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DC Cancels Comic Where Jesus Learns From Superhero After Outcry (theguardian.com)
AmiMoJo writes: A new comics series in which Jesus Christ is sent on "a most holy mission by God" to learn "what it takes to be the true messiah of mankind" from a superhero called Sun-Man, has been cancelled by DC Comics. The move follows a petition that called it "outrageous and blasphemous". The Second Coming series, from DC imprint Vertigo, was due to launch on 6 March. Written by Mark Russell and illustrated by Richard Pace, its story followed Jesus's return to Earth. "Shocked to discover what has become of his gospel," he teams up with a superhero, Sun-Man, who is more widely worshipped than him.
and someone would get crucified if it were one that was less forgiving.
Well, if this is real, then it may finally be time for Norwegians to stand up and demand the halt of this blasphemous portrayal of Thor Odinson, the god of Thunder!
"Outrageous and blasphemous"? Bring it on!
There's always going to be some people who are pissed off at something. If you always listen to them, you'll never put anything out at all.
They should have just doubled down and rolled with this.
Whether it is middle-eastern suicode bombers, Vatican boy rapists, or this kind of fake-victimhood terrorism.
Not being allowed to take the freedom of other people does not equal you having your freedom taken away, dear terrorists. It is not harm, to forbid somebody to harm you.
And free speech is one of he most fundamental guaranteed freedoms.
You even have the right to *say* you want to take the freedom of others.
But we are not obliged to comply. And we have the right to say you are morons and terrorists.
I know factual reality is not your thing, but in his case, such statements are not slander, as they are factually true.
This. I'm not a reader of comic by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I religious at all. However, the idea behind this story sounds intriguing. Not only would it be interesting to see what Jesus would think of what became of His Gospel, but of us as well. The idea of him having a discussion with a superhero who is "worshiped" more than Him sounds fascinating... Especially since the "worship" would be of a completely different kind.
Imagine the discussion about superpowers? Gifts of God to a select few? Were they Chosen? Was it random? Did God have anything to do with it? Do superpowers make them "more" than Jesus is (given He can't fly, no super strength, no laser vision, etc). This would be an incredible analysis/discussion on what it means to be a superhero vs the son of God.
I can only imagine some of the other discussions and story arcs that might have come from this premise. A shame we'll never know.
You can have a Norse superhero, you can have a black superhero but god forbid we get a Jewish superhero!
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Then they truly do not believe.
I am religious, and have faith. But I also enjoy reading fiction that some would find blasphemy. What I read does not shake my faith. If these people are so offended, their faith has been brought into question. Then they are not as religious as they think they are.
Anonymous comments are as pathetic as the anonymous "sources" that contaminate gutless journalism from the New York Time
So instead of getting shot at, you just get censored due to religion...It's better, for sure, but that doesn't make religion better. It's just a religion, you (not you literally, the figurative you) believe what the heck you want and others can do what the heck they please, including drawing comics about your figurehead. Drawing Jesus comics doesn't infringe on your religious rights; however, if you decide to censor, or worse, retaliate against the creators, that just means religion is given way too much power or you're a terrorist.
This. I'm not a reader of comic by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I religious at all. However, the idea behind this story sounds intriguing. Not only would it be interesting to see what Jesus would think of what became of His Gospel, but of us as well. The idea of him having a discussion with a superhero who is "worshiped" more than Him sounds fascinating...
It would be difficult to write such a comic though that wouldn't fall into one of three traps:
Preachy,
Blasphemous,
or Boring.
If you get too much into moral conduct it could come across as preachy. If Jesus has any flaws, or resorts to kicking arse, it could come across as blasphemous... trying too hard to avoid either of the above could become boring.
A skilled writer could probably come up with some very intriguing story lines as you suggest. But if a less than stellar writing team is involved if would end up a disaster.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Clearly you've never offended a Scientologist.
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
It would be difficult to write such a comic though that wouldn't fall into one of three traps:
Preachy,
Blasphemous,
or Boring.
Just stay clear of preachy and boring.
Being blasphemous is more a virtue than a crime and has been a part of comedy for a long time.
Either way I doubt it will be more outrageous than the source material.