Voices for Voices®

Faith, Art, and Perseverance: Building a Christian Comic Book Universe | Ep 271

• Founder of Voices for Voices®, Justin Alan Hayes • Season 4 • Episode 271

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Faith, Art, and Perseverance: Building a Christian Comic Book Universe | Ep 271

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What happens when childhood passion meets spiritual purpose? Brian Bradley, the visionary behind Kingdom Comics, reveals the extraordinary journey that transformed his love for comic books into a thriving ministry that spreads the gospel through original superhero storytelling.

Bradley's story begins in the imaginative world of his youth, creating homemade comics with friends and distributing them to local libraries. Though life temporarily led him away from this creative outlet, an undeniable pull kept drawing him back. By 2003, what started as a one-person operation publishing a single comic book every year or two has evolved into a monthly publication featuring diverse creative talent from around the world.

"We're kind of like a Christian Marvel Comics," Bradley explains, distinguishing Kingdom Comics from traditional Bible story adaptations. Their original characters, superheroes, villains, and dynamic storylines embed the essence of the gospel while delivering the excitement and visual appeal that comic book enthusiasts crave. This innovative approach allows them to reach audiences who might not otherwise engage with faith-based content, using the universal language of the superhero genre to convey spiritual truths.

The path wasn't always smooth. Bradley speaks candidly about the perseverance required and the challenges of assembling the right team—a process of trial and error that eventually led to a cohesive group sharing his vision. "We all are pulling from the same rope," he reflects, attributing this alignment to divine guidance. His philosophy of "eyes of faith"—visualizing the end result before it materializes—has been instrumental in navigating obstacles and maintaining focus through difficult periods.

Today, Kingdom Comics offers an impressive catalog of over 130 different comic books through their app on both Apple and Android platforms. With diverse titles including The Anointed Seven, Kingdom Comics Presents, and several others, they continue to expand their creative universe while staying true to their core mission. "My life is not for Brian Bradley," he shares. "My life is for God to use me to reach others using my talents and my gifts."

Ready to explore this unique blend of faith and superhero storytelling? Visit kingdomcomicsonline.com to download their app and discover why Kingdom Comics has become a powerful voice in both the Christian and comic book communities.

Chapter Markers

0:00 Introducing Brian Bradley of Kingdom Comics

2:08 Origins of Kingdom Comics

4:36 Faith and Purpose Behind the Work

8:40 Perseverance and Project Management

13:03 Building the Right Team

15:12 Passion for Comic Book Art and Stories

21:24 Supporting Dreams and Recognizing Talents

25:44 Kingdom Comics App and Publications

#ChristianComics #FaithAndArt #ComicBookUniverse #PerseveranceInFaith #ChristianCreativity #ArtInspiration #ComicBookArtists #FaithBasedMedia #CreativeJourney #BuildingAUniverse #StorytellingWithPurpose #GodInComics #IllustratedFaith #NicheComics #ArtisticExpression #TikTok #Instagram #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion

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Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. I'm your host, founder of Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes. We are excited to have you with us, as you have been with our covering and just hitting that 270 total episode mark on our way to 300 in studio, out of studio episodes combined, by the end of 2025. The guests that we have are powerful, they're inspirational, uh, and they're just like you, you and I and this episode, uh, as well as uh, we'll be going to part two with the guests we have with us on this particular show is really amazing. I'm just learning more about him here and kind of the research leading up to our discussion really blown away that he's taking time out of his day to be with us and to talk and share and all that. So you may know him as the founder or president of Kingdom Comics. He is Brian Bradley and, brian, we want to thank you so much for taking time out of your day for joining us and just thank you.

Brian Bradley:

Well, thank you for having me on. It's an honor for me to actually come on here and talk about Kingdom.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Comics. Maybe for me and our viewers and listeners that may not be as familiar with you and your story and how you got your start, your inspiration for the work that you do, if you'd be able to maybe start kind of on the early years and how that progressed.

Brian Bradley:

Well, kingdom Comics actually began in 2003. At that time it was just me, by myself. I would publish maybe one comic book every year, every two years, really, really, really part-time. Over the years I brought in other creators and right now we're publishing monthly. So we have a creative team of different writers and artists really all over the world contribute to the different books that we publish. But it started with me all by myself, like I said, in 2003.

