#IReadsYou Review: AMERICAN JESUS: Revelation #3

AMERICAN JESUS: REVELATION #3 (OF 3)

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Peter Gross with Tomm Coker

COLORS: Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman

LETTERS: Cory Petit

COVER: Jodie Muir

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (January 2023)

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004, and continued in American Jesus: The New Messiah, a three-issue series published by Image Comics in 2019-20.

The series concludes in American Jesus: Revelation, a three-issue series written by Millar; drawn by Gross with Tomm Coker; colored by Jeanne McGee and Daniel Freedman; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The series offers the epic conclusion to the greatest story ever told.

American Jesus: Revelation #3 opens in 1969 at the birth of Jodie Christianson, the Anti-Christ.  Now, he is the President of the United States and is slated to kick of the End of Days.  However, moments after his birth, who really wants the little bastard?

Meanwhile, Catalina, who is the Savior and the Christ-reborn, is an an honest-to-god black woman.  She awaits Jodie in the city of Megiddo.  Will a 2000-year-old prophecy be finally fulfilled?  … Will it be fulfilled the way it is supposed to be fulfilled?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me PDF review copies of American Jesus, Vols. 1 and 2.  I had not read them until recently, and I needed to do so in preparation for American Jesus: Revelation.  But nothing could prepare me … really … nothing.

Of course, American Jesus: Revelation #3 does not end the way anyone would think.  This is a Mark Millar comic book, and he won't ever cheat his readers by giving them what they expect.  Remember that incident with Giant-Man/Ant-Man, the Wasp, and a horde of ants in The Ultimates?  [The Ultimates is the “inspiration,” both visually and thematically, for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It is available from Marvel Comics for your reading pleasure in multiple print and digital formats.]

So, in American Jesus: Revelation #3, what has really creeped me out, scared my shitless, and disturbed me is the return of the dead.  I won't give you the hows for fear of spoiling the entire … thing, but after reading those few pages, I felt like I needed a drink, a crack pipe, and a shower.

The lovely Peter Gross brings Millar's … lurid storytelling to life with the skill of a veteran comic book artist blessed with great comic book storytelling chops.  Colorist Jeanne McGee obviously sported a wicked grin while coloring this.  Artist Tomm Coker and colorist Daniel Freedman have contributed to this series and are also guilty in the eyes of God.

I am in awe of Millar's imagination, and I love that he finds the perfect artists to bring his visions to life, as Peter Gross is here.  Seriously, American Jesus: Revelation is delightfully wicked and truly unique.  Once again, Millarworld is like no other world, and we may have to accept it as our paradise.  There is no way we are getting into Heaven after reading and enjoying American Jesus: Revelation #3.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of the American Jesus series must read American Jesus: Revelation.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

www.imagecomics.com

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: AMERICAN JESUS: Revelation #2

AMERICAN JESUS: REVELATION #2 (OF 3)

IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar

ART: Peter Gross

COLORS: Jeanne McGee

LETTERS: Cory Petit

COVER: Jodie Muir

EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin

VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Tomm Coker

28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004, and continued in American Jesus: The New Messiah, a three-issue series published by Image Comics in 2019-20.

The series concludes in American Jesus: Revelation, a three-issue series written by Millar; drawn by Gross; colored by Jeanne McGee; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The series offers the epic conclusion to the greatest story ever told.

American Jesus: Revelation #2 opens at the White House.  The world is gradually falling in line with the way Jodie Christianson want them.  But he is also the Chosen, the Anti-Christ, and now President of the United States.  But is this what he really wants?  Maybe, it's time to return to the old hometown, Peoria, Illinois, where he can have a meeting with an old friend.

Meanwhile, Catalina, who is the Savior and Christ-reborn, arrives at Vatican City, Rome.  This is her home, but no one seems to recognize her or her authority.  Is it because the Savior is now a Black woman?  Well, she gonna fix that and so much more.

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me PDF review copies of American Jesus, Vols. 1 and 2.  I had not read them until recently, and I needed to do so in preparation for American Jesus: Revelation.  But, as I said in my review of the first issue, nothing could prepare me.  Now, it's time for a review of the second issue and...

...Wow.  I don't know what to say, what I could say.  Of course, I'm enjoying this, as is usually the case with Mark Millar's creator-owned titles.  But I have never enjoyed any Millar title quite the (damnation) way I have American Jesus: Resurrection.

