Spire Christian Comics

From Hey Kids Comics

File:HartleyArchie.jpg
Archie's One Way, a typical comic book by Al Hartley.

Spire Christian Comics was a line of comic books published by Fleming H. Revell starting in 1972. In 1981 Hugh Revell Barbour started his own company, Book Bargains, which soon became Barbour & Company. Barbour acquired the rights to republish many of the titles in the Spire Christian Comics line under the NEW Barbour Christian Comics imprint, keeping the comics in print until 1988.

Most of the Spire Comics were written and drawn by Al Hartley, who was working for Archie Comics at the time. Due to this connection, he was able to get permission to use the Archie characters in many of the comics.

Other comics were based on true stories, Christian novels, or Christian movies. Examples of this type include those based on Charles Colson's Born Again, Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place, and a modernized version of Charles Sheldon's 1896 novel In His Steps.

The comics were created from 1972 and 1982, and kept in print for several years.

List of titles[edit | edit source]

Archie Series[edit | edit source]

Bible Story Adaptations[edit | edit source]

  • Adam & Eve (modernised story)
  • Alpha and Omega (modernised Adam and Eve/Jonah story)
  • Jesus (also published as He's the Greatest!)
  • Live It Up (also published as The Prodigal Son)
  • My Brother's Keeper (modernised story of Joseph)
  • Noah's Ark
  • Paul: Close Encounter of a Real Kind (modernised story of Paul of Tarsus)

Biographical and Autobiographical[edit | edit source]

Kiddies Christian Comics[edit | edit source]

  • Barney Bear: Family Tree
  • Barney Bear: Home Plate!
  • Barney Bear in Toyland
  • Barney Bear: Lost and Found
  • Barney Bear Out of the Woods
  • Barney Bear: Sunday School Picnic
  • Barney Bear: The Swamp Gang
  • Barney Bear Wakes Up!
  • God Is...

Other Book/Movie Adaptations[edit | edit source]

  • Adventure with the Brothers: The Cult Escape
  • Adventure with the Brothers: Smashing the Smugglers' Ring
  • Adventure with the Brothers: Hang in There
  • Hal Lindsey's There's A New World Coming
  • In His Steps
  • Time to Run
  • Joseph T. Bayly's The Gospel Blimp

Resources[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]