Brian Bradley:

It was a decision I made because I wanted to glorify God and use my talents, and something that I wanted to do even prior to that, because as a child I always wanted to be a comic book artist. So over the years I kind of dabbled with that, a little bit here, a little bit there. Even when we were children, my friends and I we used to kind of make little comic books and at one point we even used to distribute them to the local libraries and local comic book stores. So it was a very small time. Then I got away from it, but along about 1999 and then 2000, I decided I wanted to start to do actual, real comic books and do it on my own as a self-publisher. And there's been some highs, there's been some lows, but I stuck with it. And right now and there's been some highs, there's been some lows, but I stuck with it. And right now, like I said, we're publishing every month.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

That's great and I think for really anybody. They're never too old to dream, they're never too old to kind of go after something that they may have been interested in, and even individuals that are on the younger side of the spectrum watching and listening to families. That you know, if you dream it, and it's something that you have a passion and an interest which I sense from you with. You know, sticking with something that's longer has been something more than just you know the paycheck and stuff there has to be. You know that emotional involvement, the tie in with God and the faith.

Brian Bradley:

I tell people during Kingdom Comics or anything you love, oftentimes it's a labor of love because the returns don't necessarily come back right away as far as financially, but you still get labor at it anyway because you love it. Oftentimes the return is just seeing the completed product and, in my case, the satisfied customer who come back for more. Ultimately, of course, this is a ministry and really sowing seeds of the gospel through our comic books. And I emphasize, our comic books are not Bible stories, they are original characters, original storylines. I tell people we're kind of like a Christian Marvel comics. So we got all the superheroes, you got the supervillains, you got the dynamics between characters that we've made up, fictional characters. But the essence of the gospel is represented in all the subject matter of our books. It's just from a different stance.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah, and for many viewers and listeners that don't have that upbringing you touched on it but just really emphasize you know how how important that that is that that probably is a big part of you know when you wake up every day and when, when you, when you go to work, that it's not just Brian Bradley Kingdom Comics, it's again, it's a, it's a higher power, somebody that is really guiding this and ministries for him and for his kingdom.

Brian Bradley:

We're ambassadors, all of us, and we've given our life to the Lord. He doesn't take us to heaven right away. There's a purpose for us here on the earth and part of our purpose is to fulfill our gift, our callings, by using our gifts and talents, and that way he works through us. And, yeah, we are here on assignment and we are ambassadors, and it's important to remember that. You know, my life is not for Brian Bradley. My life is for God to use me to reach others using my talents and my gifts, and I've been blessed to this point to really be. They're all pretty much fully manifested right now. Everything he's given me, everything he's, I believe, made me to be, I mean as far as a husband and a father, but also in terms of the gifts and the talents which he's given me, and this is Kingdom Comics.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah, and there's so many different aspects of comics. Just that whole process of, as you mentioned, you have the characters and they got their profiles and that's like one side, and then the story for a particular comic and who they're interacting with, and and all that. Then you have you mentioned, like you know, the illustrator and there's a lot, of, a lot of moving pieces. So there's uh I I would think that you know a good amount of project management and uh, in the scheme of, uh, you know getting all the pieces together and obviously that takes time.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

It doesn't happen overnight and I've run into this myself is you have an idea, you have thoughts, and it may not manifest until that first tangible thing for six months or a year or two years, and it's hard to talk about that to individuals that I don't want to say they're not entrepreneurial, but you know you have to. You can get really into the nuts and bolts of it, Like you know. Well, why are you doing this thing today? Well, because it is going to have an impact and it's going to be needed in a month or six months, and so perseverance, I think, is huge, especially when you're managing, like, those different pieces of like hey, I could give up right now, like you know, because so-and-so's behind and I got this deadline and that deadline Can you talk about? You know that perseverance and you know how you kind of manage those pieces.

Brian Bradley:

Eyes of faith, the ability to see something before it manifests. When you work on a project, you have to see the end result. So that has helped me, knowing that what I'm striving for we're going to bring it to pass, that what I'm striving for we're going to bring it to pass, and with our artists and with our writers, I mean at this point we're flowing, so we don't really struggle too much with knowing that we're going to have a comic book every month. We just have done it long enough now to where we trust the process. Originally it was a little bit more of a challenge because it was just me, by myself, but even then I could still see the end as I began and I kind of kept my focus on and still, you know, every goal before me. I keep my eyes on the end project. So, and I believe, and I have faith, that we're going to bring everything to pass, and it does, it comes to pass.

