So.... Jesus Is Getting His Own DC Comic

[kilderkin]

Mark Russell is the foremost satirist in the industry. Nothing about this is serious. Jesus and Superman are roommates.

Nothing about this being serious is indeed part of my issue, I think it's entirely serious when you satire an active faith

That's not to say it shouldn't happen, I rarely find it humourous nor intelligent I feel

Mostly they tend to be cheap shots to make some people feel momentarily superior imo

Or I suppose what I mean is, if you set yourself up to satire someone's beliefs and culture, it's gonna go both ways

[Captain Smith]

How long till the cross-over with Earth-1?

[daBronzeBomma]

Swap out Jesus with Muhammad the Prophet, and this comic doesn't even get past the elevator pitch.

[Doctor Bifrost]

In a past interview with Bleeding Cool, Russell 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.”

Do writers like this ever read The Bible? Jesus getting crucified is the plan.

Writers are permitted to imagine alternatives. And people are permitted to believe that the Bible was written by men to explain their encounter with divinity, and is not literally true in every aspect because men make mistakes.

I realize this may not be in accord with everyone's theology (different religions, and different people, have different theologies), but that does not put it beyond the boundaries of literary speculation.

It can be discussed whether this is an insult to a certain brand of Christianity (of which there are many brands), rather than simply someone imagining an alternative, but that's a longer discussion.

[DragonsChi]

I wonder how far this would actually get if the used the Muslim religion in this day in age? My guess, not very.

[kilderkin]

Writers are permitted to imagine alternatives. And people are permitted to believe that the Bible was written by men to explain their encounter with divinity, and is not literally true in every aspect because men make mistakes.

I realize this may not be in accord with everyone's theology (different religions, and different people, have different theologies), but that does not put it beyond the boundaries of literary speculation.

It can be discussed whether this is an insult to a certain brand of Christianity (of which there are many brands), rather than simply someone imagining an alternative, but that's a longer discussion.

Of course I agree here, they are entirely entitled to do this

Likewise I'm entirely entitled to take exception to it and say so if I wish

I only ever really get annoyed when people suggest someone can say/write what they want and we can't comment back ( I'm not saying you were just to be clear, you just made me think of this)

[TaliaJoy]

Hmmm... My first reaction is hating it utterly. Upon reading the article, I will admit there may be some somewhat interesting ideas at play here or at least some thought put into it, but it's hard for me to get past the ludicrous premise of God locking Jesus up for 2000 years because...He did exactly what He was sent to earth to do? That's equal parts offensive and stupid. I get that it's a joke of sorts - haha, Jesus was such a failure because He got Himself getting arrested and crucified so early...haha so funny? I'm sorry but just...no. Of course they have a "right" to "deviate from the source material" if they want, but at this point it's so detached from the Christian concept of God and Jesus that it risks defeating the point of writing a story about them, even a purposefully irreverent one.

If this was done with some tact and intelligence, the idea of comparing Jesus with a superhero, a modern-day Christ figure, is actually a potentially interesting one. Judging from that cover, it could be a comparison of the idea of stopping problems with mercy (Jesus giving the guy a loaf of bread) vs. violence (superhero beating him up). That would be a reasonably interesting if thorny thing to explore...but I severely doubt this comic will handle the issue with tact.

Also, this just kind of sounds like some random dude's hot take on what Jesus is "REALLY" all about...I'd like to know what qualifications Mark Russell has to be able to know better than anyone else what Jesus' message is.

In short, it just sounds really dumb and immature and like some person who I severely doubt is a scholar, religion expert, or significantly qualified in any other way, preaching what he thinks is the "truth" about Jesus' message. I happen to agree that what's taught in "modern Evangelical megachurches" is indeed pretty fair from Christ's teachings, though probably not in the same way as this guy does... but the point is, I want to know what makes this guy uniquely qualified to speak for Jesus. Everyone and their mother thinks they know what Jesus "really" meant, but I want to know why this person thinks his opinion has any particular validity.

[Timothy Hunter]

I'm personally fine with this irreverent take on Jesus, considering that it is by Mark Russell. Even though I dont agree with everything he espouses he is probably the best satirist and "political" writer in the comics as of this moment.

[Noodle]

This isn't Russell's first go at religious satire at DC. He also touched on it in his Flintstones run, so if you've read that you probably have some kind of idea on how he'll approach this book.

[Clark_Kent]

There are creative and funny Jesus depictions that don't misunderstand the fundamentals. The manga Saint Young Men for example, where Jesus and Buddha are depicted as roommates in Japan, acting like a comedic duo commentating on modern life on earth, where they reference real life politic, current social climate and their mythology. It's a funny book where the author clearly know what they're talking about.

The fundamentals of fictional characters can be changed anytime. Just see most comic book movies.

[Digifiend]

If it's out in March, shouldn't it have been listed in the solicits? We shouldn't just now be hearing about this.

[BruceWayneJr.]

Russell's great. I usually trade wait but I'll be happy to support this as a monthly with my dollars.

[Personamanx]

I'll check it out in trade. Hard to go wrong with Russell, his books have been the only things worth reading from DC for the past few years.

[skyvolt2000]

Swap out Jesus with Muhammad the Prophet, and this comic doesn't even get past the elevator pitch.

If this book had a Marvel logo-a certain fandom would be raising all sorts of CAIN now.

This among others gets a free pass but a book about a Muslim heroine or a chubby girl who talks to squirrels annoys folks.

I only ever really get annoyed when people suggest someone can say/write what they want and we can't comment back

Well as long as you at least READ it-you should comment on it. The issue is some of the stuff we have seen where books and creators get attacked or accused of certain things. Yet when called upon to state their case with evidence-guess who doesn't want to talk.

Folks forget criticism is suppose to be evidence of READING the book in question. Not pages of fits being thrown and no can explain why.

[CaptCleghorn]

Well as long as you at least READ it-you should comment on it. The issue is some of the stuff we have seen where books and creators get attacked or accused of certain things. Yet when called upon to state their case with evidence-guess who doesn't want to talk.

Folks forget criticism is suppose to be evidence of READING the book in question. Not pages of fits being thrown and no can explain why.

Yeah. I certainly don't want to see Christianity mocked. But some satire and jokes are OK for me. I have faith (cool word here) in Russell, but I wouldn't be surprised if I read the first issue and hate it. A 21st America makeover for Jesus could either be brilliant or a pile of $#!+.

I think I'll wait and decide for myself.