Bibleman

Bibleman is an American Christian direct-to-video children's series created by Tony Salerno that ran from 1995 to 2010 with the goal of promoting Christianity. The series centers around an evangelical superhero who fights evil, often by quoting scripture. The show had three incarnations: The Bibleman Show, The Bibleman Adventure, and Bibleman: Powersource. The series' titular character is played by Willie Aames (from 1995 to 2003) and then by Robert T. Schlipp (from 2004 to 2010).[1] Originally owned by Pamplin Entertainment then sold to Tommy Nelson, the series is currently owned by B&H Kids. It was re-launched in CGI format in 2016 (new title Bibleman: The Animated Adventures).[2]

Bibleman
GenreAction
Comedy
Created byTony Salerno
StarringWillie Aames
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes49
Production
Running timeapprox. 40 minutes
Production companiesPamplin Entertainment
Tommy Nelson
B&H Kids
Release
Audio formatStereo
Original release1995–2010 (original)
2016–present (relaunch)
External links
Website

Plot

Miles B. Peterson, a wealthy man with the best the world had to offer, turned to God and The Bible in his most desperate hour and from then on pledged to fight evil with the word of God. Disguised in the full armor of God as Bibleman, Miles B. Peterson fights against enemies using scripture. Josh Carpenter finds out about the Bible when his parents are arguing about the groceries. He is a former children's pastor and is the second Bibleman.

Characters

Heroes

Miles Peterson/Bibleman (played by Willie Aames): The first Bibleman. As depicted in the show's intro, Miles was described as a man who had success, fame and wealth, but was a frustrated and miserable man. After giving up and throwing himself to the ground in anguish, he discovers a Bible covered in mud. Upon finding it, he experiences a "burning desire to know God" and becomes a Christian. He then decides to fight evil in the name of God as Bibleman. Miles soon retired, passing on the title of Bibleman to his successor Josh Carpenter

Coats (played by Marc Wayne): Miles Peterson's best friend and first sidekick, who coaches high school basketball on the side. Coats left the team for unknown reasons.

U.N.I.C.E (voiced by Maylo Upton, Jef Scott, and Lisa Kent): (Universal Networking Intelligence Computing Entity) The A.I in the BibleCave and Mobile Mission Command Center who, for some strange reason, gives attitude to Bibleman's sidekick Coats. And, ironically, rudely insists on manners being used even if it wastes time.

Kerry "KT" Turner/Cypher (played by Brady Williams and voiced by JJ Gerber in the Animated Adventures): Bibleman's second sidekick.

Lia Martin[3](or Lia Martinez in early appearances)/Biblegirl (played by Tracy Henao, Heather Hazelwood-McSmith, Anayansi Schlipp, and voiced by Nicole Bauman in the Animated Adventures):. She first fights with a net, then a gun and then a side shooting weapon.

Josh Carpenter/Bibleman (played by Robert T. Schlipp and voiced by Josh Snethlage in the Animated Adventures): The second Bibleman after Miles retires. He is depicted as someone who never understood the Bible until his darkest day (when his parents were arguing) where he read his Bible and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Mel O'Shea/Melody. (played by Lindsay Lewis and voiced by Kylie McCullough in the Animated Adventures) Biblegirl's cousin. She is the only sidekick to have never served alongside Miles Peterson.

Supporting cast
  • Pastor Rex (played by Pastor Rex Bonar) A local pastor who occasionally alerts the first Bibleman to problems occurring in Shatzville.
  • Abigail, a popular girl[4]
  • Dylan Reynolds[4]
  • Emily, a genius[4]
  • Philip, a TV star[4]
  • Tyler, an athlete[4]

Villains

Dr. Decepto (played by Ron Schott):[5] A scientist villain with green skin. He only appeared in a flashback in Big Big Book, where he defeated Bibleman, but Decepto was later seen behind bars.

Madam Glitz (played by Cindy Phillips):[6] A self-centred woman in Back to School. She captured Miles Peterson (Bibleman) because she wanted the fame Bibleman had. However, Bibleman tells her that it is the Word of God that everyone desires and needs to hear. She was placed inside a T.V. set by God.

The Fibbler (played by Bill Murphy and voiced by Peter Jaycock in the Animated Adventures): A green-haired evil clown (resembling the Cesar Romero version of the Joker from the 1960s Batman TV series) who influenced one of the Church singing group children into lying. After she asks her friends for forgiveness, he and Bibleman fight. The Fibbler was defeated and destroyed by his own sword of darkness.

