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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2019 11:43:58 GMT -5
Story here: www.irishpost.com/news/do-comics-jesus-christ-comic-petition-163739I briefly mentioned this to a friend. He wondered why there wasn't the same backlash against comics such as Preacher. It's only an opinion, but in many comics I have read (not all), deities and holy figures are merely alluded to - or are there as a convenient plot device. When a deity or holy figure actually appears, that is what attracts such disdain. I don't have a dog in this fight, I'm not religious, by the way. Didn't God appear in a Hulk comic (during Peter David's run) or did I imagine that? Did that lead to a backlash? Also, I have no idea if this is true or not as I have never seen anything written down, but someone told me that the god-like aspects of Thor were toned down in the TV movie The Incredible Hulk Returns due to concerns over how some religious viewers might interpret it. Again, that was just something someone told me. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Jan 25, 2019 12:11:21 GMT -5
Once again, a protest has brought more attention to the thing they're protesting - I'd never heard of this comic but now I'm interested.
I think DC should follow up with comics about Buddha and Mohammed.
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Post by The Captain on Jan 25, 2019 13:13:59 GMT -5
@taxidriver1980, I think you hit the nail on the head in that by actually portraying a religious figure (in this case, Jesus Christ), that is where the protest comes from, because the fear is that the subject won't be treated with the reverence that the protesters believe it should be.
The premise of this book, in that God was upset because Jesus did not fulfill God's plan and put him in perpetual timeout until God saw a role model for Jesus in an earthly superhero, is insulting to Christians, who believe that God's plan is perfect and therefore, anything that happened to Jesus was in the perfect time and place and was fully in accordance with God's plan. Likewise, Christians believe that Jesus, while living as a human, was perfect and did not sin in any manner, and I highly doubt this comic is going to avoid having its depiction of Jesus sin in any number of ways.
I bought and read Preacher during a period of time in my life when I was away from the church, but when I came back to my faith, I stopped reading it. The entire run sat in a box in my house until they announced the TV show and then I made a killing on it, but I had no desire to reread it, because there were elements of it that I found offensive at that later time.
There's lots of popular culture and entertainment that I don't partake in, even if I once did, because of who I am as a person now. There is a market for this, and as I'm fairly centrist as a Christian (as opposed to the evangelical wing), those folks who wish to indulge in this material should have the opportunity to do so. This book isn't for me, and I'm fine with that, and I'm not going to jump on a soapbox to shout it down.
All that said, I do stand by a comment I made in The Politics Thread a couple of weeks ago, that being that mockery of Christianity is the last acceptable form of bigotry for progressives in America. Do something like this with one of the Eastern religions (Buddhism or Hinduism), Islam, or Judaism, the creators would be publicly castigated as being religiously-insensitive or anti-Semitic or Islmaphobic, but do it to Christianity, that's just another day that ends in "y".
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2019 13:18:04 GMT -5
Do something like this with one of the Eastern religions (Buddhism or Hinduism), Islam, or Judaism, the creators would be publicly castigated as being religiously-insensitive or anti-Semitic or Islmaphobic, but do it to Christianity, that's just another day that ends in "y". Agreed. And it's the same here in the UK. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jan 25, 2019 16:25:43 GMT -5
I never managed to have much fun with Islam in my cartoons. I am far more culturaly attuned to Christianity, and while I consider the Bible a treasure-trove of story ideas, I find the Quran very dry and uninteresting. Jesus and Mo is brilliant, though. That’s a “blasphemous” comic strip that does its job well: not attacking individuals, but poking fun at certain aspects of religion. It also features Muhammad in person, and it is a sorry thing that the author has to remain anonymous for fear of being the victim of violence. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 0:35:37 GMT -5
Looks like DC has cancelled the series ahead of release, but in a unique move, gave the rights to the series back to Mark Russell and Richard Pace so they can take it to another publisher if they so choose. -M
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 14, 2019 10:38:50 GMT -5
I get the sense from that article that Warner Bros. higher ups forced DC to cancel it. Just reading between the lines.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 12:33:32 GMT -5
As usual The Captain is more eloquent than I could ever hope to be...
Stuff like this I tend to pass on. Why? I feel the writer is probably taking the easy way to get attention. Something "edgy" to get readers to look. To me it feels lazy. Why not rely on your talent instead? Especially since Russell is a decent writer.
