PUNK ROCK JESUS #4
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Size: 32 pages
Price: 2.99
Going into this series I knew that Sean Murphy’s philosophical views would disagree with mine drastically. I picked up the first issue undeterred. I have no problem with a different point of view and the premise of the series intrigued me. The first three issues of this series were nigh flawless, but with issue four some cracks start to show.
Murphy’s own atheist dogma comes to the forefront, which wouldn’t be a problem as he’s stated in interviews this was the point of the series. However it’s done in a rather inartistic manner, coming off as little more than exposition. Chris turns off the filters of his holographic classroom, and is inundated with nothing but the horribleness all religion has caused. Again, if that’s what Murphy believes and this is the story he wants to use to tell it, that’s all fine and dandy, but some subtlety would be nice. Instead those pages are nothing more than an atheist tract. There’s also some exposition regarding the history of the IRA, but that is done with a little more skill.
The other part of the story which was bothersome was a bit of the plot based on coincidence. Chris escapes the J2 program and just happens to stumble on one of his favorite punk bands holding open auditions for a new lead singer. What happened to their old lead singer? He became a fundamentalist Christian and started to believe punk music was evil. The entire sequence is groan inducing.
Aside from those hiccups the fate of Chris’s mom and his eventual escape are interesting. We also continue to follow Thomas and learn more about is past.
Murphy’s art remains incredible and one the absolute highlights of this series. Stylistic and dynamic, he’s able to cram a ton of detail into each panel without sacrificing storytelling or clarity. The clerk at my LCS stated he hopes the series is one day collected in a colored edition. I actually, do not. The starkness of the black and white not only enhances Murphy’s, but also enhances the gritty violent nature of his story.
Art: 5 - Excellent
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hmm… I think the script is pretty solid… it’s a good script with incredibly art… and the concept behind the story itself is highly interesting and fresh…
I think that – if you cannot have it that people describe religions as Murphy does it – you should stay away from it… and just because you do not like the “views” it’s not makeing the story bad.. I mean, the bible is a well written story… and I agree with almost nothing in it… but the writing itself is solid… so…
it’S a difference if the material itself is nothing for you or if the writing just sucks… like a superhero book.. if you’re not into it, well you’d even have troubles with Snyder, Morrisson and so on…
And I personally can’t help but think, that Punk Rock Jesus isn’t even to much exagerrating the whole thing…
I agree with you. I picked up number 1 thinking I would hate it and be offended however I have instead become impressed with the concept and even the tact with which Murphy handles the subject. Plus think isn’t this a possible outcome if someone tried to clone Jesus in our world today?
I think the writer makes it pretty clear that it isn’t the theory itself which he finds offensive, but the way it is presented. I would allign myself with Murphy philosophically, but I too thought that the education sections were clunky. The examples chosen were fairly obvious and clichéd. What started as a nuanced and complicated examination of religion quickly turned polemical, and obviously so. I think, though, that this is a matter of space. This just isn’t a 6-issue mini. The first two issues have a nice, dense plotting, but then the last two have had to fly forward. At 12 issues, that education section could have been spread out and it wouldn’t have felt so one-dimensional. Still, as the original reviewer stated, this isn’t enough to overshadow the series. It still rules.