Read This Too: Spire Comics In His Steps

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the initials WWJD were popping up everywhere. They stood for, as we all know by now, What Would Jesus Do? It was meant to get Christians and non-Christians to think of what Jesus would do as we all know he would do the right thing.
What may surprise some of you is that movement didn’t really start a few years ago. It started in 1896 when Charles Monroe Sheldon published his book In His Steps. The original name of the book was In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? It is one of the best selling novels of all time. In 1964 it was made into a movie and in 1977 Christian Comics pioneer Al Hartley adapted it for comic books for Spire Christian Comics.
Mr. Hartley’s own life would make a great Christian novel. He is the son of Congressman Hartley who is one of the creators of the Taft-Hartley act. He started gaining fame as a cartoonist in the 1950’s when he drew the long running character Patsy Walker for Atlas. The company changed its name later to Marvel and it was hitting its stride with superheroes. The Patsy Walker series was coming to an end and Mr. Hartley now tried his hand at writing and drawing stories for the characters Thor, Iron Man and Giant Man.
As talented as he was that didn’t work out and he found his style more suited for comics like Archie where he was now starting to hang his hat. He was also doing the art for a mostly nude character titled The Adventures of Pussycat. In the midst of all of this Mr. Hartley, and eventually his whole family, became a born again Christian. He resigned from drawing The Adventures of Pussycat. However, his new Christian beliefs started to creep into his stories that he wrote and drew for Archie comics. The publishers asked that he cut back on that and he respected their wishes.
Soon he teamed up with Christian publisher Fleming H. Revell to start Spire Christian Comics. He felt that Archie and his gang were still wonderful characters in which to spread God’s word and prayed about it and then asked the president of Archie comics, John H. Goldwater, if Spire could use the characters. He wasn’t sure how that meeting would turn out as Goldwater was Jewish but he knew God was in control and trusted Him. God must have felt the same as Goldwater gave his ok for Spire to use them.
Since then Spire became more known for their Archie Christian Comics. But they still did others. They did the Barney Bear children’s comic book series and they turned many Christian novels and movies into comic books.
It was in this form that I was introduced to the book In His Steps. Around that time I also saw the movie but here I want to focus on the comic book.
Now each new form of the story adapts it to modern times for when it is produced. The 1970’s is well represented but usually very little change is needed. Each time it starts with a man hitchhiking or walking through town. He doesn’t like the way he is treated and on Sunday he interrupts the regular service. He walks up and ask why he was treated this way? What would Jesus do? The man is not in good health and passes out. They take him to the Preachers home. There he tells his story and quietly passes away.

The next week the Preacher tells that the man died but he got the Preacher to thinking. He challenges his congregation to start asking themselves in their daily lives what would Jesus do? The rest of the story shows how the answers change the lives of the people and that town.

A newspaper publisher stops taking ads in his paper for strip joints. A businessman stops giving kick backs to the Mayor. A television show producer stops the women on his shows from wearing skimpy dresses and he cleans up the language in the scripts. Spoiled rich kids start helping take care of the poor.
The choices they make change them all. A university president becomes a politician. The businessman gets better jobs once he stops the kickbacks. One of the kids starts singing at church and becomes a famous gospel singer.
Not everything is all roses. One of the kids that become a Christian is killed when the opposition for the politician gets out of hand at a rally. A preacher is almost mugged leaving a service.
Of all the comics Spire published I think this version of In His Steps is their best. Al Hartley’s art is terrific. The story and the way that he adapts it show that just by doing what you think Jesus would do doesn’t always mean that the path would be a rosy one to follow. If you can find this in your local comic shop in the back issues or the dollar bin pick it up to read it. Pick any of the Spire books up and you won’t be disappointed.
Below are links to other blogs taking part in the Read This Too crossover.

Interested in reading more? Good! Check out the
lesser-known titles reviewed in these other blogs and "Read Them,
Too!":


Adam Strange at It's A Dan's World

American Vampire at Doom Patrol

The Unwritten at K-Squared Ramblings

Booster Gold and Zatanna at Red Tornado's Path

Essential Man-Thing at Firestorm Fan

Forgetless at Girls Gone Geek

Franklin Richards digests at Once Upon a Geek

Glamourpuss at Being Carter Hall

Peter David's Hulk at Fortress of Baileytude

Jonah Hex at Boosterrific

Scott Pilgrim at Toyriffic

Son of Tomahawk and Thor the Mighty Avenger at Aquaman Shrine

Spelljammer at HeroPress

Spire Christian Comics at Mail It To Team-Up

Strange Science Fantasy at Siskoid's Blog of Geekery

R.E.B.E.L.S. at Indigo Tribe

Astro City at Speed Force

Welcome to Tranquility at Girls Gone Geek