Tag: Michael Mercer

Equal-time Doctrine

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As the iPlates Kickstarter draws to a close, that other Book of Mormon comic is getting into the action.

Compared to iPlates, Michael Mercer’s From the Dust is as equal in ambition as it is different in intention and execution. Michael’s also set a waaaay more ambitious goal. Will it work? I don’t know. I do think the Kickstarter model makes more sense for them than their previous model, and I do think From the Dust is likely to be popular with a larger group of people; however, I also suspect Mercer’s built-in network is smaller and less familiar with the Kickstarter model. So gathering in almost ten thousand more dollars strikes me as an iffy proposition.

Best of luck, though! I’ve pledged my $25. I would love to own the books.

Sharing the new crop of Book of Mormon comics with my kids From the Dust

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[EDIT: Since this post was written, the outlinks have changed. Instead of clicking on anything headed to From the Dust‘s site, click here instead. Alas, most of the information I linked to is no longer available. So it goes. For more info, see the artist’s comment below or contact him through the new site.]

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One perk of being “the” recognized expert in Mormon comics is that every once in a while, people come to me and share what they’re working on. These past couple weeks, I’ve gotten all sorts of free swag in the mail from creators. The Book of Mormon stuff I’ll share with you now.

Today I’m writing about From the Dust; yesterday was iPlates (read). I read both for Family Home Evening last Monday (correction: I guess it was TWO Mondays ago now) with my three boys, aged three to nine.

From the Dust creator Michael Mercer was extremely generous in the package he sent. He sent a fullsized poster, themed playing cards, bookmarks, character cards—all sorts of stuff—and issue #0.

Unlike iPlates which is sold in an oversized book, From the Dust is printed and shaped and sized like a traditional comic book. You know, like Superman or Richie Rich or something. He sent it in a bag with a board just like the collector’s edition any #0 is presumed to be. If this were 1993 I imagine every Mormon teen with a sense for investment would be buying several copies to hoard for future resell.

No question #0 is a handsome comic book with its white cover. Open it up and the letter to “First Fan” includes a printed signature and wax seal (the Seal of Baruch). But not just that—Mercer has signed it again with an actual pen, and numbered it (my copy is 234/250). This is the sort of personal touch that I have to believe will endear early readers to him.

Assuming, of course, the work is worthy of such endearment. Continue reading “Sharing the new crop of Book of Mormon comics with my kids From the Dust”