A Comic Book About Jesus' Return...why do I expect the Fundies to hate it?

[Khephra]

Wait until the Fundies hear about this one.



Imagine you’re twelve years old and suddenly discover that you’re the returned Jesus Christ. You can turn water into wine, make the crippled walk again, and maybe even raise the dead. What do you do? What does your family do? How does it feel to know that you’re destined to grow up and take part in a conflict that people have been waiting almost two thousand years for?

Comics superstar Mark Millar (Ultimate X-Men) and artist Peter Gross (Lucifer) have teamed up to examine both how our society would react to the event the world has been awaiting for nearly 2000 years and how a young man would react to the news that he’s the Chosen one. Known for his unique, revisionist takes on popular comic book icons in The Authority and Marvel’s Ultimate books, Millar is now taking on the most recognizable superhero of them all.

As it tackles sensitive issues, Chosen certainly will push some buttons. Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson urges readers to wait before passing judgment. “The series is not what you expect,” Richardson explains. “The subject matter is handled with great sensitivity, and Mark himself is a Christian. Don’t jump to conclusions before you’ve seen the entire work.”

Writer Mark Millar remarked, “My basic spin on this is that Marvel asked me to Ultimize or modernize their most famous characters like X-Men, Captain America, and The Hulk and now I’m just applying that same Ultimate philosophy to an even more recognizable character.” Millar continued, “The story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament is over 2000 years old and so I just want to bring it to a whole new generation of readers.”

MORE...............

http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/news/106500813035985.htm

Ignore the "Harry Potter for Fundamentalist Christians" line. Millar may be a Christian, but he's not a fundie. NOT BY A LONG SHOT!

[Kat45]

1. Not necessarily. It depends on the tone of the book.

Christian publishers try to reach children and young adults with things like comic books and such. It's a way to reach them with their message by using a medium they're comfortable with. I saw a book, aimed at boys, called something like 'the grossest things in the Bible' that would present some of the grosser Old Testament stories in kid-friendly ways, emphasizing the gross aspects of the stories. And it would have little bits like listing the number of times puking is mentioned in the Bible, etc.

Although, looking at the drawing on the cover, this book may not have the correct sensibility for the serious Christian/fundies.

[Khephra]

2. Trust me on this one

They're sugar coating it. I know this man's work. He may be a Christian, but so were most of the members of Monty Python when they did Life of Brian (which most people forget was banned in several places in the UK).

This is going to be....

I don't know...I expect it to be more of an attack on how Christians have misunderstood Christ from reading between the lines in some of the statements. Sometimes the best critics of Christianity are Christians.

I hope they make a poster out of that cover. I personally love it.

[Kat45]

5. Ok. If you know the man's work, you have a better take on it.

I was just commenting on how the fundies do use media such as this to reach certain audiences. I'll have to look for the comic. As a tolerant (and politically progressive) Christian, I'd be very curious to read it myself.

[Khephra]

9. Unfortunately I'm aware of that

One of the top selling comics for last year was adapations of "Left Behind".

[Kat45]

10. Aaaaaaargh! "Left Behind"?

That being a top-selling comic is some scary shit! If the fundies took it as the sci-fi that it is, that would be fine, but I'm guessing that they probably consider it prophecy. Very scary.

[Khephra]

11. Yeah...Agreed

I like a lot of religous inspired fiction (See: C.S. Lewis here ;-) ), and much of it is good, even when I don't agree with where the author is coming from religiously.

Then there are the Jack Chicks of the world, both in comics and in "fiction". Too many fundies that I've talked to really believe in the Left Behind books as prophecy. It's freaking scary.

It would be like me thinking that the Matrix was "inspired" just because I hold some Gnostic views.

[supernova]

3. Intriguing...

I'd read that, but then again, I'm not a fundie.

It depends on what his personal theology is. This sounds like a graphical update of "The Message".

[Khephra]

6. Some of the things Millar did recently:

The Authority -- which had characters that were loosely based on Batman and Superman as gay lovers. (and they even adopted a kid)

Ultimates (the Ultimate Avengers book)-- he turned Giant Man into a wife beater, the Hulk into an attempted rapist, and Captain America into a Mason.

Trouble -- it tells the tale of how Spider-Man's mother has unprotected sex on a Summer outting (it was his "subversion" of the Romance comics genre). Very unfundie in it's tone. More of a safe-sex comic (condoms were in it...something a fundie would never show).

It will probably be very, very religious. I just don't think the Fundies will like what he's saying.

I do know that I'll be buying it the day it comes out.

[Paragon]

13. Whoa whoa

"Trouble" is a nod and a wink at the Spider-Man books by using characters named (Aunt) May and (Uncle) Ben and such. It's set in modern times - it is NOT "canon".

Aunt May & Uncle Ben never had sex, much less used condoms. ;-)

[Khephra]

14. Whoops, you're right

I wasn't that impressed with the first two issues, so some of the elements slipped in my mind.

[chemp]

4. As I comic book fan...

It is my firm belief that this book will SUCK! Just like everything this scaly bastard has written.

[Khephra]

7. Waiting for Frank Millers "Jesus" then?

:evilgrin:

I wonder if he'll ever get that one done.

[supernova]

8. How so?

It sounds like this guy is capable of some truely first rate satire.

[curlyred]

12. They will hate it when He returns

No doubt about that......:)

(I know you meant the book....they'll hate that too.)

[zonmoy]

15. I do hope that

he like the original trashes the fundies and their moneymaking schemes.