Professor James F. McGrath (aka ReligionProf) sits down with Sacred and Sequential‘s own A. David Lewis to discuss Kismet, Man of Fate from publisher A Wave Blue World. This March 2019 episode of the ReligionProf Podcast also features linkbacks to S&S‘s discussion of the Second Coming debacle and Matthew Brake’s news of the new Religion and Comics series from Claremont Press. It all comes full circle!
Tag Archives: Jesus
No to Jesus with superheroes; Yes to Jesus with kung-fu beheadings
In 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…
Kingstone Asks: WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP?
DC Comics and Florida publisher square off on who Jesus is —
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?
When it comes to the classroom, not all comic Bibles are created equal
There are many different angles from which to consider comic book Bibles and plenty of excellent scholarship already shared on Sacred and Sequential. I don’t intend to go over this ground again but instead to consider comic Bibles from the perspective of Religious Education pedagogy; what might educators need to consider before they bring comic book Bibles into the classroom as materials for study and learning. I am not concerned therefore, with comics as tools for evangelising or as supposed miracle cures for reluctant readers. Instead I am coming from the perspective of English mainstream education where Religious Education is a legal requirement. Of course, this is a situation that is not always present in other countries but hopefully I can stir up useful questions and pedagogical judgements that should surround our classroom materials used by all students, regardless of the medium. Or encourage you to think about using comics in your classrooms, because I really think they are a fantastic, much under-appreciated resource!
Continue reading When it comes to the classroom, not all comic Bibles are created equal
Review – Toscano and Hartmann-Dow’s The Amazing Adventures of the Afterbirth of Jesus
The Amazing Adventures of the Afterbirth of Jesus is a subversive tale by Biblical scholar and Quaker Peterson Toscano and artist Joey Hartmann-Dow. A slim volume, over twenty-nine pages it tells the story of Hagar, the placenta born alongside Jesus in the stable. Key moments in Jesus’ ministry unfold as we expect in the background while the reader is given glimpses of Hagar’s influence. Born sentient, once used, the afterbirth is ignored and rejected and she consciously names herself Hagar, after a fellow rejected woman of the Old Testament. She follows Jesus carefully and is desperate for acknowledgement and inclusion. It is through her attention-seeking pranks that Jesus’ ministry develops. She causes coins to go missing in the home of a widow, sheep to escape their pen, wedding wine to be spilt, blindness and leprosy to afflict those who flock to Jesus and ultimately, the death of Lazarus. However, cleaning up her mess is not enough and it is only through eventually welcoming her back into his life can Jesus complete his purpose on Earth.
Toscana is a regular at the UK-based Greenbelt Festival speaking on the hidden LGBTQ+ voices of the Bible and it was here that I heard him mention Afterbirth. How could a comics scholar miss an opportunity to pick up a copy? Continue reading Review – Toscano and Hartmann-Dow’s The Amazing Adventures of the Afterbirth of Jesus