Peter Gross' wonderful storytelling entertains and scares me.  Gross is so good at conveying the … blasphemy of this that I may have to pay a stiff penance for loving it so.  And let's be honest; I do love the idea of Jesus Christ returning as a sista, girl.

With a sign of the cross, I recommend this hugely entertaining American Jesus: Revelation #2.  With a benediction and a clove of garlic, I bid us prepare for the finale to end all finales, come January 2023 … if the world doesn't end before then!

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of the American Jesus series will want to read American Jesus: Revelation.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

https://twitter.com/ImageComics

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar

https://twitter.com/netflix

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/

http://www.millarworld.tv/

www.imagecomics.com

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: AMERICAN JESUS: Revelation #1

AMERICAN JESUS: REVELATION  #1 (OF 3)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross with Tomm Coker
COLORS: Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman
LETTERS: Cory Petit
COVER: Jodie Muir
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Tomm Coker
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004, and continued in American Jesus: The New Messiah, a three-issue series published by Image Comics in 2019-20.

The series concludes in American Jesus: Revelation, a three-issue series written by Millar; drawn by Gross with Tomm Coker; colored by Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The series offers the epic conclusion to the greatest story ever told.

American Jesus: Revelation #1 opens before time, with a depiction of the greatest and most infamous coup attempt ever known to the Western world and like-minded parts of it.  In modern times, Jodie Christianson, the Chosen, is now President of the United States.  He is a doting father, telling his two spawn … err … children bedtime tales, a bit of family time before he initiates that terrible attack that soured the hope and promise of the twenty-first century.

Now, the world is falling apart around President Jodie, and he could give a f**k.  Europe is in flames in a war with Russia.  Plagues and lock downs cover the globe.  The financial system is on the brink of collapse.  Jodie's solution is a one world government under the rule of the Antichrist (which is he) and with the digital enslavement of all mankind.

Can even the true savior – the returned Christ – stop Jodie now?  What are her true intentions, anyway?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me PDF review copies of American Jesus, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  I had not read them until recently, and I needed to do so in preparation for American Jesus: Revelation.  But nothing could prepare me.

Mark Millar is like an incorrigible kid, running through the museum of American exceptionalism and breaking all the bric-à-brac that passes for high art and culture.  A blue-eyed, middle American, small town boy as the Anti-Christ – done.  An Afro-Latina woman as the Savior – done.  Thick bodied, dark-skinned humans as Adam and Eve – he did it.  And Millar gleefully slays the pseudo-sacred cow of 9/11.  Yes, the Scotsman went nine-eleven on 9/11.  And he blends centuries of conspiracy theories – from books, oral history, and the digital age – into a delicious comic book pop confection that I want to devour until I have diabetes.

Yes, Peter Gross, Tomm Coker, Jeanne McGee, Daniel Freedman, and Corey Petit all do stellar work.  But for this first issue, I must testify to the comic book gospel of (Saint) Mark Millar.  All joking aside, Mark and Peter and company must really respect their audience to give us such a fantastic first issue.

Dear readers, you know that not all “superstar” comic book creators go out like Mark and Peter have these past two decades.  But I won't name them; instead, I'll focus on the most excellent American Jesus: Revelation #1.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of the American Jesus series will want to read American Jesus: Revelation.

A+

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: AMERICAN JESUS Volume 2: The New Messiah

AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 2
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross
COLORS: Jeanne McGee
LETTERS: Cory Petit
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0871-8; paperback (May 26, 2020)
96pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries by Millar and Gross, that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004.

Image Comics published the second series, American Jesus: The New Messiah #1-3 (cover dated:  December 2019 to February 2020).  Image later collected the second series in trade paperback form as American Jesus, Vol. 2: The New Messiah.

The New Messiah opens in 1970s New York City.  It introduces 14-year-old Luciana Cortez, who has just discovered that she is pregnant – a pregnant teen virgin!  According to the man that appears in her dreams, her child is the Messiah.  Now, Luciana and her 16-year-old boyfriend, Eddie Jones, must flee for their lives as the forces of Satan close in to destroy them.

Eighteen years later, their daughter, rebellious Catalina, is a non-believer, and she thinks that her parents have been brainwashed by the cultists who guard her and her parents in a compound … in Waco, Texas.  Yet there is bloodshed a plenty ahead for young Catalina, and she will be forced to stop refusing to accept her destiny as the savior of mankind.

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me a PDF review copy of American Jesus, Vol. 2, and this is the first time I have read the story.  I didn't read The New Messiah upon its initial release because at the time I had not read American Jesus, Vol. 1.

