Baron Bell: The Ultimate Superhero

CBN.com My name is Baron Bell, and I am a comic book artist. I teach college-level graphic design and animation.
         
God, to me, is like a superhero. I think God is my biggest inspiration for making a comic book.

He's in the creative aspect of just comic books in general. It almost makes me feel like God has given me all of this ability to be like Him, a creator. So I’m able to basically take something and take nothing, and make something out of it. 

I grew up in Syracuse, New York in a pretty large family. I had three brothers and four sisters. We never really had much, although we had more than a lot of people.  But I think one of my earliest memories is mom opening the oven to heat the apartment.

These are the things that you have to do when you’re struggling, and you don’t have a lot of money and things of that nature. So, that was us. We were in that type of neighborhood. 

My mom was the rock of Gibraltar for the family ever since I was a little kid. My mother was my hope because my father wasn’t around a lot. And her dedication to Christ is what got me curious about Christ.

It was literally like overnight that she changed from this cussing like a sailor mom, to like, Mother Theresa or something? I’m like, 'Who is this women?'

And so, that made me really question my whole life. Again, who am I? Where am I going? What is it about her that’s different?
           
I distinctly remember I was at a party with some friends and all we were standing up against the wall holding beer cans and, you know, I never drank. I would always pretend like I was drinking and I would pour it out because that’s how my mama raised me, but still though I was thinking, 'Is this it?  Is this all there is to life? Is it just hanging out, and just causing trouble?'  And I’m like, 'God, there’s got to be more to life than this.'

And so, of course, seeing my mom’s conversion around that same time, you know, when I was later in my high school years and getting ready to graduate, I was deeply introspective about my direction in life.

I distinctly remember asking my mom, 'If God is in the world, then why do such bad things happen to people, to good people?' And she just said, 'You know, there’s no reason for it. It’s just God’s will.'

I do remember crying about it and she just told me, 'Just pray for the Lord to give you understanding and wisdom and, pray for Jesus to come into your heart.' 

I didn’t do it immediately, but it did happen gradually where I just started to grow a love and a curiosity for Jesus.

Eventually it really manifested itself in this deep desire to know Him better. I always knew I had a love for art.

We have to engage the culture. And so, I feel it’s my duty to give back as much of myself to Christ in my talents and gifts.