is the only way to connect to God (the...

Did you know that a gathering of owls is called a parliament? I know, random factoid for you to hold on to, but this was because owls were often connected to the attribute of wisdom.  Another factoid to throw at you. Did you know that there is a Court of Owls in Batman comics? These are not actual owls, but are Gotham's financial and societal elite who are in control of the city.  This sounds like a pretty impressive group, you would think that with all that wealth and influence they might actually be co-workers with Batman, but you would be wrong.  The Court of Owls use their power and opportunities to suppress lesser people and often have nefarious plans that seek greater control on the backs of Gotham's citizens. This court reminds me of the Pharisees in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).  Being the religious leaders and even societal elite amongst the Israelites, the Pharisees would often look for more prestige and power over their fellow country men....

I was given this odd comparison meme ( look to your right ) by one of our Graphic Word crew that looked at some connections between Loki from the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Moses.  The challenge was to see if there was anything that could be taught about this, so... here we are.  First, let's look at Loki: the God of mischief (really lives up to his title) is an adopted son of Odin and was supposed to be prince of the Frost Giants.  Growing up, he felt like the odd one out, but had a inkling in his heart to be a ruler/king.  However, whenever he attempted this (usurping Odin's thrown, trying to taker over Earth, disguising himself as Odin) it would always go badly. Loki had a struggle with this identity; that he was supposed to rule, this is who he is, what he is meant to do . Sadly this would leave him broken and often trying to break others to accept his self-defined identity. It's actually difficult not to pity him in all of his efforts. Moses on the othe...

Ever had an amazing teacher that moved you to tears? I have found one in nerd culture and his name is Koro Sensei . This yellow, octopus-shaped fellow is not just strange for his appearance, but also for the fact that he is a master assassin who is teaching a junior high class (the lowest in academic standing).  Did I mention that his class is tasked with assassinating him within a year or the world will be destroyed? You may ask, why I would recommend watching this extremely unorthodox anime? Two words; Koro Sensei .  Koro Sensei takes any and every opportunity to invest in his students. His attention to his students' growth is not just for academics or assassination skills, but in their personal lives, often speaking into who they are and what they can become. During this series, I had a lot of misty eyed moments (it was soooooo good), just from the times of direct investment Koro Sensei had with his students. So how do we go from yellow, octo-teacher to Jesus? Well Jesus ...

I have yet to find someone who does not like lightsabers.  It's true! There is something amazing about wielding light as a weapon to fight enemies: a real sense of power and beauty all in one. You may have grown up watching Star Wars and wish you had a lightsaber, or had a toy lightsaber and wanted to duel with someone.  One of the biggest discoveries was that there are several colours of lightsabers (not just original blue, green, and red).  In the lore of Star Wars it is the kyber crystal that determines what colour the lightsaber blade will be and that is set by the user's heart (intentions). Something that really stood out to me was that the red lightbers only turn red when they "bleed" and this is because the darkside of the user forces the crystal to bleed.  Really, the lightsaber crystal is a reflection of the user's heart and their motives. Jesus once said that "Out of the abundance of the heart , the mouth speaks"( Luke 6:45 ). This is connec...

Got this recommendation from one of our youth to talk about Giyu Tomioka (Demon Slayer character) and to be honest I had to do a bit of research on this guy. In short, he is a background character who pushes the main character (Tanjiro) to be a demon slayer.  Tomioka went through a lot of loss (death of sister and friend) and is driven with loyalty to support those around him even if it goes against the Slayer Corp. However, this young man thinks nothing of himself, despite being one of the high ranking slayers (hashiras), and is always looking to push either himself or others to grow. Tomioka reminds me of a mix of Gideon and Samuel.  Gideon because he was from a small tribe of Israel and was called to be a warrior for God, even though he thought of himself as nothing special, let alone a soldier. The part that reminds me of Samuel is the resolve to loyalty for what really matters.  Samuel was raised by Eli who was not the best at leading his own kids or a being a spirit...

A classic read for anyone who might be thinking of jumping into comics would be DC's Blackest Night .  Essentially, we find out there is not only the Green Lanterns, but multiple lanterns that stretch across the emotional spectrum. One of these other lanterns are the Black Lanterns which represent death and feed on all emotions to destroy them, turning them into Black Lanterns.  I am not going to lie, it gets real dark (sorry for the pun), but it's bleak and the universe is taken over by all these death lanterns.  However, there is hope in the discovery of the White Lantern , which represents life and restores life where there was death .  It is an amazing and inspiring reminder in what seemed like a nightmarish, no-win scenario. Checking out certain parts of the Bible you can feel like you are reading a page from the Blackest Night comic, especially when the Israelites are sent into exile.  There is a lot of doom and judgement for the decisions they made in ...

