Category Archives: controversy

controversy

No to Jesus with superheroes; Yes to Jesus with kung-fu beheadings

1 Comment

Cover to CRUCIFIED from Scout ComicsIn case you missed it, Second Coming, the series from Mark Russell and Richard Pace, was canceled by DC Comics for its Vertigo line after an outcry (like this one) amassed online for its “blasphemous content.” DC reverted the rights back to Russell and Pace to have it published elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Scout Comics has plans to release Crucified this year, and, late this month, Image Comics will release Jesusfreak featuring the Christian Messiah as “a kung fu demon slayer.” Fox & Friends does not like that he beheads his enemies in his mission, reports Newsweek.

This is to say nothing, of course, of Zombie Jesus, Jesus Hates Zombies, Jesus as an alien in Martian Comics, Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun, or fan-favorite Battle Pope (with sidekick Jesus).

Of course, every so often, we are treated to a Punk Rock Jesus, so one cannot be too quick to judge the latest wave of irreligious Jesus comics…

controversy

Kingstone Asks: WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP?

DC Comics and Florida publisher square off on who Jesus is —

Second Coming cover

LEESBURG, FL January 11, 2019 – The battle between David and Goliath went into extra rounds among the faithful this week when DC Comics made a jolting announcement regarding a upcoming new series on Jesus Christ. In “Second Coming,” the writer Mark Russell previously explained that the series centers on the fact that God “was so upset with Jesus’ performance the first time he came to earth since he was arrested so soon and crucified shortly after, that he has kept him locked up since then.”  

Art Ayris is the publisher of Kingstone Comics, a small central Florida publisher, but still the largest Christian comics publisher worldwide with their comics in over 30 languages. Kingstone published the most complete graphic adaptation of the life of Christ ever done, contained in their graphic novel trilogy The Kingstone Bible. The tome was a finalist in the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association 2017 Book of the Year awards.  The graphic Bible is not only the most complete graphic adaptation of the Bible ever done but is also the largest non-serialized graphic novel ever published. With his feet in both the world of comics and the religion the comics publisher had a few thoughts on the new take on Jesus Christ.

“We are all for responsible fiction, but dissing the deity of Jesus Christ and his monumental sacrifice for our sins is a tough pill to swallow. I sure hope they (DC) will reconsider this blatant move. The even fictional concept that Jesus is sent on a mission by God to learn what it takes to be the true messiah of mankind from the all-powerful superhero Sun-Man, the Last Son of Krispex, is a blasphemous joke. I can understand why (former Campus Crusade President) Bill Bright offered 10 million dollars to Universal Studios to purchase the film negative of The Last Temptation of Christ.” Continue reading Kingstone Asks: WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP? →

controversy, events

UPDATE: Islamophobic Cartoon Contest Canceled

Caricature of Geert Wilders from http://www.karikaturen-online.nl/en/homepage-en/In June, Sacred and Sequential shared reporting from Reuters that the Freedom Party of the Dutch government had announced a new “free-speech event” centered around creating illustrations of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. Led by politician Geert Wilders, the contest was to be judged by the 2015 Garland, Texas “Draw Mohammed” contest winner, Bosch Fawstin.

Following a peaceful protest march in Islamabad in late August, reports the Associated Press,  the planned contest has been canceled. Wilders is quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided to not let the cartoon contest go ahead.” InfoWars deemphasizes the impact of the 10,000-strong peaceful march, focusing instead on a video death threat Wilders received.

Fawstin’s Twitter account remains suspended.

controversy, events

Return of Islamophobic Cartoon Contest

Here we go again…

“The Prophet Muhammad is pictured in this Islamic manuscript dated 1539–43. It comes from a royal miniature made to illustrate a copy of the poems of the celebrated Persian Nizami, and depicts the prophet’s ascension to heaven on the horse Buraq.” (Copyright © The British Library Board; courtesy of WBUR)

From Reuters:

The Freedom Party of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders will hold a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, it said on Tuesday. The party said the plan to hold the competition in the party’s secure offices in Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV.

If this sounds familiar, it should. There was a “Draw Mohammed” Contest in Garland, TX in 2015, won by Bosch Fawstin who will serve as a judge for this new event. Wilders served as a keynote speaker at that 2015 contest, and two gunmen, claimed by ISIS, were killed on site.

This competition is being billed as a “free speech event,” not  unlike the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten‘s own 2005 showcase of Mohammed cartoons, similarly resulting in violence.

On a related note, Twitter recently suspended Fawstin’s account following his posting opposing on Marvel Entertainment’s plans for Muslim superheroine Ms. Marvel. This was the latest in his “multiple or repeat violations of the Twitter Rules.”

Bosch Fawstin's tweet

Islamic culture has a history of respectful images of Mohammed, though that does not in any way seem the goal of Fawstin and Wilders’s insulting affair.

academic, controversy, from the Internet

UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S.

Illinois vs. MichiganLast October, Sacred and Sequential reported that the the largest collection of Indian comics in the U.S. resides at the University of Illinois under the care of curator Mara Thacker. In December, however, we received the following e-mail from Professor Siddharth Chandra, excerpted below:

Subject: Largest collection of Indian comics in a US library
Message Body:
Dear Mr. David,

A small correction to your article titled “THE U.S.’S LARGEST INDIAN COMICS COLLECTION IN IS IN ILLINOIS.” ‘Illinois’ should read ‘Michigan.’ For more information, please see https://magic.msu.edu/search~S39?/dIndian+comic+books%2C+strips%2C+etc./dindian+comic+books+strips+etc/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dindian+comic+books+strips+etc&1%2C1763%2C .

This link leads to a partial listing of Indian comics in Michigan State University’s comic arts collection. There are hundreds of additional volumes in the process of being cataloged.

Kind regards,
Siddharth Chandra

After following the link and reading its contents, I caught the gist of his message and responded:

Actually, you’re saying that the premise of the article is incorrect — that the largest one ISN’T in Illinois, as stated by the article, but at MSU?

And his reply was polite and clear (as were his bona fides):

Yes, I believe so.

Siddharth Chandra
Director, Asian Studies Center
Professor of Economics, James Madison College and
Professor (by courtesy), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Michigan State University

Continue reading UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S. →