Comic Genesis Forums

Happy Easter, everyone!

Nice job, Steltek! and a Happy Easter to you as well!

Odd, He doesn't look Jewish....

He definetly has a Gandalf-ish feel to him.

I've often wondered myself how different the story of Jesus would be if he'd been in a world more like that of Dungeons and Dragons, and I thought he'd probably be more of a butt-kicking adventurer, with his apostles being an adventuring party, fighting against the demonlords of the Roman Empire..

Happy Easter, everyone.

Mondo coolness! -:)

I'm afraid I have to beg to differ. Oh, the artwork is sharp enough--- but this is not a good or just representation of our Christ.

When Jesus came to earth, he was born of a virgin to be a <I>sacrifice</i> and an atonement for our sins. Not to be a warrior or conqueror.... this was the mistake the religious leaders made in His time. They were looking for someone who would be both a redeemer AND a conquering king, never percieving that there was a gulf of time between those two aspects of His nature.

Whatever world He arrived in, be it ever so dragon-laden, it would be to fulful that purpose, as the Lamb of God.

He came to earth once as a lamb, He will return again someday as a King of Kings. This matrix-ey, anime-ish representation, for all that it was done out of well-meant admiration.... doesn't do either facet of His divinity any real justice. He is Savior and God; portraying him as a flashy cartoon hero, for all that heros are honorable, only diminishes Him.

He isn't a superhero, but rather the one before whom all true heroes fall to their knees.

RHJunior wrote:Whatever world He arrived in, be it ever so dragon-laden, it would be to fulful that purpose, as the Lamb of God.

Tell that to Aslan.

Even as Aslan, He submitted himself to a humiliating sacrifice.

I understand the sentiment, Ralph. It wouldn't be the first time I've heard that. As artists, we thus depict Him within our own limited context -- in watercolors done by early Japanese converts, for example, you will see a Risen Christ whose splendour is like that of an Eastern Emperor, despite the fact that on Earth of course Christ would not have looked or dressed anything like that.

I am a comic artist -- that is the sort of artistic context God has given me. What I intended to portray is an emphasis of the traits of Christ, and indeed divinity that are almost utterly neglected in our culture. The popular image of Christ is largely a product of the renaissance -- artists working within their own context. Unfortunately, what that gives you is a wispy, effeminate Christ. (Which was more or less in line with the renaissance artists themselves, typically, so you can't really blame them.) It's a one dimensional Christ, a placid figure which has more in common with Buddha
(as far as attitude is concerned) than the Jesus we read about in the Bible.

Christ is the Logos, the Word, a person of the Trinity at the Right Hand of the Father. Exodus tells us that God is a man of War, and his Right Hand dashes the enemy in pieces. We're talking about that Right Hand. A man who took on a whole temple full of enemies (who, given their occupation, were probably armed) with a piece of rope and won. We're talking about a man who endured unimaginable pain and insult from people that He could render to ashes with a word. This a man who descended into the depths of Hell itself, and conquered it, taking back with Him the keys of Death and Hell and setting the lost souls free. I don't even need to go into Revelations. All of these traits, the power, the glory, the masculinity of Christ are almost completely lost in any vision of Christ. They are treated as mere footnotes in our perception of our Redeemer.

It is these traits I seek to represent with the icons of comics that I use: the hero's white hat. The warrior's blade. The keys that unlock the way. This is symbolism -- I am obviously not suggesting that Christ appeared on Earth this way. We have no idea what Christ looked like -- though the best evidence suggests that even the standard image of him is way off.

I guess I could sum it up best in Ezra Pound's maritime-flavored poem about Christ:

Oh we drank his "Hale" in the good red wine
When we last made company,
No capon priest was the Goodly Fere
But a man o' men was he.

I ha' seen him drive a hundred men
Wi' a bundle o' cords swung free,
That they took the high and holy house
For their pawn and treasury.

They'll no' get him a' in a book I think
Though they write it cunningly;
No mouse of the scrolls was the Goodly Fere
But aye loved the open sea.

The JAM wrote:Even as Aslan, He submitted himself to a humiliating sacrifice.

True. I never said otherwise. But all the same, Aslan doesn't act 100% like Jesus Christ, because the world of Narnia is essentially very different from Earth.

Thus, my assumption that in other fantasy worlds, an incarnation of Christ would likewise be different from the one we know, even though he would still incarnate the virtuous essence of peace, divine love and self-sacrifice of the Christ we know. ...Simply portrayed in different ways.

Steltek: I think I see your point in general and I was going to mention the second coming to whoever it was who brought up the 'matrixesque warrior' concept first. Although, now that I actually think about it, it might simply be a matter of his Lordship being so clearly manefest that nobody even considers any other course (even if they though the COULD get away with it) than acknowledging his supremacy... I would have to read through Revelations again to check... a task I would not relish. The reason I would not relish it is that I pride myself on my intellect, and having it so roundly confounded is rather... humbling.

Steltek wrote: A man who took on a whole temple full of enemies (who, given their occupation, were probably armed) with a piece of rope and won.

Ok, I have heard of some theories that would make this actually a rather EASY task, DESPITE the armed status of the opposition. I don't want to spread unfounded rumors, so I am wondering if any scholars of biblical times can second this before I myself start throwing in other hypothesis for consideration.