One of my favourite games to get into is Kingdom of Amalur Reckoning for several reasons. First, the art work is done by an amazing comic artist (Todd McFarlane). Second it's an open world RPG (role-playing game, one of my favourite genres). Lastly, there is a Tree of Fate that shows your character's progression in abilities/skills for game play (becoming a rogue, warrior, mage, ect.)  I love that kind of customizability with characters in games like that; it challenges you to have a plan for what you want your character to become as you guide them in this fantasy world.  What I love even more is that your character in the game is called a Fate Weaver in different interactions because it's your actions that can change the fate of the game.  So cool! Is this really any different than the way we are approaching our relationship with God?  I have said before that life is like a giant RPG in preparation for our real life (eternity). But if that's the case is God the on...

Lets face it, at times we can feel like the world is out to get us and we are the underdog of our own story.  It can be pretty hard to get motivated to push/do something when it is already an uphill battle.  Personally, I like to think about characters as a motivation (both fictional and real). Look at Asta from Black Clover; this guy had no ounce of magic in him and yet he has one of the most powerful magic items in the series with the drive to be the best mage in the world! Or Class 3E from Assassination Classroom, who are the runts of the school both socially and educationally, but are tasked with saving the world in under a year. Or look at Red Hood (Jason Todd) who was a street kid taking the wheels off of Batman's batmobile and is now a major member of Batman's allies in fighting crime.  Finally Captain America, going from this scrawny kid who just wanted to serve his country to becoming one of the   most iconic heroes of our time! However, there are not just ...

Rengoku is such an inspiration for keeping a great mindset about life! This character, from the anime series Demon Slayer (a must watch), is one the most powerful demon slayers, but that's not what makes him awesome in my books.  Rengoku, is always positive and uplifting to the people he is around; taking every opportunity to be kind and supportive.  The guy is so encouraging that at the end of every bite from his food, he exclaims with great enthusiasms "TASTY!!!" (yes, the all-caps were necessary) Immediately after watching this kind of character in action the phrase "Taste and see that the Lord is good." popped into my head (Psalm 34:8).  However, I wanted to dive into it a little further than just one verse and let me tell you, we all need to spend sometime in Psalm 34. It is brimming with the perspective we need to have have in life, both in good and bad, the need to be focused on God (the constant through it all).  God is our defender, our refuge, our inst...

If you are into Role-Playing Games (RPGs), you most likely have heard the phrase " Make a perception check! " from your Game Master's mouth.  For those of you who are not accustomed to this phrase, allow me to explain. A perception check in these types of games are for your character to be able to assess what is going on around them.  This is likely to see if there are any threats that might be an issue or to get a better understanding of what is going on in the environment around the player. It is often used to try and find details in the world so that the player is able to advance not just themselves, but their team on quests. How does this connect to the Bible you may ask? When we read about Jesus in His ministry, there are these strange moments where he would reveal a great truth to the crowd around him, but it was in the form of parables (stories with a lesson in them). In Matthew 13:9 Jesus shares a parable and follows it up by saying, " Anyone with ears to he...

Sword Art Online is amazing and here is why! This anime demonstrates how we should be looking at life through the lens of eternity.  Confused? Allow me to clarify if you have not seen it yet.  A new game, Sword Art Online (SAO), that is a fully immersive Role Playing Game (RPG) has just been released and gamers are checking it out.  However, they are not able to exit the game.  As it turns out they are locked in and the only way to escape is to beat the game to get back to the real world. Oh and if they die in the game, they die in the real world... (bum bum BUUUUUUUMMMM!!!!!) So the goal is clear: to beat all the levels and make it to the end of the game. How does this relate to our life/faith you may ask? If you look in the Bible there is the constant struggle of being too focused on what is happening around you in life that you can forget what I like to call The Eternal Reality . Jesus gave a reminder that it is God that can destroy not just the body, but the soul...

Not going to lie, Nightcrawler is one of my favourite X-Men.  For people who might not know Nightcrawler other than being the demon looking mutant might ask why I would like such a person?  To me, he is the embodiment of the phrase "you should not judge a book by its cover, but by his heart and deeds". Every time I think of this hero I think of 1 Samuel 16:7 "Man judges by the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." He may look demonic, but he is a man of faith and one of the most notable men of faith in comics (write in the comments below for who are some other ones...) Lately, I have been reading a series featuring our blue skinned friend that shows his impact on others in the mutant community; with the most common response that he is the "kindly one." Now you might not think that is a trait to have as a hero, particularly an X-Man in light of what they have had to face in the past.  But Nightcrawler is always known for being willing to hel...

Do you sometimes need something to give you peace in the midst of the craziness of life? Like, just put on some tunes and tune out some of the difficulties you are facing for a time.  It seems like this is what the Spider crew (Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and even Stan Lee) do!  Miles Morales listens to his beats while fighting crime, as if it gives him some clarity and focus.  One of my favourite scenes in Spider-Man: Homecoming was the fight in the library where Stan Lee has no idea of what is going on because he is just listening to his jam. Wouldn't it be nice to go through life like that? To have that peace of mind in the midst of our struggles that we just walk in absolute peace.  Well this is the kind of peace that God offers us in Psalm 46.  The whole chapter is really a demonstration that when everything else is uncertain and chaotic, God is the one who is in control.  Really it is summed up in this verse "Be still and know that I am God." (verse 10...

