This article originated as a piece of shoulder at the figure of Francesco Palmieri Macarone Jack Chic k , was published in number 02 of Catastrophe , winter 2005/2006. Despite the peculiarity of the character, Jack Chick is not the only christian cartooner worthy of note. That of religious-themed comics is indeed a tradition that has ancient origins: it laid the foundation Dr. Ernest James Pace, a former missionary in the Philippines from 1906 published in the weekly The watchword the first character illustrated stories in the Bible. The anthology of 1922 Christian Cartoons can be considered as the first real gathering of Christian comics, and was distributed to every corner of the United States as well as in more than one hundred foreign countries. We are very far from the sensationalism of Puritan Chick: Peace of concern was not so much to expose the hidden enemies of the faith, as "study how to translate the Gospel into visual form." Bisogna in effetti considerare che Pace, nel periodo in cui operò (principalmente tra le due guerre) non dovette affrontare le blasfemie della cultura di massa e della ribellione giovanile, con cui invece fece i conti la generazione di Chick.
Il fumetto americano, soprattutto negli anni ’60, rappresenta infatti uno dei cardini della nascente pop culture contemporanea. Per questo è sempre stato visto con sospetto dai circoli religiosi, che di volta in volta lo hanno accusato di veicolare messaggi antieducativi, amorali, quando non esplicitamente satanici. Questo non toglie che, a partire dagli anni ’80, the giants of U.S. comics have realized the commercial potential of religious themes: Marvel began by publishing the first comic in 1980 dedicated to the figure of St Francis (St Francis brother of the universe), and given the success of the initiative said in 1983 with The Life of John Paul II ("The Life of John Paul II"). As expected since Marvel's, St. Francis and Pope Woytjla are represented here by the same way as the superhero with supernatural powers, in an ideal challenge to Christian distance with the comic classic. In the meantime, however, alongside the work of Jack Chick, others rose to the fore: to soar above all Figure Al Hartley, who represented the other side of christian cartoon character sensational.
Allen Hartley (1921-2003) is a signature note in the American comics scene as early as the '40s. His early works are in the field of so-called Jungle Comics (inspired by the epic of Tarzan) and War Comics (patriotic-style), but also draws Hartley strips and humorous stories for adults. But success comes with the character of Patsy , an icon of female teen magazines, and especially with Archie , genuine torment known to us, and recently revived by Disney. Hartley moves to Marvel in the early '60s, called by Stan Lee himself, to draw some episodes of Thor and Iron Man but have little success. Al's career takes a sudden downward turn, the man is in crisis, and in 1967 we see reduced to working on Pussycat , a comic book for adults only with an eloquent title. Apparently his artistic career is running out, but it is precisely in 1967 that the Divine Providence intercedes in favor of our form of a job by the Spires Publishing.
The Spires is an aggressive Christian publishing house, known to the world for having published the best-selling book The Cross and the Switchblade ("The Cross and the jack-knife") , a book based on the true story of David Wilkerson, the evangelization of the gang in New York. The book sold 15 million copies and translated into 30 languages \u200b\u200band inspired a film. Not content with this exploit, the types of Spire decide to invade the market of comics, mainly to counter the relentless summer of love and youth protest movements. The choice fell on Al Hartley who will interpret this as a gift from God.
Hartley's style, though not as violent as that of Chick, however, has several features in common with various Crusaders & Co. The obsession with Communist plot and evangelization assault is clear in episodes like God's Smuggler ("The smuggler of God"), a history of smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain that will sell a million copies. Other significant events spawned by the binomial Spires / Hartley are the cartoon version of the omnipresent The Cross And The Switchblade, a biography of Johnny Cash cartoons, and comic cult Hansi - The girl who loved the Swastika . In the 70 Hartley also incorporates the characters of his Archie, converting them to the Word of Christ in pedagogical, with great success.
Throughout the output for the Spires sixty christian comics, for a total of 40 million copies and translations views around the world. His name appears in Who's Who of American Comic Books and his books are sold at exorbitant prices on eBay. More presentable by Jack Chick, meno disposto a integralismi di sorta, Hartley è per molti il simbolo stesso del cristianesimo a fumetti.