Sixteen years after they introduced Chosen and its star, Jodie Christianson, Mark Millar and Peter Gross returned with The New Messiah.  Whereas the first volume of American Jesus was something of a horror comedy – droll, witty, and satirical on top of the inherent creepiness, the second volume of American Jesus is a horror-fantasy infused with dramatic aspects.  Darker in tone and more thoughtful, it is a different book for a different “chosen.”

The story of Luciana Cortez and Eddie Jones is essentially a teen romantic drama, although their situation gives it elements of a supernatural teen drama.  Before long, after Catalina is born and approaches adult hood, teen drama is in service of the supernatural situation.  The New Messiah might end as a suspense thriller filled with sequences of edgy action and violence, but on the way, the narrative dances around  from one genre to the next.  Like the first series, The New Messiah challenges our expectations and often trashes them.

It is a talent of Mark Millar to blend genres and sub-genres like the Dust Brothers on the Beastie Boys' album, Paul's Boutique (1989).  Peter Gross conveys the action, drama, and nuances with a deft touch that only the best of veteran comic book artists have.  Gross draws the readers deep into this tale, and Jeanne McGee's colors warm the storytelling space with rich moods and atmosphere.  Letterer Cory Petit keeps the story even as it flies through its surprises and shocking reveals.

Millar and Gross display an even more confident hand at storytelling in American Jesus Vol. 2 than they did in American Jesus Vol. 1, which was a self-assured work.  We don't know how they'll top what they have done so far, but we can be confident that they will.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books will want to read American Jesus.

[This volume includes “The Second Coming of Millar and Gross: Sixteen Years Later,” a conversation between Millar and Gross.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

#IReadsYou Review: AMERICAN JESUS, Volume 1: Chosen

AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 1
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross
COLORS: Jeanne McGee
LETTERS: Cory Petit
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0871-8; paperback (May 26, 2020)
96pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as a series of comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries by Millar and Gross and published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004.  In 2009, Image Comics collected Chosen in the trade paperback, American Jesus, Vol. 1: Chosen.

Chosen introduces an ordinary twelve-year-old boy.  Well, Jodie Christianson isn't really normal.  He is the Son of God.  After surviving the freak accident of having an 18-wheel vehicle fall on him, Jodie awakens to discover that he is Jesus Christ.  Well, that explains his parents, Martha and Jonah Christianson's weird and apparently sexless marriage.

Like the original Jesus, Jodie can turn water into wine, cure the blind (or near-sighted), and resurrect pets.  Well, he is not quite like the original.  How much is Jodie different from Christ?  Well, that's the rub, but the newly faithful of Peoria, Illinois are learning to love their boy Christ.  So how will Jodie deal with his destiny, which has been thousands of years in the making?...

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me a PDF review copy of American Jesus, Vol. 1, and this is the first time I have read the story.  I vaguely remember when the original Chosen miniseries was released, but I seem to remember having a difficult time finding any copies.

Chosen is a quiet comic book, as artist Peter Gross depicts even the most shocking moments in a measured way.  Nothing blows up in your face, but Gross has a way of blowing your mind with disquiet.  With this sense of unease, Gross draws you inside this troubling story.  Gross may be one of the only (if not only) comic book artists to convey via his illustrations and graphical storytelling that a Christ figure is not only supernatural, but also unnatural.  Jeanne McGee's coloring haunts every frame of this story, turning up the sense that something here is wrong.

Mark Millar, being both relentlessly prolific and unrelentingly inventive, is the twenty-first century version of those comic book creators of yesteryear who unwittingly created what would be million-dollar and billion dollar franchises – one after another.  Millar, however, is doing this for himself and his collaborators, and in Chosen, he gets one thing perfectly right.  Saviors and messiahs don't build a following on faith, but on what they can do for their followers.  Nowhere would that be more true than in America.  Every time, Jodie Christianson does something miraculous, the size of his flock multiplies.  Millar's script is almost matter of fact in this, and letterer Cory Petit paces out the wrongness of this scenario, helping to build the sense of trouble.

Thoughtfully conceived and confidently executed, American Jesus Vol. 1 is another example of how determined Mark Millar is to entertain, enthrall, and thrill his readers.  In Peter Gross, he has an equally skilled and determined storyteller.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books will want to read American Jesus.