Brian Bradley:

As far as you know, we now, like I've said, we publish comic books regularly. We publish actual, physical, real life comic books. And what you gotta stick with you gotta, you have to. You know the Bible says you have to count the cost and you have to know what you're doing and what it's gonna cost you. You have to be prepared to pay that cost. But if you are, I think God is faithful and he will bring to pass what he's called you to do. You just have to stick with it.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah, so beautifully said, and having that faith and believing in the times of despair, yeah, you have to have those eyes and that goal, that kind of bullseye, like here's where we're going and there's going to be a bunch of different pieces and little things, administrative things, that we might not think about, like, oh well, if we want to have a trademark on a particular character, a particular series, there's paperwork and there's a process and that could take a certain amount of time.

Brian Bradley:

And you need more than just yourself. Also, the pieces have to fit together to where you have your artists, your writers, but you also have your administrative people and all that. It all has to fit together, because none of us is called to do the whole thing by ourselves, especially something like Kingdom Comics. I could never do this all by myself, and I knew that. But the Lord has provided people and is yet providing people, and it's moving. It's not stagnant, we are moving.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah, and so I'm just thinking. So trust in, obviously, trust in the Lord, but trust in those individuals who are part of your team, absolutely part of your team, absolutely. Did that come easy and natural, or did it take time?

Brian Bradley:

Because for me it's taken some time. Yeah, it takes time. I mean, over the years there have been several individuals who I thought you know maybe were perfect fits for Kingdom Counting and they turned out not to be. And you know, you come across a lot of different people and sometimes that can become discouraging, but in it all there are right now those who are part of Kingdom Con, who should be, but it wasn't easy. You go through a lot of different people and it can be discouraging, but right now I think the right people are in place and people who I trust, people who I've worked with now for several years, and you know, we all are pulling from the same rope and again I attribute that to God. I contributed to him providing the right people. I contributed to him providing the right people, and sometimes it's not who I expect it to be and sometimes people who I expect to be a part of Kingdom Comics are not.

Brian Bradley:

But as of today, we've got a good little team.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

This is our place. Yeah, and, like you said, you're all pulling from the same rope. However, whatever it took to get there, but that's where you're at and you have that sense of peace at this point. But, again, it's taken some time. That it's not. You know, I win the lottery and all of a sudden, like boom, the people just show up, and then you're yeah, yeah.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

So what excites you the most about comics? The fact that as a young boy, that was something that you were interested in and you know it continues to this day. I mean I'm thinking for myself. I mean I wanted to be an astronaut and all these, you know, just big things and they, one reason or another, didn't, didn't happen, and I think that they're all in again. Everything's in God's time and and for him, I guess, what, what's? What's that like today of of kind of realizing that, wow, I was able to kind of keep things. You know, keep your mind on the prize, I think, is what you meant.

Brian Bradley:

Well, I like the visual art as a kid. By the time I became an adolescent the story started to hit. I used to love the X-Men. I just I fell in love with the X-Men. I mean, when I was a small boy I liked the art of Superman, the art of Batman. But when I hit adolescence I kind of came back to comic books and it was because of the X-Men and I just I fell in love with the storylines. I fell in love with the writing.

Brian Bradley:

I think that I'm probably more of a writer than an artist I do both. But I really relate to some of those stories back then the Dark Phoenix saga, the Brood, the X-Men storyline dealing with the brood. That really really got me into comic books more more than ever, and just the years that followed I kept up with it. I don't keep up as much with secular comic books now. I think they kind of veered off and they do different subjects and I just I don't, I don't fool with. I mean I would like to. I've picked up an x-men comic book here and there, but the writing and storylines I can't get into them anymore. But in the 80s, 90s, yeah, and to be able to do that now. Um, it's a blessing, you know I I enjoy being able to write comic books and then publish our own stuff now and even do a little bit of the artwork.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

So it's, it's a, it's a satisfying thing is the artwork yeah, is it can you just maybe explain, like on a high level, how uh I mean the artwork? Obviously you're, you're, you gotta imagine it and and think about it and then put it on on paper. Is that something that, because of all those details, that that uh was that an interest, that you always had that aspect, and then you're just uh able to get into that now, because I know for myself, I love art. I, you know, love going to the, you know art galleries and and just enjoy it. But when I think of like, oh my gosh, like I don't even know where I would have started with one character, one person you know, for you know, maybe that you know that person out there that's thinking like, yeah, I really enjoy this, but you know I draw stick figures.

