Print

[crashryan]

Does anyone know anything about this comic? The art is quite good, but has a distinct 1920s-1930s look to it. It's odd that the book screeches to a halt on the last page without any attempt to pave the way for the next issue.

Link to the book: Life of Christ Visualized 1

[narfstar]

I do not know anything about this. I buy mostly to scan. I also try to get one comic from each GA publisher. I found this one from a publisher I did not have so I had to get it. I also got Debbie Dean because I needed a book from that publisher.

[lsgoacher]

The Life of Christ Visualized was a series of Bible comic books published by Standard Publishing, Cincinnati, OH in 1942 and 1943. There are three volumes on the Life of Christ, one on Parables, two which cover the book of Acts, one each on Joseph and Esther.   In 1970, the company combined the three volumes of the life of Christ and the one on Parables into one edition.   The book was not printed after that.
However, the original book art (for the three vol. on the Life of Christ) was sold in 2003 to a company in Thailand, Actsco Printing, Inc., which prints translated copies for mission use in SE Asia.  To date, it has been printed in about a dozen languages, both mainsteam and tribal, and used in Thailand and Myanmar (Burma).  Upcoming translations printed are for Khmer (Cambodia), Indonesia, and later in 2016, Japan.  Permission is being sought from Standard Publishing for a wider range of use and also reprinting in English.
It is a wonderfully simple telling of the story.
There is another book by this same name written by Ray E. Baughman (Moody Press), which is a teacher's resource of charts, pictures, timelines.  It is not a storybook.

[narfstar]

The book has been moved to the suspect folder. Based on your research Isogoacher, it is still in print. I can not find any copyright renewal so it may still be PD. We need to check further.

[crashryan]

Thank you, Isgoacher, for the background on this book. I guess no one has identified the artist? I get the strong impression he was, like H.C. Kiefer, trained in the late teens or early twenties, developing solid drawing abilities with a style that was somewhat old-fashioned by the 1940s.

[MarkWarner]

And after a bit of investigation the elves have moved it back again

[narfstar]

Great because I have the second book coming. I could not find a renewal on the original but the company appears to be maintaining rights, at least in its own mind.

[lsgoacher]

The Editor for the series was Dorothy Fay Foster.
I am unable to find an artist listed for the three volumes of the Life of Christ Visualized.  Anthony Abruzzo illustrated the book "Parables Jesus Told" and the book the Life of Esther (Visualized).    They are my favorites of all the books in artwork and have a distinct flavor and brilliant color .... 
Another artist, Fred D. Lohman, illustrated the two volumes on New Testament Heroes (the Book of Acts), and William E. Fay illustrated the volume on The Life of Joseph (Visualized). 
The copyright issue is interesting in that Standard Publishing has not relinquished it to Public Domain but retains the artwork except for Volumes 1-3, which I have already reported was sold to a printing company for mission use.  I am told the original artwork has aged so much that scanning and digitally enhancing are being used to improve the printing process.  The books are funded through mission organizations and given away.  They are not sold commercially.
Books are beginning to be more scarce and more expensive, but I have been able to buy from both Amazon.com and Ebay in the past.
Requests for reprint in English have been made repeatedly to Standard Publishing, without being granted.  At present, I'm not sure how that can be accomplished stateside.
So pleased to get to share this information!

[venturesmodel]

This is a super topic-----religious comics-----thanks for all the well-researched copyright information. Of the 16 religious titles that are part of this site, can anyone shed any light on which of the 16 titles are definitely public domain? (Maybe, even ALL of them??!!!) And also----since the info was posted in 2016 on the status of LIFE OF CHRIST--3 books--any new 2017 info on the public domain status of this title-----or any of the other religious STANDARD PUBLISHING titles? Thanks again, grateful for the research!

[narfstar]

The religious titles should be PD if posted on the site, especially if they are from one of the many companies that are all pd

[venturesmodel]

Very helpful and well-researched info on these books in this post! Would anyone have any more info on the two 1-shots, LIFE OF ESTHER VISUALIZED and PARABLES JESUS TOLD? The visual art in these books is believed to be...or proven to be...public domain? Would the rule/statute be: if the books weren't renewed after the 28 years (law at that time?) then they for sure enter into public domain?

[narfstar]

Anything before 1964 had to be renewed