[This volume includes an introduction by actor and filmmaker Simon Pegg; an “Afterword” by Brother Richard Hendrick; “The Gospel According to Millar and Gross: Occult Symbols and Hidden Meanings,” a conversation between Millar and Gross; and “From Script to Art with Peter Gross.”]

A

★★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Review: MEGACONTEMPLATIONS: a fragmenta fable

MEGACONTEMPLATIONS: A FRAGMENTA FABLE
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS

WRITER/ARTIST: John Ira Thomas
32pp, (8.4” x 10.9”) Color, $9.00

Writer, editor, and publisher John Ira Thomas has published several graphic novels through Candle Light Press, the small publishing house he owns with a few friends. For the last few years, he has published, Fragmenta, a series of magazines/books (mooks) offering readers a look at his creative process. The fourth Fragmenta, Megacontemplations: a fragmenta fable, is a bit different.

Over three decades ago, young Mr. Thomas was in Sunday school, when he was asked to making a drawing that reflected what he and his classmates had learned that day. What Li’l John Ira drew would be considered blasphemous or rude if drawn by an adult, but from the point of view of a child, the drawing is both cute and startling. [Clink on the link below to get a large-sized view of the original drawing – Page 1].

Years later, he drew a second image, somewhat related to the first, for his frequent collaborator and friend, the superb comic book artist and illustrator, Jeremy Smith. [Clink on the second link below to see a large-sized view of that second drawing.] The new page took the inspiration of the childhood drawing (apparently the Holy Bible – 2 Kings 17:26) and moves the idea in another direction.

At the 2012 MegaCon, Thomas decided to see what else could happen in this story he started over 30 years earlier. So, this is my interpretation. The god of a particular king goes into a lion’s body, but later the lion is redeemed while the god falls (or falls injured). The light emanating from the lion sets in motion the selfish acts of the Grey Kings and thus, begins another journey – to redemption and the healing of a god or to self-induced destruction.

Megacontemplations leaves the readers to their own mental devices. It is like a picture book for adults, but drawn in a faux-crude, childlike style, and it reminds me of a handmade book or comic. It is a fable that reads like micro-sized high fantasy wearing the short pants of children’s literature: Tolkien arm wrestles Lewis on Aesop’s turf.

You might say that Megacontemplations is one of those evil books that “puts ideas in your head.” Reading it sparked my imagination and sent it on flights of fancy. You can’t ask more of that from a book, and if you can, it’s because you don’t like to read.

A-

Visit the CLP store: http://candlelightpress.com/frag4.html
http://www.candlelightpress.com/

Mean Old Negro President Disses Sanctified Tony Perkins

On Tuesday, March 2nd, there will be a National Prayer Luncheon at Andrews Air Force Base.  Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, was slated to attend, but now he's saying that he was uninvited.  Perkins claims he was uninvited because he opposes President Obama's support for ending the "Don't ask, Don't tell" policy on gay and lesbian service people surving in the military.

Perkins released a statement full of his usual blowhard rantings:

"I am very concerned," Perkins said in a statement, "that this merely foreshadows the serious threat to religious liberty that would result from repeal of the current military eligibility law. Such legislation would not merely open the military to homosexuals. It would result in a zero-tolerance policy toward those who disapprove of homosexual conduct."


"Military chaplains would bear the heaviest burden. Would their sermons be censored to prevent them from preaching on biblical passages which describe homosexual conduct as a sin? Would they remain free to counsel soldiers troubled by same-sex attractions about the spiritual and psychological resources available to overcome those attractions? Any chaplain who holds to the millennia-old tradition of Judeo-Christian sexual morality could be denied promotion, or even be forced out of the military altogether."

Politics Daily has the full story.  I'm sure Obama will get the blame for this uninvite.  I'm guessing the organizers believed that they couldn't trust Perkins not to use the luncheon to spew his Chistian bigotry... I mean Christian views.  Perkins even said that ending "Don't ask, Don't tell would "force soldiers to cohabit with people who view them as sexual objects [and] would inevitably lead to increased sexual tension, sexual harassment, and even sexual assault."

Negro, please! Church people start more hell...

Pat Robertson Theatre Presents the Voodoo Curse of Haiti

The ceremony allegedly involved the sacrifice of a pig and use of pig blood and a sermon that invoked the good God of African religion to give the slaves liberty and condemned the evil God of the white slave-owners.

The above quote comes from a Juan Cole blog entry, and a very good one, about Pat Robertson's recent comments on "cursed Haiti."