This Wednesday Jesus will rise again in the pages of Jesusfreak, a new graphic novel by Joe Casey and Benjamin Marra. Combining ’70s exploitation comics with the story of Jesus Christ, the book is described as “a bloody, two-fisted tale of heroic historical fiction featuring a certain young Nazarean carpenter who is having some trouble finding his place within a world of ever increasing violence,” according to publisher Image Comics.
“Jesusfreak is less inspired by any strict religious traditions and is instead more concerned with exploring the unique tension that exists between depicting a mythical figure and a historical figure—a tension that is compounded when, for many, they’re considered the same person,” Casey said when the project was announced. “It’s also a chance for Marra and I to indulge in a specific style of hard pulp storytelling that we think perfectly fits this material.”
Although it didn’t hit stores until this week, the original graphic novel has not been without controversy. Fox & Friends hosted David Brody, chief political analyst at the Christian Broadcast Network, so he could share his views on the project.
“Unfortunately it is a situation where kids are going to read this and that’s the disturbing part. Jesus, according to this comic book, has some issues and so decides to take it out in a violent way with his sword,” Brody said. “Jesus is a superhero, not this superhero, he is a superhero that is all powerful and who saves…the good news here is that this is fiction, could you imagine if it was non-fiction?”
Could you imagine? If kung-fu Christ isn’t Brody’s cup of tea, perhaps Ahoy Comics’ Second Coming would be more to his tastes.
The 64-page, full color hardcover retails for $17.99, and arrives in comic book stores tomorrow and in bookstores on March 26. Check out the preview below.
