Punk Rock Jesus #1
Story and Art by Sean Murphy
Letters by Todd Klein
Reviewed by Steve Seigh
Could you imagine what the world would be like if we were to successfully clone the DNA of Jesus Christ? I predict that it would be pandemonium on an unprecedented scale. Fear of judgement and moral paranoia would overwhelm the masses and we’d probably end up killing the guy … again. So what if it did happen? What if we cloned Jesus and decided, “Hey! Let’s document the entire process and turn it into a reality show!” Because that’s exactly what happens in Punk Rock Jesus #1 . Are you ready for Jesus 2.0? Does he make you nervous? Well, repent for you sins now, brother, because he has risen!
Punk Rock Jesus #1 is one of those truly unique books that make you appreciate the comic book medium. Not that you couldn’t tell this story by way of a novel, but the visual element of comics allows for the reader to get a much more visceral sense of the carnage that resurrecting “the savior of many” would surely encourage. Presented in fine line black and white Punk Rock Jesus #1 is a free-thinking sci-fi geeks agnostic bed time story. Normally, I shy away from black and white colored books as I sometimes find them to be too busy and quite jarring to my vision as a whole. But Punk Rock Jesus #1 with it’s insane premise and stark, deeply detailed ink work won me over from the moment I turned the first page. The art is appropriate, brutal and unrelenting. Those of you with weak constitutions might want to look away. I’m only kidding. I think you can handle it.
So with the cast of an egotistical scientist, an evil doctor, and a bodyguard/caregiver with a very haunted and bloody past Punk Rock Jesus #1 will make you a believer of comics with fresh and original ideas. I’m sure that other writers have played with this concept before, I think I saw a book in Barnes & Noble once that resembled the idea of bringing Jesus back and filming the whole thing, but this comic is its own beast. The pacing is just right, the intrigue is there and I already want to punch certain characters in the face. A book that evokes that much of an emotional and spiritual response out of me is something I want to be reading.
VERDICT:
Buy it! I can already tell that there is going to be all kinds of blasphemous coming our way.