The Gossip Queen (played by Maylo Upton): A villainess queen whose character design was later widely criticized[7] for sharing many characteristics with traditional Jewish stereotypes (e.g., possessing dark skin, curly black hair, a large hook-nose, thick lips, and dark-colored beady eyes).[8] She tried to rip the Church singing group apart. She has two henchmen named Loose Lips and Blabbermouth and could fire Beams of Bitterness from her fingers. She was destroyed when she was hit by Bibleman's sword of the Spirit.

Luxor Spawndroth (played by Brian Lemmons and voiced by Rory O'Shea in the Animated Adventures): A villain who takes on different personas after defeat. These incarnations include: The Shadow of Doubt, Master of Misery, Dr. Fear, El Furioso, The Prince of Pride, and finally his real name, Luxor Spawndroth. His weapon is the sword of darkness it's either red or, in a couple of cases, purple.

Ludicrous (played by Steve Weatherford, Andrew Hicks, Bret Harrison, Les VanValkinburgh, and voiced by Scott Nichol and Cameron Elvin in the Animated Adventures): The evil sidekick of Luxor Spawndroth.

L.U.C.I. (voiced by Maylo Upton, Jef Scott, and Lisa Kent): (The Link to Underhanded Computer Influences) is the evil counterpart to U.N.I.C.E and computer to all the villains starting with Dr. Fear.

Primordius Drool (played by Jef Scott): is a green skinned demon with great powers including lightning who later in the series is punished becoming 'The Wacky Protestor'.

The Wacky Protestor (played by Jef Scott and Jonathon Barger): was a goofy, blue-skinned demon scientist who was formerly 'Primordius Drool' before he got demoted. His abilities include plasma balls. During his final scheme, he created a special portal to another realm to trap Christian students and turn them to atheism. However, he got caught in his own trap and was stuck there forever. He was the first villain fought by the second Bibleman, Josh Carpenter.

Rapscallion Polite Sinister (played by Kevin McSmith) :[9] was the villain fought by Bibleman in the 2005 live show, hired by the Wacky Protestor to take out the source of Bibleman's power.[10]He was defeated when placed inside a cage that sucked out his power.

Professor E. Meritus Snortinskoff (played by Steve Sandfort): A mad scientist who's in charge of Snortinskoff Industries and makes kids disrespect their authorities. His henchman is Stench.

Stench (played by Henry Haggard): This character is a henchmen of Professor E. Meritus Snortinskoff.

2Kul 4Skul (played by 2kool 4skool) (played by Jeff Durham): A gray-skinned villain who devised a plan to establish a T.V. station with the call letters W.B.I.G. (which stand for What's Bad is Good) to block the gospel from reaching youth.

I.M. Wonderful(played by Amber Liabenow and Lisa Kent): A vain woman who wears a gold mask and a cape.

The Whiner Brothers(played by Rick Burgess and Bubba Bussey, and voiced by David Andrew Brent and Peter Jaycock in the Animated Adventures): Two villains who use a radio station broadcast to make children whine and complain.

The Cheater[11] (played by Peter Vann): Best among super villains, god among men. His tools are his "belittler," his flying cards, land mines, and a bouncy house gladiator club. If one is unlucky enough to get him angry, The Cheater will unplug his/her surge protector.

The Slacker (played by Josh Childs and voiced by Cameron Elvin in the Animated Adventures): This senior villain makes kids lazy with his Lasers of Laziness. He carries a staff (laser of laziness) and goons to support him in battle.

Super Pro Gamemaster 2 (played by Henry Haggard): This villain was a cyborg who could control machines. He appeared in "Lambasting the Legions of Laziness".

Super Pro Gamemaster 3 (played by Eric Pasto-Crosby): This robotic leader of the Evildoers Club was Super Pro Gamemaster 2's successor. He has powers similar to his predecessor and developed the video game Big Bad Bully.

Baron Ulysses Tantamont von Braggart (played by Clarck Leach): A sheriff-like pig villain with a golden head cap who lives in a castle. His weapons are his electric staff that he uses to battle Bibleman, and his electric chair that he uses to shoot at Bibleman and Cypher.

The Commandant of Confusion (played by Dean Guthrie) A gold skinned heavyweight villain who is very technical and has an evil sidekick named Chaos, who is dressed up in a black and red jumpsuit.

Chaos (played by Joey Febres) A Henchman in a black and red suit and mask, who is said to have worked with many villains, but is only seen with The Commandant of Confusion.

The Sultan of Selfishness (voiced by Peter-Mark Raphael) An olive skinned, man with black, curly hair, black eyebrows and eyes, a black goatee, and wearing a green Nehru suit with gold trimmings. He speaks with a heavy, stereotypical Middle Eastern accent. He temporarily gains control of a school by posing as a motivational speaker who dispenses small stickers that cause all the students and faculty to become susceptible to the Sultan's 3Ds credo: Demand, Deserve, Dominate.