It's possible, but I think the reaction of the throng that came to arrest Him shows that He was someone they really didn't want to mess with -- besides not wanting to have to deal with a multitude who might decide to defend Him, I think the fact that they showed up at night with a great throng of armed men to arrest Christ shows that they were scared of Him -- all He had to do was identify himself as Jesus of Nazareth, and this whole armed mob shrank back in fear. To me it looks like they were so wary of Him doing something that Peter was able to leap forward and cut a guy's ear off without anyone in this mob stopping him. That and when it was apparent that He was going to come quietly, they didn't make any fuss when He told them to let His disciples go free. How many people being arrested get to say "Let all my known accomplices go." and be obeyed?

And my honor and sense of humor forbids me from making an exception to saying it here...

"Happy Romans Killed The Heretic Day!"

((From a strict Jewish standpoint and not being too serious.))

((This is going to hurt.))

RHJunior wrote: When Jesus came to earth, he was born of a virgin to be a <I>sacrifice</i> and an atonement for our sins. Not to be a warrior or conqueror....

But he did conquer. His triumph was over death itself. (Hebrews 2:14-15, among others.) As the Resurrected Christ, this is fanciful but not wholly inappropriate. (Perhaps the sword is a bit much.)

Jesus I love ya man, but the look is not working for your. No offfense meant Steltek.

[...unWARP!]

Good evening.


One nitpick: you put a sword on His back. According to Revelation, the sword should be coming out of His MOUTH.

A few years ago I saw a t-shirt with a "modern" interpretation of Yeshua riding back from Heaven to Earth in His Second Coming. The composition seemed more like a Greek battle between deities than a Jewish battle charge. Yeshua looked like Zeus, i.e., He looked more Greek than Jewish. The "sword" coming out of His mouth looked more like a laser beam, but then again, we don't know what it was exactly that Yehonan Bar Zebedee saw that day on Patmos.

I have to agree with the others that this matrix-type portrayal doesn't seem to be in line with Yeshua's nature, but I will agree with you that the "classical" interpretations are completely wrong too. Most Rennaisance artists used their own likenesses to portray the Christ, and a few of them were homosexual, hence, the effeminate portrayal. Which also explains why Yeshua there looks more European than Semitic.

On the video "The Resurrection Rap" by Carman Licciardello, Yeshua is portrayed as a STREET GANG LEADER. Of course, the video was metaphorical (Yeshua was "buried" in a dumpster), but it was still conveyed in a believable manner.


As for your matrix interpretation....hmmm....maybe it's the hat. Yeshua is supposed to have 7 crowns....


Here's one that furry fans will like. I always wanted to see a portrayal of how Yehonan Bar Zebedee saw Him as the Risen Lamb of God, i.e., in Revelation, when he sees the Lamb standing at God's throne and ready to break the seals. Yehonan describes the Lamb as "having been slain" (a hole on its side?), with 7 horns and 7 crowns


¡Zacatepóngolas!

Until next time, remember:

I

AM

THE

J.A.M. (a.k.a. Numbuh i: "Just because I'm imaginary doesn't mean I don't exist")

Good evening.

[WARP!!!]

In any case, it could always be worst.. Take a look at Liefeld's version of the Passion of Christ (Scroll down to Passion of Liefeld)...

One nitpick: you put a sword on His back. According to Revelation, the sword should be coming out of His MOUTH.

Well the sword is an artistic metaphor, even in Revelations itself -- the sword is the Word of God, which Christ as the Logos weilds and embodies. More than likely it means that when he'll be destroying the Beast's army, he'll be doing so by his almighty Word, e.g. "Let there be light", or in this case "Let them fall down dead/Let them be torn apart." etc.

In any case, it could always be worst.. Take a look at Liefeld's version of the Passion of Christ (Scroll down to Passion of Liefeld)...

That's pretty freaky, but also interesting. I see that as a metaphor for Christianity eventually supplanting the Pagan pantheon of Rome. The sentiment of "humans aren't worth it" which Zeus and his cohorts are expressing is the way the "gods" were seen by the Romans -- generally aloof, too far above petty human concerns to be bothered with us most of the time. This is 180 degrees away from the true God, who cares for and loves each human individually, and 180 degress away from Christ, who died to save us all. In other religions, deity had been thought of as something up in the sky, or in the forest, or on a mountain. But in the worship of Christ we find that the meaning of the name "Jesus" holds true: "God is with us."

Wait, I thought "Immanuel" meant "God with us".

If this is true, what does "Jesus" mean?

Ralph, I believe this is your field of expertise, oh son of a Baptist preacher...

[...unWARP!!!]

Good evening.


Ymanw'l = God [is] with us
Yeshua = salvation

Note that in Psalm 119, stanza #16 (Ayin) is the only stanza that has the word "salvation". The letter Ayin is the final letter of "Yeshua".

I learned that through a scolding by our Hebrew teacher in high school. I misspelled "Yeshua" by using Aleph, not Ayin.

He got a bit angry with me there.



¡Zacatepóngolas!

Until next time, remember:

I

AM

THE

J.A.M. (a.k.a. Numbuh i: "Just because I'm imaginary doesn't mean I don't exist")

Good evening.

[WARP!!!]