Program helps Missouri man set a future path beyond prison

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, August 5, 2026

LICKING — A Missouri man serving time in state prison for choices made in his past has found a way to develop talents in an effort to look toward the future.

James Lee is a little more than halfway through a 30-year sentence received in 2010 for armed criminal action, assault, and other charges. Now 46, Lee has published a book of comic strips he created during his time in custody.

According to a release on the project, called “Blockheads,” the creation grew from Lee’s commitment to use his faith, education, and his acceptance of accountability to shift the direction of his life going forward.

The characters of Blockheads were developed by Lee not only to entertain, but to serve as a platform for stories about choices made, consequences, and redemption. The property comes with a tagline that reads as much as a mission statement as a creative concept: “From the street blocks to the cell blocks to overcoming the blocks in our head.”

In his time as an inmate at South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Lee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biblical studies through Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU)’s Freedom on the Inside program. HLGU helped create the program in partnership with the Missouri Department of Corrections (MoDOC) to give up to 20 inmate-students each year the chance to earn degrees while attending courses at MoDOC’s Jefferson City Correctional Center.

Creating Blockheads in 2022, Lee developed the characters on the page, from visuals to personalities, resulting in a combination of compelling characters with urban-style visuals, humor, and narratives about real life.

Blockheads Comics, LLC was established to give Lee an outlet to publish his own work, but also to establish a sustainable media business while supporting his own family and bringing the stories to those who might learn from them.

The first release, “Blockheads: The First Comic Strips and Graphic Minis,” came out in June and is comprised of 137 pages of Lee’s works. The book can be purchased in e-book format or as a physical paperback.

Along with efforts to show what consequences can result from choices made, Lee also hopes to show what education, creativity, and planning can do for those who have already faced those consequences while preparing to move back into the community after serving their time.

To order a copy of “Blockheads” and to stay up to date on the latest news, please visit blockheadscomics.com.