Reception

The program has been criticized for its format and production values, including in an August 2009 episode of the UK topical show You Have Been Watching,[12] with panelist David Mitchell saying "The thing that struck me most about it is quite how badly it is made, to the extent that you must think it's been made by anti-Christian people to make Christianity look as naff and discouraging and artless as possible." The series has been described as dogmatically evangelical.[13] In 1998, sales made up less than one percent of the Christian children's video market. Three years later, sales climbed to eleven percent of that market. It held third place behind first place Veggietales and second place 3-2-1 Penguins![14] The Dove Foundation gave the series its "Family-Approved" Seal for "this energetic battle against evil."[15]

However, several adults have criticized the show's fight scenes as promoting violence, despite the fact one show ("Conquering The Wrath Of Rage"), and its live counterpart, addressed the violence issue. Others criticized the franchise's drift toward secular content.

Of Bibleman, Marc Peyser of Newsweek writes,

Much of Christian entertainment, like the "Bibleman" videos featuring a Scripture-quoting superhero, is designed as a kinder, gentler yet more searching alternative for an audience that has long felt overlooked by the prevailing media and entertainment culture. But as those products have become more successful—and the people in those industries have become savvier—the category has edged closer to the mainstream. Pop music that never mentions the word Jesus. Movies that spend as much time blowing up buildings as saving souls. As with other groups that have created their own subcultures, Christian entertainment has emerged from its sheltered infancy and has begun to straddle two worlds: the religious one that created it and the secular one it was designed to avoid.[16]

Bibleman Live performances

The live show has been described as falling between "a high budget Sunday school pageant, a Batman movie, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to even Power Rangers in how it comes across."[17] The production borrows heavily from popular culture, including films, popular music and video games.[18]

Merchandise

Action figures
The Bibleman action figure line, from left to right: El Furioso, Cypher, Bibleman, Biblegirl, Luxor Spawndroth.

In October 2000, Tommy Nelson released the first series of 5" Bibleman action figures starting with Bibleman and villain El Furioso. The series later included figures of Cypher, Biblegirl, and Temptation. The final figure in the series was a platinum version of Bibleman.

Board game

The Bibleman Adventure board game was released by Talicor in 2001. Players select a hero card and matching token to battle the "Bad Guys" while traveling quickly through the town of Shatzville in an attempt to "save the children." The first player to rescue six kids, deliver them safely to the town church and race back to the BibleMan Cave is the winner! The BibleMan board game is actually two games in one. Instructions are included for both a Basic Game (Ages 3–6), and an Advanced Game (Ages 7 & up) and allows for both age groups to play at the same time.[19]

Video game

A Bibleman computer game was released in 2005 by Covenant Studios titled The Bibleman Video Game Adventure: A Fight for Faith. It received generally mixed reviews. Although it did receive some negative reviews, it was praised by some evangelical Christian gaming sites for "family-friendly" and "Christ-centered" gameplay.[20][21][22][23]

Books

In 2000 Tommy Nelson published The Bibleman Bible, using the ICB translation text and featured 32 full color images from the show and mini-comic sections. Tommy Nelson then published The Official Bibleman Collector's Edition book the same year, then in 2001 published Bibleman Combat Manual, a book intended to aid in memorizing bible verses.

Episodes

The Bibleman Show
    • Big Big Book (1995)
    • Back To School (1995)
    • The Six Lies of the Fibbler (1996)
    • Silencing the Gossip Queen (1996)

The Bibleman Adventure
    • Defeating the Shadow of Doubt (1998)
    • The Fiendish Works of Dr. Fear (1999)
    • The Incredible Force of Joy (1999)
    • Conquering the Wrath of Rage (2000)
    • The Stories of Jesus (2000)
    • Shattering the Prince of Pride (2000)
    • Breaking the Bonds of Disobedience (2001)
    • Lead Us Not Into Temptation (2001)
    • Jesus Our Savior Part 1 (2002)
    • Jesus Our Savior Part 2 (2003)
    • A Light in the Darkness (2003)
    • Divided We Fall (2004)
    • A Fight For Faith (2004)
  • Live Videos
    • The Incredible Force of Joy Live (1999)
    • Conquering the Wrath of Rage Live (2000)
    • Breaking the Bonds of Disobedience Live (2001)
    • A Light in the Darkness Live (2004)
    • A Fight For Faith Live (2005)

Bibleman Jr.
    • Thankful for Jesus (2000)
    • God Loves Everyone (2000)
    • God Loves to Laugh (2000)
    • God's Beautiful Child (2000)

