Just in time for Easter, Storm Entertainment will release an exciting addition comic book biography catalogue chronicling the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Written by Michael Frizell and featuring art by Vincenzo Sansone, Faith Series: The Life of Pope Francis is a 25-page sequential art account of the childhood, training, and rise of the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church and first pope of the Americas, Pope Francis.
Released on March 23rd, the comic book will feature two collectible covers. One by famed artist Pablo Martinena and the other by Vincenzo Sansone.
As the “Pope of the People,” Pope Francis is famous for saying, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.” From his humble beginnings to the leader of the Catholic Church, the story of Pope Francis has maintained his status as one of us. It is his status that author Frizell found challenging.
“I hold much reverence for this pope,” said Frizell from his office at Missouri State University in Springfield. “Researching his life and ensuring I had well-documented facts from which to draw became paramount.” The comic book format proved to be a challenge when crafting the story. “Much has been written about this pope already. My task as the writer of creative nonfiction comic books is to present my subject in an entertaining manner while attending to the spirit of the truth of a moment I couldn’t have witnessed,” said Frizell.
Darren G. Davis, Storm Entertainment’s publisher and chief creative force, asks that the writers working for his company adhere to the mandate the books skew positive while offering factual information in an entertaining way. “It is my hope that readers come away with a sense of the richness of the lives of our subjects. I was once a reluctant reader, and I found early-on that comic books engaged me in ways other mediums didn’t.”
Frizell praises artist Sansone for his storytelling technique. “Vincenzo has a deft way of capturing the emotions I wanted to convey in the story, humanizing the scenes in ways that I’m sure will delight our readers,” he said. “It’s clear that he exhibited great care while crafting sequential artwork to compliment my script.”
The “Faith” series serves as a companion to Storm Entertainment’s successful “Female Force,” “Tribute,” “Orbit,” “Political Power,” and “Fame” series of creative nonfiction comic books. This is the second issue in the Faith series that tells the history of different religions and religious figures. Faith: Jesus Christ is in stores now.
The biography comic form allows Storm’s talented writers to delve into the history of certain newsworthy figures and explore the past, which shaped them. Storm Entertainment’s biographical comic books have been featured on CNN, The Today Show, FOX News, and in Time Magazine among thousands of others.
Faith Series: The Life of Pope Francis is available now for your e-reader from iTunes, Kindle, Nook, Trajectory, ComiXology, DriveThru Comics, Google Play, My Digital Comics, Overdrive, Iverse, Biblioboard, Flipkart, ComicBin,Axis360, Blio, Entitle, Comicblender, Kobo and wherever eBooks are sold. Print copies will be released on March 23, 2016 and can be ordered exclusively at ComicFleaMarket.com.