The Vision
Comics by firelight in a bamboo hut.
A vision for stories shared across languages, families, and generations.
If there's one thing that is more pervasive than even electricity, it's cell phones. You might be homeless, but out pops a phone. Deep in an African jungle? Sure. High in the Andes mountains? Why not?
It boggles the mind. Those things are everywhere.
In my youth, cellphones didn't exist. I mean, not like they do now. I didn't get one until my early 20s, and even then it was just a "dumb" phone. Texting was the new tech back then. Texting with the numpad.
As I walked the roads of the Philippines on my mission and taught in bamboo houses, I thought: you know what would make this better?
Cartoons.
Yup. Comics. Drawings. Imagination. Stories. Myth.
Point is, if you want my vision, it's this:
Comics by firelight in a bamboo hut.
A 10-year-old outgunning a Bishop with Old Testament lore.
Brothers and sisters shredding comics because they all want a turn.
Comics in a cafe on your cellphone — weekly, in your language.
Teenagers gobbling pizza, crowding around a TV for the finale of their favorite show... a show about Jeremiah and Nephi.
A kid in Africa talking to a kid in Asia talking to a kid in South America about what just happened last week in their favorite series.
A revived interest in antiquity. There's so much we don't yet know. That no one knows.
Deep thoughts on a rainy day where before was only tech.
“Vision. Such a finicky word. Imagine it, then figure out how to make it happen. Even if it takes a lifetime. Or longer. That's vision.”
From the beginning, Spider Comics was built to bring people — not just families — together. Create worlds worthy of awe, moments worthy of quoting, and characters worthy of cosplaying. That was, and still is, the plan.
My pitch for Spider Comics has never changed:
“Quality, affordable entertainment for Latter-day Saints in their own language at the same time.”
This simple phrase nearly capsized my life before I understood how large it truly was — and how much care it required, not just creatively, but financially and operationally as well. Honestly, I still have no idea what it would actually take. But it's a lot more than I have, that much I know.
I've tried more than once to start the engine. Vision tends to move faster than I do, it would seem. Until I catch up, I'm sharing what I have to offer: archival and behind-the-scenes material, scripts, boards, concept art, and more that might help you catch the vision.
Have fun and I hope you like the ride!
— Mike Mercer
Creator of From the Dust, Thompson's Hijos, & Spider Comics
Welcome to Spider Comics.
Comics, with Love.