Salem Kirban's "666" Art by Larry Birchler (1980)

 

Salem Kirban's 666, a "pictorial novel" (to use their term), with art by Larry Birchler, was published by Salem Kirban, Inc. and is copyright 1980 by Mr. Kirban.

Just two years after Will Eisner's A Contract With God (the first graphic novel) and six years before Art Spiegelman's Maus, the book 666 was published and available to buy at Christian book stores or the mail. 

From the introduction:

THIS IS NOT ALL FICTION!

Pictorial Format 666 is taken from the book of the same name by Salem Kirban. It is a novel. Much of it is fiction. However; it is important to realize that very much of it is also FACT!

 

The bio on Larry Birchler is:

Larry Birchler is a school teacher with an unusual talent in the field of art illustration. He has dedicated this talent to the Lord. He did the highly complex illustrations for 666 during his summer vacations. He and his wife reside in Washington state.  

 

Here are the first pages of the 64 page book, or Pictorial Format, depicting the world in the year 2000. It's a world in ruin due to overpopulation and ... well, the devil and corruption. We very quickly get into the Rapture and the Tribulation and international intrigue of the "left behinds" on the Earth. You'll see.

Why Kirban and Birchler put this proto-graphic novel together, I don't know. Maybe they were inspired by those Jack Chick religious comic book tracts. Regardless, it's a standalone story in sequential art format and meets the criteria for a graphic novel. 

The back of advertises many of the other Christian publications available.

Salem Kirban passed away in 2010. As far as I can tell, Larry Birchler is teaching mathematics (see link above). The book was new to me and worthy of a look. It's out of print.