New York, NY—In a bold step that meets the demands of the growing market for transmedia intellectual properties in the Christian marketplace, Thomas Nelson publishers is proud to announce the launch of VITAL SHIFT, a publishing initiative which focuses on titles for consumers 18-34 years old. Announced today at New York Comic Con, VITAL SHIFT debuts with an impressive commitment to the market, with forthcoming announcements of seven graphic novel series releasing between now and 2019.
The creative team lead by Chip Brown, Senior Vice President and Publisher at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, has been following the interest and demand for several years, testing the waters with the 2012 release of The Book of Revelation, which sold 20,000 units in its first six weeks of release, immediately outselling every other graphic novel on Amazon except Image Comic's The Walking Dead, which had the benefit of its corresponding season three premiere on AMC television network just two weeks earlier.
"Four out of five Americans and one of every three people on earth are self-described Christians, all of whom have an inherent thirst for the Bible and Biblical stories. The market's recent and forthcoming print products, Bible feature films, television mini-series and even game shows are all aiming to quench that thirst," states Brown, adding, "We want writers, artists and filmmakers to know they have a place to come collaborate with like-minded people at the industry's leading publishing house, to develop innovative ways that help more people engage the Bible."
VITAL SHIFT launches with the official release of Messiah: Origin, the foundational account of the man who changed the world forever. The book sets the tone for VITAL SHIFT at an impressive scale. Translated by Mark Arey exclusively from ancient Greek manuscripts, Messiah: Origin weaves the four gospels into one story. Arey's lifetime of deep study and biblical training, paired with the 288 illustrations of Lucasfilm Prize-winning artist Kai Carpenter, create a gloriously detailed telling of the Savior's birth and early life up to the start of his ministry. Adapted and edited into graphic novel form by Matt Dorff (Book of Revelation), with letters and title design by Carlton Riffel, Origin creates a journey into the history told in scripture, unique in both story and accuracy.
"Our early market success in pairing the scriptures with illustrations in a graphic novel format is encouraging and we are grateful to be working with such gifted creative talent,” explains Brown. "Messiah: Origin is high-quality, hand painted fine art, worthy of gallery presentation, and there are over 288 rich illustrations throughout the book. This is just the first series we've announced today, but there are many more already in our development pipeline, all slated to release under the VITAL SHIFT publishing initiative.”
VITAL SHIFT is showcasing Messiah: Origin and The Book of Revelation at New York Comic Con, the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. Continuing today through October 13 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan, NYCC has been ranked by Crain's New York Business as the second largest event in New York City. The Javits Center is located at 655 West 24th Street, New York, New York. VITAL SHIFT will be showcased at booth 2125.
