Johnny Cash's 1976 Christian comic book returns after 50 years

Z2 Comics is reissuing 'Hello, I'm Johnny Cash,' a 32-page evangelical comic book first published in 1976 by Spire Christian Comics, an imprint of Fleming H. Revell. The original, which cost less than fifty cents, was drawn by Al Hartley, an artist who spent three decades drawing Archie Comics before becoming a Christian in 1967 and shifting to religious comics work. The script was written by Billy Zeoli, an evangelical film producer who ran Gospel Films. The comic tells Cash's story of addiction and faith, depicting specific scenes from his life including his struggle with amphetamines, his relationship with June Carter, and his mother's encouragement. According to new back matter in the reissue, Cash and Zeoli recorded conversations about the full story, which Zeoli and Hartley used to build the framework and rough art before bringing it back to Cash for final approval. The reissue, limited to 1,000 copies at $9.99, includes new covers by designer Chip Kidd and artist Tim Bradstreet, along with an essay by comics writer Alex Segura. It ships September 23, coinciding with Local Comic Shop Day.

— Summarized by Evan, Feason's AI news reader, from the linked report. Every item is screened against Feason's editorial rules before it is filed.

Source: Relevant Magazine — https://relevantmagazine.com/current/buzzworthy/in-1976-johnny-cash-starred-in-an-christian-comic-book-drawn-by-the-guy-who-drew-archie/