“We’re all looking for real heroes we can believe in.”
Art Ayris, Kingstone Comics
World’s largest producer of inspiring comics and graphic novel media 

ORLANDO, FL, Oct. 4, 2016 – Arriving on the heels of the nation’s highest-selling month for comics in nearly two decades and a billion-dollar wave of blockbuster comics-based films, comes the world’s most comprehensive Bible in graphic novel form. With the help of illustrators and inkers holding Marvel and DC Comics pedigrees and Christian writers including New York Times best-selling author Randy Alcorn, The Kingstone Bible releases this month to a generation showing skyrocketing consumption of comics and declining Bible readership.

While recent data reveals the percentage of Bible skeptics in the US equals the percentage of “Bible engaged” for the first time, more than half (54%) of millennials say they “want to read the Bible more.” Kingstone creators believe this visually stunning, epic adaptation of the ultimate story of good and evil may be the ticket. The longest single graphic novel ever published, The Kingstone Bible will be available in print and digital versions (Oct. 18), animation (Jan. 2017), with Virtual Reality experiences in development.

Comics Readership Up, Bible Down

As a new generation of Americans discovers comics, they are simultaneously disengaging with Bible reading. In 2015, 32% of millennials reported never reading the Bible, with 48% of teens reporting reading the Bible “less than once a year or never.” Conversely, comics have enjoyed a 42% increase in sales over the last 5 years and a 56% increase over the past 15 years according to Chomicron.

Randy Alcorn, New York Times best-selling author and Kingstone contributor said “The potential for Bible-based comics is limitless and, to this point, largely untapped. This new format gives us the opportunity to reach a new generation.”

Veteran artist Danny Bulanadi of Captain America fame said of his Kingstone work, “Throughout my career in the comic book industry…nothing rivals the experience of giving life to stories that have impacted not only my life, but millions of others around the world.”

Facts and Stats:

At 2,000-pages, The Kingstone Bible is the longest non-serialized graphic novel ever published. It illustrates all 66 books from Genesis to Revelation and brings the entire Bible together into one continuous story. The book features more than 10,000 art panels. All images were done by hand with pen and ink by more than 45 industry-recognized artists including Kyle Hotz (Captain America, Dr. Strange, Spiderman), Christopher Ivy (Daredevil, Avengers and Hulk), and Emily Kanalz (Spiderman and X-Men). The Kingstone Bible will release in 3 formats in multiple languages: hardback, soft-back, and digitally, with virtual reality experiences in development.

The Kingstone Bible will be available in multiple languages through Kingstone.co and all major booksellers, beginning Oct. 18.

Over the last 10 years, sales of hundreds of thousands of print and digital versions of individual Kingstone comics like Jonah and Revelation have catapulted Kingstone into the position of the world’s leader in inspiring and biblically-based comics and graphic novels. The success has led Kingstone to launch animation with virtual reality experiences also in development, offering exciting biblical and scholastic historical content across diverse platforms. Kingstone comics are highly transcultural, with The Kingstone Bible licensed for over 300 languages in 95 countries. For more information, visit Kingstone.co.

NOTE TO EDITORS: High-res visuals and stats are available at http://alarryross.com/newsroom/kingstone. To arrange an interview with Kingstone authors, illustrators and founder Art Ayris, contact Zane Harrington at 972.267.1111 or Zane@alarryross.com. 

Sources: “Millennials and the Bible,” American Bible Society, pg. 30; “The Bible in America”, Barna, 2016; “State of the Bible 2015” American Bible Society, Chomicron.