Brian Bradley:

Well, enjoy what you do. I mean, I look at some of my artwork, even from a few years ago. I think it's terrible and if you go back to way back childhood this doesn't look good at all. But when I did it I enjoyed it. I enjoyed every step of it. I enjoyed the stick figures. I enjoyed when I learned how to draw muscles a little bit, I learned how to draw backgrounds. So every step of the way, even though now I can look at it and think this isn't, this isn't very good, I still and I always enjoy to draw. So as long as I have that joy and I can see the progress, that's also the inspiration when you can see your own progress. So it keeps me going yeah.

Brian Bradley:

I think that's true with probably anything. So when you can see your own progress with anything, that kind of inspires you to keep going because you know you're getting better.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Have you always been able to be grounded where you're able to be in that moment? Because I can just at least think in my mind that how focused one would have to be, whether it's the artwork or the story or the character profiles. Is it easy for you to be in that moment of being present? Or is that just something over the years that your mind kind of knows like, hey, when I'm getting ready to do this, you know I'm going to go to my spot and my mind just going to know it's time to focus?

Brian Bradley:

I never knew I was going to do this until my adult years. A lot of it as a child was just fun, just messing around with it, but I always came back to it and in that sense I was more grounded in it than I realized, because it was always something in me that would pull me back to it. And even when I wasn't particularly interested in going in this direction, even when I had other goals and thoughts, I would always be drawn back. Pardon the pun. Come back to Kingdom Comics, or not even Kingdom Comics, I would always come back to drawing comic books. Sometimes I would just scribble or just draw a superhero, but it was always in me.

Brian Bradley:

So I don't know if there's ever really been a time when it wasn't, even if I didn't realize it at any, really been a time when it wasn't, even if I didn't realize it at any given time, even when I was doing other stuff. I think the interest. It wouldn't take much to spark that interest. I've had friends who would be like, hey, you want to do a comic book? And out of the clear blue I'd be like, yeah, of course. So it was always there, even if I didn't realize it was there. But I guess as a child I hoped to be this, but during the adolescent years and whatnot, you really didn't think that was logical to one day have your own comic book, the desire was there, but at some point I was like that's illogical, why am I going to do comic books?

Brian Bradley:

I have my own comic book company. That doesn't make any sense, but it was always there.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

One of the experiences I have is being in that mindset without almost knowing you're in that mindset.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

An example we did a mission trip a couple of years ago to Ukraine, took some humanitarian supplies over, went over and kind of lived with the people for a few days and was able to interview a couple of people one in the legislature.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

But when I got back one of the biggest questions was like well, how did you know you wanted to do that? Like how did your mind? Because I was just made aware of the opportunity maybe a week and a half before I ended up going and so it really wasn't on the radar. I had another trip in Western Europe that was planned and so that was kind of like my cover story for my family, because just for safety things and my wife would not let me get on the plane and all those things. And so when I got back people asked why did you do this and how did you know when? And we had a guest on. He's Ukrainian descent. He lives in Ohio, he teaches at a university, and so I had him on the show and we're just talking about his background, his experience of being Ukrainian and all the you know, just the craziness and things that the with the war going on.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And it was after we had finished our conversation I mean, we're still on on zoom, but it wasn't recording, um, it just came up and I said how can people help? And he said, well, they can donate to this organization and this helps get humanitarian and military and all those things. And he's like, well, I don't know what your schedule is like, but if you want to bring your show over and you, you know, get a couple interviews and just you know, get, get some. You know, just like some short tick tocks and videos of you know being being here. And so I started to think and I was like you know what? Like I think I might do it.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

I didn't know how I was going to do it. I know I was going to manage it, that manage that, uh, but it was, it was the seed, was already in my mind for something like that. It doesn't have to be ukraine, but just something of service. Like for me, when opportunities come up, if they're uh, I always say if it doesn't bang, if it's not going to bankrupt me and my family, and yeah, that was super dangerous and there were were missile strikes and counter missiles to take them out, and so all that was going on. I was kind of living that. But I kind of hearkened that a little bit too with you, that the comic books, that was kind of like I was already embedded in your mind. So when, like you said, if somebody said, hey, let's, you want to do a comic book, like you didn't really had to take a a whole lot of time, I mean, it's okay if somebody takes, you know, extra time to think through, uh, but your mindset was already there, like well, yeah like well, yeah, let's do it.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And they're like what?

