Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 11/14/24

Is this the start of the TCU (Trump Cinematic Universe)? After all, before there was the MCU there was Marvel Comics and the Trump political saga has all the elements of great cinema – but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, however, I can report that the studio behind Kingstone Comics and U.S. Comics is releasing a special President Trump Election Edition.

Talking about his decision to publish the book Kingstone Studios’ CEO Art Ayris says “If there is any one political figure that embodies undying patriotism, unyielding commitment to America and unrelenting fervor for the good of all Americans it is President Trump. Even ahead of knowing the election outcome, our company created, published and printed this comic book to honor President Trump. The American flag has seen many hard-fought battles in its history and is representative of our hard-fought freedoms. In this election it witnessed maybe one of the most historic and bloody political battles of all time. The tagline on our cover is ‘Restoring the Glory to Old Glory’ and we firmly believe President Trump and his leadership are can accomplish that for our great country.”

He adds “We assigned our top artist, former Marvel creator Joe Bennett (The Immortal Hulk, Captain America) to this project as well as to our companion graphic novels on the U.S. Constitution and America Part One. Based on the seemingly insurmountable odds President Trump battled to come back and win the presidency. We hope this comic book will also become an iconic addition to election memorabilia on the par of “I Like Ike” buttons.”

Kingstone Studios is a central Florida based comic, animation and film studio. The company’s credits include the 2022 theatrical film No Vacancy starring Dean Cain. Its Kingstone Comics imprint published the Kingstone Bible which is billed as the most complete graphic adaptation of the Bible ever done.
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The New Avengers. So far, President-elect Trump is building himself an awesome White House Cabinet made up of many of the free-thinking political renegades we saw with him on the campaign trail, plus a couple of surprises.

Fox News’ Pete Hegseth is certainly an out-of-the-box choice – and inspired one. Those who denigrate him as right-wing cable personality either are unaware of his very impressive background – or are hoping to keep the public from from being aware of it. My own brief encounter with Hegseth was in 2020 when I interviewed him about his book Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes. He was a true gentleman who left me genuinely impressed with both his knowledge and commitment to American troops and the country as a whole.

Re: that other surprise, please President Trump rethink you AG pick. IMHO, Matt Gaetz is a political bomb thrower who threw GOP control of House into disarray for no reason at all and will only provide ammunition for Trump’s critics. There are so many better choices – including just bringing back his previous acting attorney general Matt Whitaker.
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Storybook ending. As producer Andrew Erwin noted in this space recently, it was a long journey for the classic Barbara Robinson Christmas book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to make it to the big screen but it was well worth it for his Kingdom Story Company. The movie exceeded tracking and industry expectations to finish a solid third over the extended Veterans Day weekend. The news comes as the company closes out 2024 as its strongest year ever with a slate that also included Ordinary Angels (starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson) and Unsung Hero, the autobiographical film from for KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone and coincides with word that the company has renewed its first-look deal with distributor Lionsgate.
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Congratulations to Kevin Wandra. Always a pleasure to work with, I’m pleased to report that the dedicated and always-professional Carmel Communications media relations wiz has been upped to the post of vice president. In his new role, he will continue to manage media relations for all clients but will now also support the company’s strategic and management initiatives. With over 20 years’ experience in public relations and communications, Kevin is recognized in the Catholic space for his innovative strategies and exceptional leadership of high-level public relations campaigns. He is well-respected among the top Catholic media personalities, producers and outlets.

Singing his praises Carmel Communications Founder and President Lisa Wheeler notes that “Kevin has served both our clients and their projects as an exceptional publicist and media director for over 11 years. He has shown a deep commitment to the mission and values of our agency and has consistently demonstrated unparalleled dedication, creativity and leadership. I am confident that Kevin will continue to elevate our work, fostering meaningful connections between the secular world that we seek to transform and the deeply sacred truths and teachings found in discovering Jesus Christ and His one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Kevin says “It’s a blessing and an honor to be given this new role with Carmel Communications…I look forward to working with our talented team to help Carmel Communications continue to flourish and glorify Christ and His Church.”

Much deserved, Kevin!

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.