Publisher and author aim to bring Biblical themes to life for manga fans

Author Mitchell “Street Hymns” West chose Japan as the backdrop to his signing with publisher David C Cook for his manga book, The Fallen.
May 28, 2024 (COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado) – Christian publisher, David C Cook, announces the signing of artist, spoken word poet, and author, Mitchell “Street Hymns” West, whose manga book, The Fallen: Faith Before the Flood, marks the expansion of Cook’s catalog offerings into yet another genre.
David C Cook’s mission is to equip the Church with Christ-centered resources to transform today’s generations. In addition to trade books that include nonfiction, graphic novels, The Action Bible series, Bible studies, and a 149-year legacy of curriculum and church resource publishing, David C Cook now brings Biblical stories and themes to life for young readers through manga, with West joining the roster.
Originating in Japan, manga has grown in popularity amongst youth around the world but tends to have a spiritually dark tone within its content. West aims to change that through powerful, creatively communicated manga stories and illustrations that have Biblical undertones and captivate readers with Scripture and God’s plan for mankind.
“As a manga and anime enthusiast, I’ve always been inspired by how authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis seamlessly blend faith and fantasy. This admiration, coupled with my belief in the transformative power of stories we encounter in our youth, has driven me to create The Fallen,” said the author. “I hope to tell the familiar story of redemption and unity through a medium that our youth and young adults are swarming to at record-high numbers.”
In collaboration with illustrator Kahyia “Kai” Parris, West’s vivid storytelling in The Fallen will target fans of manga, one of the most popular forms of Japanese entertainment media among children and adults. While most mangas are read right-to-left, the book will be read left-to-right to appeal to Western audiences.
“Today’s world is filled with cultural and viral phenomena that points people away from God’s truth,” said David C Cook VP of Publishing and Acquisitions, Michael Covington. “The Fallen is a project that will bridge the gap, delivering a biblically-themed setting and storyline with a medium that has exploded in growth over the past decade. Through The Fallen, our first move into the manga category, we’re crafting a story that will not only capture the attention of those who love the genre, but will guide them toward the ultimate Source of hope and truth.”
West is represented by Tom Dean, founder of A Drop of Ink Literary.
David C Cook is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping the global church with leadership, discipleship, and worship resources to help Christians grow in faith and pass it along to the next generation. Read more about David C Cook and its global ministry outreach at www.davidccook.org.
Media Contact: Cathy Herholdt, VP, Communications, cathy.herholdt@davidccook.org, 719.533.3011
NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 2024—Zondervan Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, proudly announces
The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK Group) is delighted to confirm that His Majesty King Charles has agreed to become the charity’s royal patron, following a review of over 1,000 patronages held by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Grand Rapids, MI – May 13, 2024 – Zonderkidz, the major Christian children’s book publisher, is pleased to announce that a new storybook Bible will be released October 1 in partnership with Saddleback Church, one of the largest churches in the U.S. The new storybook Bible Hey-O Stories of the Bible will be based on the immensely popular YouTube video series of the same name created by the Saddleback Kids team, which now has over 700,000 subscribers with over 225 million views and is used as a Bible-teaching curriculum all over the world.
May 2024 | LISLE, IL—InterVarsity Press (IVP) and
May 2024 | LISLE, IL—A respected community activist and public scholar, 
Did you ever dream about what you would be when you grew up? We think naturally about our purpose because God tells us that He created us to do great things. But how do we know when we have truly found God’s calling for our lives? Many people live most of their lives striving to find and follow God’s will but still wondering whether they’ve gotten it right. The many pressures, expectations, and distractions we experience can create confusion and anxiety and cause us to doubt whether we are following God’s will or if He even has a plan for us at all.
(Ada, Michigan) May 7, 2024 – Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is pleased to announce that House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget by Myquillyn Smith is #7 on the Publishers Weekly Bestsellers list for the week of May 6 and ranked #155 on the USA TODAY’s Best-selling Booklist for the week of April 23.
Grand Rapids, MI – May 6, 2024. Zonderkidz is pleased to announce that Western influencer and debut author Paige Murray will publish a children’s picture book titled Rosie’s Wild Ride: Chasing Big Dreams, releasing October 8, 2024.




