LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY tristantzara)

I'd seen in the Dark_Christianity wiki a page listing some recommended graphic novels, but I thought I might post here some descriptions of three that I thought were important and deal with the topic of dominionist Christianity pretty directly, and in a really insightful way.






Channel Zero by Brian Wood

Dominionist Christianity is a major topic in the work of Brian Wood, and it's a major plot element of his first solo graphic novel effort, Channel Zero. His work is rough, but infused with a sense of action and style drawn from punk-oriented graphic design, Korean comics, and the New York City environment he was living in at the time.

In it, New York (and the rest of the country) are dominated by a government operating as a Christian theocracy. The Clean Act has been passed, which controls expression and public behavior, particularly ideas which threaten the government or its ideological motivations. Eerily similar to the political current right after 9-11, the book was actually done in the mid-90's as a reaction to Giuliani's actions as mayor of NYC.

Into the fracas steps a woman with distinctive tattoos, Jennie 2.5, a media-oriented revolutionary who attempts to take over a television station and start a movement. Recommended if you like V for Vendetta, without a doubt.




DMZ by Brian Wood

Another comic by Brian Wood, this one a monthly from Vertigo, and skilfully illustrated by Ricardo Burchielli. The premise of this one is that the American militia movement finally gains momentum, leading to an all-out civil war, with the United States and the Free States taking their respective sides against a demilitarized zone, the island of Manhattan.

Dominionist Christianity is given free reign in the wake of the civil war, with all of its racist, sexist and homophobic glory. Wood is quick to draw a contrast between the terroristic violence of 9-11 and the potential (and sometimes readily apparent) violence on the part of extremist Christians.

The book also draws a lot of parallels between its storyline and the current situation in Iraq, often dealing heavily with political and militaristic concepts that are on occasion unrelated to the dominionist storyline elements. However, the Manhattan community that Wood portrays is vibrant and culturally diverse, in the face of threats from the outside--it makes an exciting, if eerily prescient read.




Teenagers From Mars by Rick Spears and Rob G.

Though fictional, the story of this one was inspired by the very real case of Mike Diana, the only artist in American history to be convicted of obscenity.

Unlike the other two graphic novels, this one focuses on small town action: a local comic book artist, his girlfriend and several young followers wage war against the uptight religious attitudes of the town and their restrictions against comic books as the Comic Book Liberation Army.

The art by Rob G. is rough, and may be different for some readers, but is exciting once you've gotten used to it. Though the storyline may seem frivolous, the very real impact on free speech and personal liberties that the book discusses (particularly in the case of Mike Diana) is extremely motivating. This book makes you want to kick ass.

There are probably more that I could find, but these are the ones that come to mind the most dealing with everyone's favorite topic, Dominionism. Enjoy.