Now you may be looking at this and say to yourself..."What on earth is this thing?" This my friend is a 20 sided die or more often called a "D20" within the nerd world.  A D20 can be used in a variety of ways, but its most common use is determining if a character makes a successful action during a role-play game. For example: If you were a character in a game and you wanted to see if you could lift a heavy object (say a table), you would have to roll a D20 to determine how well or poorly you do this. And if you do very poorly there might be some consequences to your decision (character might get injured). In life we may not be making decisions or determine how well we do something via a dice roll, but we do feel the sting of failure.  Everyday can feel like we are constantly being asked to roll the die to see how well our efforts impact the world around us.  However, the Bible says that we are already at a failing roll or a critical fail (Romans 3:23) and that impac...

Captain America's shield is pretty incredible, but that vibranium disk is still not strong enough to stop the worst villain ever. I'm not talking about Thanos, Hyperion, Ultron, or Doctor Doom. Mankind's ultimate villain is Satan himself. There are many fun parallels between superheroes and reality, but when it comes to the devil there is no make believe. It's common for people to doubt the existence of God, but it is rare to doubt the existence of Satan. Scripture describes him as an angel of light that long ago desired to take God's glory for himself, resulting in banishment from Heaven. In retaliation Satan seeks to destroy God's most beloved: his children. So if Satan is stronger than us, what hope do we have? A 400 year old Christian devotional says this:  "Grace is called "the armor of light" (Romans 13:12). It is light for beauty, and armour for defense. A Christian has armour of God's making, which cannot be shot through. He has the sh...

Fred, is THE nerd among nerds! He is a guy who passionately loves comics, science, and the potential for science to make his comic imagination a reality.  However, the most wonderful thing about Fred is that he is weird, always having his head in the comic realm and connecting it to what is going on around him. Literally, nerding out about everything: so weird and yet so inspiring.  It is actually in seeing his vantage point on life that inspires the Big Hero 6 team to become superheroes. In Philippians 4:8&9, there is such a vision to aspire to in our lives.  It may not be comic oriented, but it is based on values we can see: truth, honour, purity, admirability, excellence , etc. These verses give us a push for something to have laser focus on that impacts our daily lives.  And in the midst of having that focus we can then be an inspiration to those around us and share our vantage point to help them. So be a Fred! Embrace standing by sharing how you see the worl...

 Mercy is the best support hero in Overwatch! There, I said it! But here is the reason why. Mercy's main weapon, really isn't a weapon; it is a ray wand that either boosts your team's fire power in the battle or brings major healing when they are getting hit. In fact, the only thing that is even offensive in her capabilities his her hand gun that is very rarely used. We should be a lot like Mercy as a support to those around us.  Jesus was like that and was really the demonstrator of that.  He was always healing people (physically, emotionally, spiritually), he was always aware of the needs of others and supporting them. After all, it was him that said, " Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." (Mark 2:17). And that comment was to the hardcore religious elite that were supposed to be doing this. So go out there, help those around you so you can say it like ...

The X-Men are mutants with special abilities that are often hated by the world. One reason is simply because people fear what they do not understand. In spite of this, X-Men do not hold the world's hatred in angst, instead they seek to save it from harm.  Christians are often hated by the world too. Living like Christ means Christians will stand out in a secular world. Once again people fear what they do not understand. In spite of this, Christians follow Jesus' command to "Love your enemies" and we seek to save the world from sin.  How about you? Do you fear what you don't understand? Or do you love beyond the hate?  

Hawks is the number 2 hero for a reason, he is there to catch you and push you to go! His amazing wings send out feathers that can catch you mid air or give you the momentum you need. No wonder why he is one of the fastest heroes out there! God is a levelled up version of Hawks and we see this in Isaiah 40:31.    That when we are in our worst moment and unable to save ourselves, He will catch us and support us to keep going.    He will lift us up on wings like an eagle and help propel us forward! Today, rest on His wings to propel you forward, to catch you when you are falling!

Batman has a colleague in fighting crime. In fact, when Batman broke his back, Azrael took his place. Actually I prefer him to Batman, and here's why! Originally named Jean Paul, this man was genetically modified to be part beast to act as an assassin, thus becoming the Avenging Angel. He was programmed to respond to triggers that would make him go berzerk when things go wrong. He learned that previous to him there were other Avenging Angels who ended up going completely mad - so he decides to fight against the beast inside of him and the system that put it there. He becomes Azrael. As Azrael fights against the triggers and the beast planted inside of him - much like the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 7. In our fight against sin, we subdue our sinful nature and become a new creation. In Christ we battle against sin and system that wants us to do wrong. Such beautiful story of redemption! Agree?

"He will save you with his victorious right hand".  This isn't a comic or superhero quote - its actually from an Old Testament prophet named Isaiah. Allmight is an anime character. He busts into the room and says" you don't have to worry because I am here". He would Carolina uppercut to the face (which is weird because he's from Japan but all his moves are  named after US states). However his power wasn't perfect. After 10 minutes of fighting he would cough up blood. He would smile while doing it so you wouldn't know his strength was waning. The point is that Allmight is nothing like the Allmighty! The prophet Isaiah was talking about God, who will never breakdown like the anime character does.