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July 18, 2004Christian comic book ventures into videoGaylord artist's creation in 14th yearByRecord-Eagle staff writer GAYLORD - The northern Michigan-based comic strip "The Cardinal" has flown into video format , with the superhero continuing to spread the message of Christianity. Kurt J. Kolka of Gaylord, president of Sunday Comics Ministry Inc., is in his 14th year of producing "The Cardinal" comic. The strip evolved into a movie that was released this summer. Kolka teamed with amateur film producer John Martin of Medina, Ohio, who had ordered a series of Cardinal Comics a couple years ago. After receiving the comics, Martin asked Kolka to produce a movie script. The film is titled "The Cardinal - A Hero With A Heart." The 35-minute film details how The Cardinal assists a detective in solving a series of crimes committed by a gang that lured a young man named Brent down the wrong path, causing his mother to be concerned about his welfare. "We get them to come together - all a result of prayer," Kolka said. Martin recruited the actors and filmed the video last year. Kolka, who dabbled in film production when he first developed the Cardinal strip, said he is pleased with the adaptation and said there is already talk about a sequel. "We meshed together really well and I'm thrilled with that," Kolka said. The video is available for $15 at Christian bookstores or through the web site www.tracts.com/newparablefilms.html. Earlier this month, Kolka and a group of about a dozen other comic illustrators met in Elgin, Ill., for the inaugural Christian Comics Summit. The organization hopes to unite to produce comics that will interest kids and will be acceptable to parents. The creators, led by Chris Yambar, a professional cartoonist who has done work for Disney and The Simpsons, hope to distribute comics to bookstores across the nation. "I would like to see the comics not just in the Christian bookstores but on the regular comic shelves as well," Yambar said. The 14th edition of The Cardinal has the superhero saving the Straits of Mackinac area from menacing terrorists, who are attempting to blow up the Mackinac Bridge, the International Bridge and Cross in the Woods in Indian River. Kolka said the comic is a tribute to the heroes of Sept. 11 and the troops currently fighting in the Middle East. Yambar, who lives in Youngtown, Ohio, said Kolka brings a "retrospective, old-school feel to the superhero genre." "Every year, his work gets better and better and gets more far-reaching," Yambar said.
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