Real Bad Guys: A Story About Good vs. Bad and the Way God Sees It

With the help of a rogues’ gallery of cartoonish villains, young readers will learn that all people have some bad inside of them (where it counts) and that Jesus, the only Real Good Guy, can redeem them from their sin.

Even young children can spot a bad guy when they see one. In most fairy tales, comic books, and cartoons, the lines between good and evil are drawn in broad strokes. After all, if it looks like a bad guy and talks like a bad guy. . .

But according to God, only what’s inside of each person’s heart counts. By that measure, we’re all Real Bad Guys in need of Jesus, the only Real Good Guy to save us.

In Real Bad Guys, children will meet Millie, an everyday kid who learns from a who’s-who of stereotypical hoodlums that everybody sins and has fallen short of God’s standard for goodness. Also, because we can’t see the condition of people’s hearts, we can’t judge them by their appearance.

You may know already be familiar with Jimmy Needham songs. In Forgiven and Loved Jimmy Needham reflects on the futility of trying to be “good enough” to earn salvation, emphasizing that we all fall short. This ties into the idea that in the battle of good guys vs bad guys, none of us can truly be the “good guy” by our efforts—but through God’s grace, we are forgiven and loved despite our failings.

Filled with fun and humor, Real Bad Guys cleverly and effectively explains the problem of sin and its solution to children ages eight and up.

Jimmy Needham is a REAL BAD GUY who's loved by the only REAL GOOD GUY. He's also a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, a sought-after speaker, pastor, and the cohost of the Clearly podcast with his wife, Kelly. Jimmy, Kelly, and their five children live in the Dallas, Texas, area. Sebastian Martin is also a REAL BAD GUY who's loved by the only REAL GOOD GUY. His vibrant and innovative caricatures have twice won him the honor of Artist of the Year from the International Society of Caricature Artists.