The protests against the blasphemous Second Coming comic book series have been successful! DC/Vertigo, a major comic book publisher, had planned to publish the blasphemous series in March. However, they encountered several petition drives, including one from the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. We were pleased to hear that the publisher has decided not to publish the comic.
Objectionable Content
For those who missed our original article and petition, DC/Vertigo described Second Coming as a story of the return of Jesus to Earth. He is sent back to Earth by a “god” who was upset because this “Jesus” did such a lousy job the first time that he came. He is then assigned to be the roommate of the comic’s hero, Sun-Man, from whom he is to learn how to save the world.
This horrible satire based upon Our Lord’s death and resurrection offended many Christians and triggered petitions and protests. The TFP petition garnered nearly 10,000 signatures of outraged Catholics. That is why DC/Vertigo (a subsidiary of Warner Brothers) saw that the title was not good for business and it was best to get out as quickly as possible.
The Reactions of the Media
The press coverage of the decision was as might be expected. NBC News painted the author, Mark Russell, as a sympathetic and magnanimous victim. “My goal is always to write the best books I can about things I have a deep personal attachment to,” Russell tweeted. “Publishers have goals of their own. Sometimes our goals complement each other’s, sometimes they don’t. It’s okay to admit it when they don’t and go separate ways.” NBC saw no need to get a reaction from the book’s opponents.
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The Huffington Post (HuffPost) used the occasion to take a jab at Fox News. Series writer Mark Russell told HuffPost that DC requested changes to the series that he and artist Richard Pace weren’t comfortable accepting. “DC was requesting these changes before FOX News set the outrage machine in motion, so it’s difficult to speculate what, if any, impact their campaign had on any of DC’s decision-making,” Russell told HuffPost in an e-mail. “Though I imagine finding 200,000 auto-generated e-mails in your inbox can’t be too pleasant.”
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s headline focused on Mr. Russell’s reaction upon finding out that DC would not publish the comic: “Writer Turns the Other Cheek After DC Comics Cancels his Jesus-themed Series.”
Comments left on the new stories called those who object to the book “haters,” “bigots,” “closed-minded,” “fundamentalists,” “fascists,” and other terms ending with the now-ubiquitous “-phobic.”
However much media may grumble, the decision marks a major victory for those who protested.
A New Publisher
Thus, the good news is that a major publisher with huge distribution capacity has dropped the series. DC Comics returned the copyright to Mr. Russell and the artist, Richard Pace, with their blessings to go in search of alternatives.
One alternative now on the horizon is a small unknown fringe publisher called AHOY Comics, which wants to release the first of the series over the summer. The small operation is unaffiliated with a major corporation and only started publishing last fall with four titles.
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AHOY’s Editor-in-Chief, Tom Peyer is quoted on a website catering to comic book fans. “There are going to be people who don’t want to read Second Coming, and that’s fine. It’s not for everyone.”
What Does This All Mean?
Indeed, Second Coming offends God by ridiculing Christ. It offends Christians who believe in an Almighty and perfect God Who only desires our good. That is why good Christians must protest when blasphemous stories like this are published. That is why we will also protest this second attempt by this obscure publisher.
The press, the publishers, and the authors of the comments miss the point of our reaction to Second Coming. This protest is not based upon hate, bias or a desire to control others. Our protest is a manifestation of our love of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A real friend comes to the aid of a friend who is attacked. Our actions cannot be any different. We cannot quietly sit by and allow Our Lord to be insulted and offended.
We must protest and pray that God will give another victory.