Finora si è parlato di autori esclusivamente statunitensi, cosa si per sé ovvia dal momento che gli USA sono la patria del fumetto popolare. Ma christian comics esistono in ogni parte del globo, e non mancano autori importanti degni di affiancare i maestri Chick e Hartley. L’inglese Bob Bond è senz’altro un maestro del genere, così come l’australiano Graham Wade. In area non anglosassone, seminale è stata l’opera dell’argentino (di origini nordamericane) Phil Saints, while in Japan it deserves a separate discussion Madoka Mako, author of the manga Christians unmistakable. His style is directly inspired by that of the master Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy , Kimba, Sapphire Princess etc..), As well as the so-called gekiga , the protomanga tract realistic and adult. Active since the 60s, Madoka has not always enjoyed good relations with the Japanese Christian establishment. Even in Japan, comics were considered an inferior art form, the limits of pornography, and an author (for more women) who dared to carry the Ten Commandments and other biblical stories in this suspicion universo suscitò ovvie polemiche. Ciò non toglie che nel campo dei christian manga la Mako sia la maestra riconosciuta. Sempre attenta all’universo femminile e al mondo dei giovani (tra le sue opere si ricorda un “Gloria a Gesù” che descrive le gesta del gruppo christian rock Eiko Go), Madoko ha creato un curioso incrocio tra shojo manga alla Candy Candy ed evangelismo pop Chick Style .
Tuttavia occorre tornare negli Stati Uniti per conoscere il più insospettabile tra i christian cartooners : stiamo parlando di Rick Griffin, icona della psichedelia sixties, celeberrimo autore delle copertine dei Grateful Dead, incarnazione della religione lisergica prima ancora che di quella cristiana. Negli anni ’60 Griffin è l’espressione massima della Haight-Ashbury Scene californiana. Capace di uno stile che mescola simbolismi indiani, colori accesi e retaggi della cultura surf, è tra i nomi di punta di riviste come Zap o Tales From The Tube : come a dire l’underground americano ai suoi massimi livelli. Il tratto di Rick Griffin è inimitabile e immediatamente riconoscibile: insieme a Wes Wilson, Alton Kelly, Victor Moscoso e Stanley Mouse, Griffin segna in maniera indelebile l’immaginario dell’evo psichedelico, diventando con loro one of the "Big 5", the most influential revolutionaries of the time charts.
Famous for concert posters and album covers rock, Griffin is also a keen biker. It will be his passion for the bike to push it - literally - in the arms of God: in 1991, while trying to pass a truck on his Harley, tumbling falls through the Kingdom of Heaven. At the time of his death, Rick had already embraced Christianity by two decades. In 1971 he designed for the Surfer magazine an incredible religious fresco to the world of surfing (on the combination of Surf Christ & also see the article on Gator Catastrophe in 01). The story sees precisely Murphy, surfer of the Bay Area, say prayers like, "Oh Heavenly Father, Lord God Almighty praise you for your great glory, and thank you for the gift of life that we've given." In the final page, a giant portrait of the Lord in style lysergic acid on the horizon, with impressive effect.
At the time there are many ex-hippies who converted to Christianity. They are called Jesus Freaks, and Rick Griffin it is the symbol par excellence. The reasons that led many ex figli dei fiori ad abbracciare la religione di Cristo meriterebbero un articolo a parte; per il momento basti dire che i Jesus Freaks non godevano di grande stima nel panorama controculturale americano dei primi ‘70. Lo stesso Griffin venne più volte deriso, ma restò lo stesso un autore di riferimento nel panorama degli underground comics . Quando Robert Crumb gli chiede un contributo per un numero di Zap , si sente rispondere che avrà il suo fumetto, ma che la tematica sarà rigorosamente cristiana. Crumb accetta comunque, dando anzi a Rick carta bianca: il nome di Griffin era ormai tanto influente da fargli perdonare qualsiasi svisata religiosa.
Griffin is still mostly considered a master of the psychedelic era, and its production is unknown to most Christian. But he is much more than the number of Hartley and Chick to launch the real bridge to the future of christian comics. With him undergound and Christian religion are touched for the first time, and the fruit will be as fruitful as it was unexpected. A magazine like Megazeen , published by New Jersey born in 2002, is indicative in this regard: the graphic style of its authors is aggressive, violent, clearly influenced by pop culture more alternatives. Not to mention projects as Visionland Comics and Blacklist , hallucinations and even more extreme. They are the logical consequences of choices made by Hartley and Chicks in the late 60s to bring the Word of Christ in the dangerous ravines of youth culture.
relegate the Christian comic niche between the phenomena would be a mistake: we have seen how the various Crusaders, God's Smuggler & co. have ended up selling millions of copies around the world. In addition, the increasing interest of the various Christian churches in the world of mass culture could open unexpected insights. The authors of christian comics are more and more, and their stories do not differ that much from those of the comic "secular". Created new characters, the hit series, publishers of reference and so on. It is said that one day, instead of Spiderman and X Men, the superhero of the future is Superjesus. Who more than he would be able to save the world from the enemies of humanity?
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