Guess who’s back, back again. Jesus is back, tell a friend. And this time, we all get to see him grow up on the J2 reality show!
Basically it’s “The Truman Show” with a bit of Catholic guilt thrown in:
Jesus, who goes by the name Chris, was cloned by geneticist Sarah Epstein using the Shroud of Turin. This is done on behalf of evil TV network OPHIS. Some people think Chris is the second coming, some a fraud. But either way, the whole world is watching.
Like the aforementioned dramedy, Chris eventually escapes the confines of his televised world. Only in “Punk Rock Jesus,” the bulk of the story takes place after that event. Chris forsakes his religious identity to promote atheism and his celebrity duties to join punk rock band The Flak Jackets.
“Punk Rock Jesus” was written and illustrated by Sean Murphy. Murphy has illustrated books like Grant Morrison’s “Joe the Barbarian” and Scott Snyder’s “American Vampire.” He employs a high contrast, black and white style here that certainly fits the punk rock tone. And there’s at least one page in every issue that would make a killer backpatch on someone’s leather jacket.
But as a writer, Murphy is in way over his head. The idea is clever and organized religion and reality tv are certainly two topics ripe for satire. But the pacing is way off here, with a strong start followed by a limp to the finish. He probably should have brought in a co-writer, if not completely hand over writing duties and focus just on the art.
As a punk rocker and an atheist, this book seems like it was just for me and yet I walked away disappointed in the execution.
Still, I’m all about having more Stiff Little Fingers and Dead Kennedys references in my comics.
-Emily Matview
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