Offered without comment, but with surrealism bolded.

AUSTIN, Texas – Marvel Comics recently announced that it has abandoned its prior policy regarding gay or lesbian comic characters, leaving many parents concerned about the content in their kid’s comic books. The new policy states that a character’s sexual orientation will no longer determine the age rating given to that particular series. Previously, any Marvel series featuring a homosexual character would be given a “MAX” rating, indicating that the material was not appropriate for young audiences.

With the most prominent comic book company lightening up its rating system, how can parents be sure their youngsters won’t get their hands on age-inappropriate material? In comes actor Stephen Baldwin. He may seem like an unlikely candidate, but Baldwin has created a kid-friendly Christian-based graphic novel series, Spirit Warriors, as part of his Livin It movement.

In Spirit Warriors (Broadman and Holman, $9.99), six radical teens meet the war zone of good versus evil to save their crumbling city from the devilish elder Seiko. Mysteriously orphaned at a young age, these heroic rebels are called to pierce the darkness with amazingly uncommon strengths.

Baldwin became a born-again Christian after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and put his newfound faith into the Livin It youth ministry movement, where he combined his passion for extreme sports and ministry in order to share his faith with America’s youth. Not only does Livin It include a series of three books in which extreme sports athletes share their testimonials, but also includes DVDs, a clothing line and live demo tour.