Punk Rock Jesus
| Punk Rock Jesus | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Punk Rock Jesus #1 by Sean Murphy. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Vertigo Comics |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | July 2012 – January 2013 |
| No. of issues | 6 |
| Main characters |
|
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Sean Murphy |
| Written by | Sean Murphy |
| Artist | Sean Murphy |
| Letterer | Todd Klein |
| Editors |
|
| Collected editions | |
| Punk Rock Jesus | ISBN 978-1-4012-3768-4 |
Punk Rock Jesus is a six-issue limited series comic book created by Sean Murphy and published by Vertigo. The series ran for six issues from September 2012 to January 2013 and was collected as a trade paperback in April 2013.
Background
[edit]Punk Rock Jesus is a limited run comic book series composed of six issues that was written and illustrated by Sean Murphy. The first issue was published on July 11, 2012, by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo Comics.[1]
A web campaign to clone Jesus Christ before December 25, 2001, may have been part of the inspiration for the series. The campaign was called the Second Coming Project and turned out to be a hoax run by an underground book publisher.[2] In 2004 at the age of 23, Murphy started writing the series as a practicing Catholic. At 26 years old in 2007, Murphy became a militant atheist and began using the project as a means to express his frustrations and concerns with religion. In the following years leading up to the release of the series in 2012, Murphy became less militant about his views on religion and decided that a confrontational approach may not be the most productive. Murphy acknowledges that the series might be a controversial topic, but emphasized that he believes that if Jesus was cloned it's probable that we would turn it into a reality TV show.[3]
Plot
[edit]In 2019 an entertainment company named OPHIS (Greek for serpent) starts what's known as the "J2 Project", a plan to resurrect Jesus Christ. A clone of Jesus Christ is made with DNA from the Shroud of Turin. The young Jesus is raised on an island with his entire life dictated and televised and viewed by nearly the entire world. Faced with these stresses the young Jesus ultimately becomes a rebellious punk rocker. Religious zealots either love or hate the show and politicians begin to fret over potential influences on the nation. The scientific community fears the implications of the cloning itself.[2][4]
Issue #1: Conception
[edit]The first issue of the series focuses on the characters that are involved in the J2 Project and their perspectives on it. The clone of Jesus Christ, named Chris, isn't born until the end of the issue.[5]
The story begins with a traumatic event in Thomas McKael's childhood and shows his transition from an innocent child who grows up to be a member of the Irish Republican Army and was arrested for murder. McKael is hired as the bodyguard for the J2 Project.[6]
Gwen gave birth to twins. Chris's twin sister was dumped into the ocean by Rick Slate. Shortly afterward, Sarah Epstein suddenly announces that she is pregnant with a girl.[7]
Issue #2: Genesis
[edit]At the end of issue 2, Chris is still an infant.[7]
Reception
[edit]Giving the book a rating of 8/10 in PopMatters, Shathley Q. Abrahams praised the series saying it's "the best kind of scifi–a meditation on liberty for the cyber-age."[8] Cory Doctorow praised the book writing on the blog Boing Boing saying "It's a near-perfect rocket-ship ride through some of the best material from comics like DMZ and Transmetropolitan".[9] Brendan Frye, the editor-in-chief of Comics Gaming Magazine, gave the first issue a rating of 9/10 praising it for having "wonderful artwork and an intriguing storyline".[5] Barry Thompson gave the series a 9.5/10 rating in Paste Magazine, writing that most depictions of Jesus in popular culture aren't innovative and rely on trope, whereas Sean Murphy's Punk Rock Jesus subverts tropes and is an interesting depiction of Jesus.[10] John R. Parker praised the series in ComicsAlliance calling it the "most innovative, intelligent, and moving comic book to deal with religion and politics in a long time."[2] Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review calling it a "compelling, searching, and important tale".[11] The series received a starred review in the LibraryJournal, where Steve Raiteri calls it "An audacious, nuanced, and hugely compelling tale".[4] James Hunt praised the first issue in Comic Book Resources saying it is "destined for cult success".[12] Oliver Sava praised the book in The A.V. Club, writing that the book demonstrates "remarkable inking skills" from Murphy.[13]
The series spent three weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list reaching #4 for best Paperback Graphic Books.[14][15][16]
Awards
[edit]| Award | Date | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IGN Awards | 2012 | Best Comic Mini-Series | Won | [17] |
| Utopiales | 2014 | The Prize for best science fiction comic strip | Won | [18] |
| Publishers Weekly Comics World Critics Poll | 2013 | Honorable Mention | Included | [19] |
Publication history
[edit]Issues
[edit]| Issue No. | Title | Publication Date | Pages | UPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | "Conception" | July 11, 2012 | 35 | UPC 76194130323900111 |
| #2 | "Genesis" | August 8, 2012 | 34 | UPC 76194130323900211 |
| #3 | "Exodus" | September 12, 2012 | 33 | UPC 76194130323900311 |
| #4 | "Sacrifice" | October 10, 2012 | 31 | UPC 76194130323900411 |
| #5 | "Disciples" | November 14, 2012 | 32 | UPC 76194130323900511 |
| #6 | "Revelations" | January 2, 2013 | 33 | UPC 76194130323900611 |
Collected editions
[edit]| Title | Format | Publisher | Publication Date | Language | Translator | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punk Rock Jesus | TPB | Vertigo Comics | April 9, 2013 | English | N/A | 978-1-4012-3768-4 |