Roquefort Raider you bring up a good point. The writer probably doesn't fear violence committed against him by a Christian (although there are misguided people of any faith). I sincerely doubt he would do this with Mohammad.
Great quote that I have to repeat: "...mockery of Christianity is the last acceptable form of bigotry for progressives in America. Do something like this with one of the Eastern religions (Buddhism or Hinduism), Islam, or Judaism, the creators would be publicly castigated as being religiously-insensitive or anti-Semitic or Islmaphobic, but do it to Christianity, that's just another day that ends in "y"."
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 14, 2019 14:46:41 GMT -5
As usual The Captain is more eloquent than I could ever hope to be... I agree with what he said. Stuff like this I tend to ignore. Why? Because the writer is seeking attention. It is usually lazy writing and not very good most of the time. If you ignore them then how exactly do you know that it's "lazy writing" and "not very good." I'll cop to Sturgeon's Law being in effect on almost everything. But you appear to be talking from a point of ignorance. And I doubt that Russell is "seeking attention." He's one of the hotter writers in comics right now and one of the more critically acclaimed. so chances are that he has a story to tell. Luckily there are a number of publishers that will have the cajones to let him tell it, unlike the clearly neutered "Vertigo." |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 14, 2019 15:08:38 GMT -5
If you ignore them then how exactly do you know that it's "lazy writing" and "not very good." I'll cop to Sturgeon's Law being in effect on almost everything. But you appear to be talking from a point of ignorance. And I doubt that Russell is "seeking attention." He's one of the hotter writers in comics right now and one of the more critically acclaimed. so chances are that he has a story to tell. Luckily there are a number of publishers that will have the cajones to let him tell it, unlike the clearly neutered "Vertigo." How can I be talking from a position of ignorance since I have read Russell's stuff? Most of the time I like it. I am betting this one won't be one of his better series.
And yeah most of this type of stuff (per my POV of Sturgeon's law) is "lazy writing". Just like comedians bashing Trump right now. Takes little effort to make it "edgy".
You're stating you ignore these types of books, but that they're lazy. I don't see how you can know they're lazy if you're ignoring them. Ignore and ignorance clearly come from the same root. Comedians have bashed every President...forever. It's what they do. I guess it could be lazy to bash Trump just because he's such an easy target and does so much stupid stuff it's like shooting fish in a barrel. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Feb 14, 2019 15:18:28 GMT -5
You're stating you ignore these types of books, but that they're lazy. I don't see how you can know they're lazy if you're ignoring them. Ignore and ignorance clearly come from the same root. Comedians have bashed every President...forever. It's what they do. I guess it could be lazy to bash Trump just because he's such an easy target and does so much stupid stuff it's like shooting fish in a barrel. You can read reviews to get a sense whether a book is worthwhile IMO. And why would I want to buy something that I probably won't enjoy? Thanks for the English lesson. You thinking you won't like something and thus not reading it is completely different than something being "lazy". Because, since you haven't read it, you don't actually know if it is or not. And with that, I'm done. Your mind is made up...and that's fine. I just can't wrap my head around your thinking. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 15:43:03 GMT -5
I get the sense from that article that Warner Bros. higher ups forced DC to cancel it. Just reading between the lines. It could be as simple as initial orders weren't high enough to publish. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2019 16:11:12 GMT -5
The book is being picked up and published by Ahoy Comics, a newer publisher led by DC alum Tom Peyer. BC write up-M |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 12, 2019 16:41:44 GMT -5
The book is being picked up and published by Ahoy Comics, a newer publisher led by DC alum Tom Peyer. BC write up-M The only one of Ahoy's books I've read is The Wrong Earth. But it's a super fun book. Seems like a good home for this title. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 13, 2019 7:37:45 GMT -5
Nary a peep was raised when Marvel adapted Michael Moorcock's "Behold the Man," in Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction. Granted, it was one of their b&w mags and one of the more short-lived; but, that was an era of much bigger readership. of course, it was also an era where every minor thing did not lead to viral internet backlash.
As for Thor, I don't know that there was any squeamishness, as much as the usual Hollywood meddling. Nothing was allowed to be translated well in those projects; Daredevil in black Danskins, Punisher without the shirt (and played by a monotone Dolph Lundgren), Cap mostly out of the suit, etc, etc. I think they thought frozen viking was more relatable than Norse god. They were also trying to develop Thor, as a comedy; so, you can imagine.
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