Religion as subject matter for cartoonists has always been a sensitive issue. How do you poke fun at the most hallowed figures in the world without being labeled a blasphemer? You need not look any further than the example of Danish cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard, who created the controversial cartoon of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb in his turban. As a result, he has been in hiding from Islamic militants ever since with several attempts being made on his life.
Yet, cartoonists have always made fun of Christianity, and specifically Jesus, without running the risk of any serious backlash. Indeed, a quick cursory search on the internet reveals several examples of webcomics featuring Jesus as the main character.
Sinfest
This is one of the most popular webcomics by Japanese-American comic strip artist Tatsuya Ishida. The strip has been running since July 9, 2006. It is published daily. The subject matter of Ishida’s cartoons is often human nature, with particular attention paid to sexuality, gender roles, addiction and religion. Among the main characters are God, Jesus, Buddha, Death and the Devil.
Jesus has appeared various points in the strip. In earlier years he would appear very rarely, did not interact with the other characters, and usually appeared to set up a joke or punch line. More recently he has become a more common appearance, mostly interacting with Buddha and the Devil, but not totally separate from the strip's other characters; ironically, the devout Seymour rarely notices him, so preoccupied with "Jesus merchandise" that he ignores the actual Jesus entirely. He has a father-son relationship with God, such as playing catch with him, or being subjected to his "fatherly" expectations.
Jesus and Mo
Talk about a double whammy! Jesus and Prophet Muhammad, in the same comic strip? It is perhaps for this reason that author chooses to use a pseudonym. Jesus and Mo is a British webcomic created by an artist using the pseudonym Mohammed Jones. Launched in November 2005, the comic is published twice a week. While Jesus is portrayed as the actual Christian historical figure, Mo claims to be a body double, an obvious attempt to cater to the restriction of Islam in representing the Islamic prophet Muhammad pictorially.
Jesus and Mo share an apartment (and a bed), and occasionally venture outside, principally to a public house, The Cock and Bull, where they drink Guinness and engage in conversation and debate with an atheist female bar attendant known simply as Barmaid, who is never drawn but is characterized only as an out of frame speech bubble. The barmaid functions as the voice of reason. Other times, Jesus or Mo may act as the voice of reason depending on which religion a particular comic aims to criticize. They also converse with each other on a park bench.
The comic consists mainly of religious satire, often criticizing arguments for religion, religious texts and decrees and the actions of believers. As the comic features only Christian and Muslim prophets, these are generally directed at the two religions, though some apply to many forms of theism.
Jesus Christ: In The Name Of the Gun
This webcomic certainly does know how to push the envelope when it comes to Jesus. Created by Eric Peterson and Ethan Nicolle, it’s about Jesus as a hardcore action hero, fighting evil, killing people, cursing like a sailor, and generally attempting to right wrongs of history. The first episode, called Hollow Cost, is the “origin” story, as it details his first mission to earth. The basic premise is: Jesus is sick and tired of his father (God) inaction and “hands-off” attitude with allowing all manner of atrocities like wars, serial killers, and the holocaust. Jesus mission is quite simple: he must use all of his powers to fight the Nazis, kill Adolf Hitler and stop the holocaust. And if that is not enough, he has Ernest Hemingway as a sidekick. The webcomic was launched on July 1, 2008 and the first volume, JESUS CHRIST: IN THE NAME OF THE GUN VOLUME 1: A HOLLOW COST was released on March of 2009. Volume 2 started in July of 2010 and is currently in progress.
Ask Yeshua
This is the newest of the bunch. Created by a cartoonist using the pseudonym, Brayo, the webcomic is about God's son, Yeshua (the Hebrew version for Jesus), making a return to earth as a 12 year old psychologist. His clients cover the whole spectrum of society. The comic strip appears to be a social commentary from a variety of topics ranging from politics to entertainment. It’s been up for about three months but warrants a mention as one to watch.
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