| Punk Rock Jesus (Kindle Edition) | ebook | April 9, 2013 | 978-1-4012-4482-8 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesus (Deluxe Edition) | ebook | December 2, 2014 | 978-1-4012-5589-3 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesus (Deluxe Edition) | HC | December 2, 2014 | 978-1-4012-5146-8 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesus (New Edition) | TPB | April 1, 2025 | 978-1-7995-0099-5 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesús (Edición limitada DC Black Label) | TPB | ECC Editions | November 12, 2019 | Spanish | Guillermo Ruiz Carreras | 978-8-4180-4359-8 |
| Punk Rock Jesús | May 30, 2013 | 978-8-4158-4475-4 | ||||
| Punk Rock Jesús (2a Edición) | February 1, 2014 | 978-8-4159-9096-3 | ||||
| Punk Rock Jesús (Edición Cartoné) | HC | January 29, 2016 | 978-8-4165-8179-5 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesús (Edición de Tapa Dura) | Smash Comics | December 21, 2017 | ISBN 750-9-9970-2494-3 {{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link)
| |||
| Jesus Punk Rock (Português do Brasil – Capa Dura) | Levoir | September 1, 2018 | Portuguese | Eduardo Tanaka | 978-9-8968-2783-0 | |
| Punk Rock Jesus (Edição De Luxo) | Panini Comics | September 1, 2018 | 978-8-5836-8271-4 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesus | RW Editions | October 1, 2013 | Italian | Stefano Formiconi | 978-8-8669-1886-8 | |
| Punk Rock Jesus | TPB | Lion Comics | April 9, 2019 | 978-8-8293-0209-3 | ||
| Punk Rock Jesus (Edizione Speciale) | HC | October 29, 2015 | 978-8-8697-1102-2 | |||
| Punk Rock Jésus (Vertigo Deluxe) | HC | Urban Comics | September 19, 2013 | French | Benjamin Rivière | 978-2-3657-7260-0 |
| Punk Rock Jésus | TPB | August 25, 2023 | 979-1-0268-2684-2 | |||
| Punk Rock Jésus (Édition Anniversaire 5 Ans) | HC | November 24, 2017 | 979-1-0268-1314-9 | |||
| Punk Rock Jésus (Édition Black Label) | ebook | September 15, 2025 | 979-1-0268-5480-7 | |||
| Punk Rock Jésus (Édition Black Label) | HC | October 2, 2020 | 979-1-0268-1555-6 | |||
| Punk Rock Jesus | HC | Story House Egmont | April 23, 2025 | Polish | Jacek Żuławnik | 978-8-3281-6592-2 |
| Punk Rock Jézus | HC | Fumax Publishing | January 1, 2022 | Hungarian | Antal Bayer | 978-9-6347-0233-7 |
| 펑크 록 지저스 [Peongkeu Log Jijeoseu] | TPB | Construction Company | February 20, 2019 | Korean | 弘二郎 [Hongjiro] | 978-8-9527-9574-8 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Langshaw, Mark (April 9, 2012). "'Punk Rock Jesus' unveiled by Vertigo". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ a b c Parker, John (April 2, 2013). "Sean Murphy's 'Punk Rock Jesus' Asks All The Right Questions [Review]". ComicsAlliance. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (August 4, 2012). "Losing His Religion: Author Crafts Sci-Fi Punk Rock Jesus". Ottawa Citizen. USA Today. p. 47. ISSN 0734-7456. OCLC 8799626. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Raiteri, Steve (July 1, 2013). "Punk Rock Jesus". Library Journal. Media Source Inc. ISSN 0363-0277. OCLC 818916619. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Frye, Brendan (September 19, 2012). "Punk Rock Jesus #1 Review: Captivating Art, Intriguing Story". Comics Gaming Magazine. CGMagazine Publishing Inc. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Fehlinger, Bethany (August 15, 2012). "Comic Book Wednesday: 'Punk Rock Jesus'". York Daily Record. Gannett. Archived from the original on October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Johnston, Rich (August 11, 2012). "Review: Punk Rock Jesus #2". Bleeding Cool. Avatar Press. Archived from the original on October 22, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ Abrahams, Shathley Q. (July 17, 2012). "Just Another Nightmare, From Which I'm Trying to Awake: "Punk Rock Jesus"". PopMatters. OCLC 1122752384. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Doctorow, Cory (April 9, 2013). "Punk Rock Jesus: media-savvy second coming/reality TV comic". Boing Boing. Happy Mutants. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Barry (November 26, 2014). "Punk Rock Jesus: Deluxe Edition by Sean Murphy". Paste Magazine. Paste Media Group. ISSN 1540-3106. OCLC 49937508. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "Punk Rock Jesus". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. April 22, 2013. Archived from the original on October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ Hunt, James (July 16, 2012). "Punk Rock Jesus #1". Comic Book Resources. Valnet. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ Sava, Oliver (December 31, 2012). "The best superhero and mainstream comics of 2012". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Paperback Graphic Books". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. April 28, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Paperback Graphic Books". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. May 5, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Paperback Graphic Books". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. May 12, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "Best Comic Mini-series". IGN. News Corporation. November 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Palmarès 2014" [2014 winners]. Utopiales (in French). Nantes, France. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
- ^ "Yang Tops 2013 PW Comics World Critics Poll with 'Boxers and Saints'". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz, LLC. December 11, 2013. Archived from the original on October 21, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Punk Rock Jesus at Comic Vine
- Comic Book DB – Punk Rock Jesus (2012) at the Wayback Machine (archived February 7, 2019)
- Punk Rock Jesus at the Internet Archive