PowerSource
    • Terminating the Toxic Tonic of Disrespect (2006)
    • Tuning Out The Unholy Hero (2007)
    • Crushing the Conspiracy of the Cheater (2007)
    • Lambasting the Legions of Laziness (2008)
    • Blasting The Big Gamemaster Bully (2009)
    • In the Presence of Enemies (2010)
  • Live videos
    • Combating The Commandant of Confusion: A Bibleman Live Adventure (2010)

Bibleman: The Animated Adventures (2016 - Present)
    • Clobbering the Crusher (2016)
    • Braving the Big Battle with the Baroness (2016)
    • Repelling the Ronin of Wrong (2016)
    • Melting the Master of Mean (2016)
    • The Mayor of Maybe Doles Out Doubt (2016)
    • Dr. Fear's Almost Perfectly Disastrous Day (2016)
    • Disabling the Disobey Ray (2017)
    • Ambushed by the Ambassador of Ignorance (2017)
    • Stopping the Sultan of Selfishness (2017)
    • Lighting Up the Shadow of Doubt (2017)
    • Fracturing the Falsehoods of the Fibbler (2017)
    • Wiping Out the Whiner Brothers (2017)
    • Spoiling the Schemes of Luxor Spawndroth Part 1 (2017)
    • Spoiling the Schemes of Luxor Spawndroth Part 2 (2017)
    • Fibbler's Fakery Goes Up In Fireworks (2017)
    • Scraping The Sultan's Stinging Stickers Of Selfishness (2018)
    • Say Goodbye, to the Grand Duchess of Greed Part 1 (2018)
    • Say Goodbye, to the Grand Duchess of Greed Part 2 (2018)
    • Halting the Hateful Hand of Mister Malevolent (2019)
    • Expelling the Empress of Unhappiness (2019)
    • A Wake-Up Call for the Slacker (2019)
    • Dispatching the Grand Duchess’ Disrespectful Desserts(2019)
    • Pulverizing the Plans of the Prince of Pride (2020)
    • A Stand For Jesus Foils Dr. Fear (2020)
    • Getting Right Wrecks The Ronin Of Wrong (2020)
    • Bible Brigade Verses The Ambassador Of Ignorance (2020)
  • The series was director James Gunn's inspiration for the Holy Avenger series featured in the 2010 film Super.[24]
  • Bibleman was featured in the tabletop role playing game Mutants & Masterminds as a responsible superhero, very similar in dress and character to his television counterpart.

References
  1. "Times Daily - Google News Archive". News.google.com. 2003-12-29. Retrieved 2012-08-11.
  2. "Bibleman". Archived from the original on 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  3. IMDB
  4. "A STAND FOR JESUS FOILS DR. FEAR". Bibleman. Dr Fear "Philip the TV star, then the genius Emily and the popular Abigail, I have to think Mr. Athlete Tyler may just be the weak link" Tyler's mom "Tyler, it's Dylan Reynolds calling for you".
  5. IMDB
  6. IMDB
  7. Radosh, Daniel. Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture. Soft Skull Press. ISBN 159376281X. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  8. Rowe, Nina. The Jew, the Cathedral and the Medieval City: Synagoga and Ecclesia in the Thirteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. p. 7. ISBN 0521197449.
  9. IMDB
  10. IMDB
  11. IMDB
  12. You Have Been Watching! Religion. YouTube. 13 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  13. Hendershot, Heather (2004). Shaking the world for Jesus: media and conservative evangelical culture. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-226-32679-9.
  14. Ashdown, Simon (July 1, 2001), Christian kidvid converts more consumers, archived from the original on 2016-03-05, retrieved 2011-11-21
  15. Christian Cinema: The Dove Foundation, Bibleman: Lambasting the Legions of Laziness, 2010, archived from the original on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2011-11-21
  16. Peyser, Marc (July 16, 2001). "God, Mammon and 'Bibleman'". Newsweek. 138 (3): 44–48. ISSN 0028-9604. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
  17. Santana, Richard W.; Erickson, Gregory (2008). Religion and popular culture: rescripting the sacred. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-7864-3553-1.
  18. Bibleman: Live 2000. YouTube. 25 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-08-03. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "Saturday Crapshoot: Bibleman". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2013-06-04. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  21. "Bibleman: A Fight For Faith - The Free Information Society". freeinfosociety.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  22. "Bibleman: A Fight for Faith". christcenteredgamer.com. Archived from the original on 2013-07-26. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  23. "Family Friendly Gaming Bibleman A Fight For Faith - Bibleman A Fight For Faith PC Bibleman A Fight For Faith Personal Computer". familyfriendlygaming.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
  24. "James Gunn - Interview - The A.V. Club". April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved July 25, 2017.

Further reading
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