Brian Bradley:

like, yeah, right now, like well, it's, it's always been there yeah, um.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah yeah, I'm sorry, go ahead. Oh no, no, I didn't mean to cut you off, you can go ahead.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Okay, yeah. So I think that's something that's important for, you know, any viewer, any listener, you know, no matter what age they are, if they're a parent or a guardian, that you know, let our people, you know, dream and have that in their mind, not to, you know, squash it because, well, this sounds silly and well, maybe a little bit like in, you know, earlier formative years. But if that sticks with them as they continue growing and opportunities and the ways and the means are come available, that I found, like with me, with my, my parents, that they're my biggest supporters. They weren't always able to financially support, but they were always there and said, you know what, like, I'm kind of scary, but you know with me.

Brian Bradley:

I wish that were, you know, recognized more growing up, because my parents they were very supportive but I don't think they fully recognized that. You know I was, I wanted to be an artist. I mean that just for them. I also wanted to be a basketball player and it just was kind of all there together. But I think and again, no fault of them but I had more of a focus been on. Brian wants to be a comic book artist and no one knows, maybe even earlier I I would have made it and being a better artist and all types of different scenarios played through my mind. But I guess the point is that the road may have zigzagged, whatever, but I ended up here anyway and I did. I ended ended up right where the Lord wants me, Maybe some zigzags and some off-road traveling, but here I am.

Brian Bradley:

It is important to recognize your children and their talents, even if they do seem frivolous or childlike. Recognize the talents that your kids have and push them in that direction.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Yeah, give them opportunities. We're getting close to the end of this particular for part one. We'll come back with part two, but before we finish up, how can people that aren't familiar with you with Kingdom Comics, how can they pick up copies? Okay, I can tell you.

Brian Bradley:

What we've just released now is an app where we've published over 130 different comic books and we have we put them on our app. We have a new app where you can download all of them. We have an new app where you can download all of them. We have an app for Apple as well as for Google Play, and for $4.99 a month, you have access to all 130 plus of our comic books that you can download on your phone or tablet. Plus, we're adding a new comic book every month, so that's the main thing that we're doing right now comic book every month. So that's the main thing that we're doing right now, and through that you get an entire catalog of Kingdom Comics and all the books that we've published to date. And to find that, if you went to our website, kingdomcomicsonlinecom, you'd see information and it'll give you a link to where you can download the app on your Apple or your Android and you can check out all that we've done.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

There's a lot on there.

Brian Bradley:

Different artists, different writers, even writers from Marvel Comics. I mean Joe Rubenstein, who contributed to the Wolverine limited series, among a lot of other things. He has done, I think, three covers for us. Yeah, he's done three different covers for us. We've had many different guest artists who have done our different comic books. We have the Anointed Seven as our main title, we've got Kingdom Comics Presents, we have Votery, we have Sir Caliburn, we have, we Are Reefahane, we have Quiver and we have Bridge. So those are our different titles. Like I said, we're like a Christian Marvel comics but we're better. So I just wanted to get that out there Again. That's kingdomcomicsonlinecom.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

And do check that website out and that app just sounds amazing to have access to all the previous comics and then, as as they roll out each, each month, that that that becomes part of that catalog that you get you get access to, and we all have a lot of us that have a smart device that is either Android or Apple. So that's a great way to you know, get in, get in touch and have people be able to consume your content wherever they're at, if they're traveling, if they're on a plane, a train, if they're on the beach, wherever, wherever they're at, and that's that's so awesome. And I'm going to ask you a little bit about the app when we come back for for part two. But, brian, thank you so much for joining us on this part one of the show. It's been a beautiful conversation, inspiring Absolutely, and for you, our listeners or viewers.

Voices for Voices, Justin Alan Hayes:

Thank you again for tuning in, whether this is your first episode or you've been with us for all 270 and counting. We can't do this without you and until next time, please be a voice for you or somebody in need. We'll see you next time.

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