Flying Colors Meets Imaginary Jesus!

I just got a note from my old boss, Joe Field of Flying Colors Comics.  Joe has an amazing shop... in fact, when I was last in there (in the East Bay... Walnut Creek, California) I told Joe that I wished I had my daughters with me so they could see a "real" comic book shop.

In his note, Joe mentioned that he is stocking Imaginary Jesus at Flying Colors!  If there was any doubt that it was the coolest comic shop of all time, I think those doubts can now be laid to rest.  And, not only is this shop responsible for the genesis of the Hate Club, it's also the original habitat of the now MIA Frog of Hate.

Here's the note that Joe sent out to his e-mail list:

Now in Stock at Flying Colors is a very cool book called IMAGINARY JESUS.


It's the first novel written by MATT MIKALATOS... and it is Highly Recommended!


Matt was on staff here at Flying Colors in the '90s, along with he crew that included Sam, Alan, Roland, Gavin and Adrian. Since his time here, Matt has graduated from UC Riverside, been a high school teacher, a missionary in China and also graduated from Western Seminary.


So, yes, this is a book with a lot of Christian spiritual thought in it. It is also one of the better comedies you'll read in any genre. Starting in a laid-back Portland coffee shop, Matt encounters a dude who could be Jesus, a talking donkey and a wild man named Pete... who could just be an apostle.


IMAGINARY JESUS follows the trek of Matt, Pete and the donkey as they chase after the one they think is the real Jesus.


The quest even takes Matt and his cohorts back to FLYING COLORS.


That's right, part of the novel is set right here in my favorite comic shop (and hopefully yours, too).


All through this novel are reminders that Matt is really a comics geek disguised as a Christian thinker.


There's comedy gold in reading IMAGINARY JESUS...and it may just help you on your personal quest to find the Real One while you're at it.


This is a book that can be enjoyed by believers and non-believers alike, as it veers far away from preachiness and sticks to the goal at hand--- delivering Matt from all the misconceptions he's carried about who Jesus is---and by extension, how Jesus is misunderstood in this world.


Congrats on the book, Matt!

And, in another wide shot of the book, we can see that Imaginary Jesus has its coolest placement yet... it's sharing a shelf with a book by Gene Colan!

If you're in Northern California, be sure to stop by Flying Colors to buy your copy of Imaginary Jesus! And tell Joe that Mikalatos sent you!

Imaginary Jesus discussion guide. Now available to guide your discussions.

The time has come at last to allow people to start discussing Imaginary Jesus.  If you go to our brand new downloads page you'll discover a discussion guide, a question and answer with yours truly and a free download of the first chapter of IJ.  Feel free to pass them along to your friends and enemies.  And also those people who you regard with mild apathy and are watching with interest to see whether they will become friends or enemies.

Come hang out tomorrow night...

Upcoming event from Cornelia Seigneur:

This month’s Rolling Hills Writers Connection meeting, Thursday May 20, at 7 p.m. in the East Atrium features Guest Speaker Matt Mikalatos, a recent Western Seminary graduate, Campus Crusade for Christ missionary, and author of the just-released book, Imaginary Jesus, published by Tyndale.

Matt will share his journey of the pen, his vision for fusing faith and art, and how he came to sell his first book to one of the top Christian publishers in the nation. He is already working on his second book for Tyndale.

I got to meet Matt for coffee a couple of weeks ago and he is a great guy.

Come network with writers of all genres. Get connected and inspired. Learn of opportunities to be published and use your writing as a ministry. Network and share ideas. Bring a cup of tea and what you are working on if would like.

Rolling Hills is located at 3550 SW Borland, in Tualatin. http://www.rollinghills.org/writers-connection

For more info on Matt, visit his website: http://imaginaryjesus.com/

Jesus vs. the Automobile

Brian Ricci and Angela Tam both sent me this little gem: Apparently someone ran into Lord Jesus Christ with her car.  Yeah, that's right.  Some guy got his name legally changed to "Lord Jesus Christ" and then got hit by a car.  Which is not, I guess, a big surprise.  If I were him I'd be watching out for falling pianos as well.

More Sightings...

Carla Friberg sent in this latest Imaginary Jesus sighting, this one from the Barnes and Noble in Richland, Washington.  Looks like it's on some sort of display table, that's pretty cool.  Well done, Barnes and Noble and gracias, Carla!

I like looking at the books around it... this time we have Anne Rice's spiritual autobiography on one side, and The Love Dare's daily devotional for married couples.

Shasta Kramer of Portland, Oregon, also sent in this picture of Imaginary Jesus in the Red Room of Powell's Books.

I ran by Powell's and signed all the copies they have on the shelves, so if you're in the Portland area and looking for a copy of IJ, that's a great place to shop!

Fear the Frog of Hate!

Imaginary Friend Matt Turkington sent me this terrifying story about the Frog of Hate that I wanted to share with everyone:

When I got to work yesterday there was the attached frog sitting on my desk. My first thought was, "Oh no! What did I do to upset Mikalatos so much? Is it because I still haven't bought a copy of his book (even though I check bookstores for it)? Or because I didn't write a glowing online review?" This was immediately followed by the more rational, "Wait, HOW would he have gotten in my office?" or maybe, more importantly, "does he really care?" But then I saw the nearby note that said something about relying on God and I realized you had nothing to do with it. Oh well. Just thought I'd share that.

I wrote Matt back to make sure he knew that I care enough to send Hate to him if he deserves it.  He told me that he is now living in irrational fear of frogs.  Which begs the question... is it irrational if it is something that should be feared?  For instance, is a phobia of sharks really a phobia or just good common sense?  I vote for common sense.
 

Wild Imaginary Jesus Takes Over Like a Weed

You may remember our recent tutorial in which I explained that when you see Imaginary Jesus as in Figure A, that you would be applauded, lauded and generally praised for re-configuring the shelf space to look more like Figure B.

Jake Demaray of Bozeman, Montana wrote to say that when he got to the bookstore, someone had already beaten him to the punch!  Observe:

Now that is a committed Imaginary Friend, to rearrange things so spectacularly. Also, kudos to the bookstore for carrying 5 copies! Now I would like to encourage the fine people of Bozeman, Montana, to swarm in there and buy all those copies.

Thanks for sending in the photo, Jake! If you'd like to follow Jake on twitter, you can do that here.

If you'd like to send in your own photos (of Wild Imaginary Jesus Sightings, of you reading the book somewhere or other pertinent silliness) feel free to send them to me on twitter, on facebook or, if you can figure out my clever code you could e-mail me at gmail.  Clever code involves my first and last name and a dot.