Hi
I’m Issey Fujishima, or “Fuji” for short.
I’m a Japanese-German artist living in Bremen, Germany. I enjoy deep conversations, good food with friends, and walking by the sea.
I grew up in Germany and have lived my adult life in Japan, Australia, and Indonesia. I’ve mostly worked in the creative field, doing photography, illustrations, book layout, and a bit of video production, web design, and farming. I love to try out different ways of visual expression, and THE REIGN OF GOD is my first work as a graphic novel author.
My Story
The idea for THE REIGN OF GOD came when I was in high school.
After the events of 9/11 and the wars that followed, I found myself in heated debates about religion, politics, and violence with my friends—Christian, Muslim, and non-religious. Until that time, I had taken the version of Christianity I had grown up with for granted: A conservative and “true to the Bible” evangelicalism, strongly influenced by American theology.
But then I had to face hard questions about my faith: What if religion is part of the problem? What can Christianity offer to a world so torn? I had to get honest with myself and God.
How the Comic Started
I started studying the roots of the Christian faith—its history and context—realizing that there was much that I had never been told. I found that the Jesus of history—the original Jesus, as far as we can reconstruct his life and work through research—was much more exciting and inspiring and had something very important for us today. I decided to tell his story.
The idea to create THE REIGN OF GOD was born.
The Jesus of History
I believe the Jesus of history was a man of incredible heart and courage. Creating this book, I fell in love with him again—the maverick hungry for justice; the poet caring for the most neglected people on earth. Following his way is a radical transformation through love. It’s something worth telling.
New Pathways
I hope that THE REIGN OF GOD opens new pathways for you, Christian or not, and delivers a visually compelling story that helps you see the story of Jesus and Christian origins in a new light.