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Tweak says, "we're all a little crazy here"

arbre_rieur (arbre_rieur) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-07-15 10:09:00

Entry tags:

char: avengelyne, char: jesus, char: zeus, creator: ed benes, creator: rob liefeld, in-joke: crack, publisher: maximum press

Rob Liefeld's The Godyssey
This comic shows us a seldom-seen side of Rob Liefeld, who, lest we forget, is the son and grandson of ordained ministers: his spirituality.

Story by Liefeld, script by Robert Napton, pencils by Ed Benes.

I fear that proper context might ruin the purity of all this, but nonetheless, here's the explanation of what you just saw:

The comic also has a letter from Liefeld to his readers about his departure from Image:

(Post a new comment)

	halloweenjack 2009-07-15 05:30 pm UTC (link)
	Pretty weaksauce, compared to the one, the only Son-O-God! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	thokstar 2009-07-15 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	Nah, neither matches up to God-Man. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sir_razorback 2009-07-15 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	What about when Jesus is packin' the heat? http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/45157.html#cutid1 (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	halloweenjack 2009-07-16 04:21 am UTC (link)
	Clearly what the world needs is a Justice League of Jesus. (Reply to this) (Parent)

besamim
2009-07-15 05:48 pm UTC (link)

'K, first of all, "Thee who covets man?" Get thee to an editor!

Second, is this fight meant to have taken place at the actual moment of the crucifixion, or does it take place on some other "recurring myth" plane? Because if it's the former, wouldn't Jesus suddenly breaking away from the cross and handing the Olympians their asses deviate from the whole "restrain divine power and die, then resurrect on the third day" plan? (At least there appear to be no human witnesses, which is consistent with the Gospel accounts saying that Joseph of Arimethea didn't turn up to take him down for burial until the evening.)

On the plus side, I like that "Jehovah" is referenced (in contrast to Zeus) as a God who loves humanity, as opposed to the usual popular-culture focus solely on the "RARR YHWH SMASH!" stuff from the Bible.

(Reply to this)

	daggerpen 2009-07-15 05:49 pm UTC (link)
	The pseudo-Old English is really annoying. I'm not quite sure what to make of the rest... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	artnouveauho.livejournal.com 2009-07-15 06:04 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah! Why can nobody in comics write period English? Gaiman is good at it, but he's about the only one. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	petalsinthewind 2009-07-16 12:44 am UTC (link)
	Actually, this is Old English, nothing like our English. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	daggerpen 2009-07-16 12:46 am UTC (link)
	Nitpicker. ;P Yes, I know it's not technically Old English, but that's what everyone else calls it. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	artnouveauho.livejournal.com 2009-07-15 06:07 pm UTC (link)
	You'd think Jesus would find a nonviolent solution. I was about to call OOC, and then I remembered: this is Liefeld!Jesus. (Reply to this)

	kamino_neko 2009-07-15 06:09 pm UTC (link)
	Oh. My. God. Pun intended. The sacrilege and blasphemy are one thing, the crimes against art, internal story logic, real world logic, modesty and good taste are quite another! (Reply to this)

	squirle 2009-07-15 06:13 pm UTC (link)
	I'd seen this before, but I never knew Benes drew this. I always asumed it was Liefeld himself. Man. So Ed Benes' art used to be even wors than it is now! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	sir_razorback 2009-07-15 07:44 pm UTC (link)
	Lack of pouches gives it away. =p (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	thebigapricot 2009-07-16 01:08 am UTC (link)
	And Jesus has feet. Albeit pointy so you could still get confused. (Reply to this) (Parent)

smarmyimp
2009-07-15 06:19 pm UTC (link)

Like so much of Liefeld's work, this is simultaneously terrible, amazing, stupid, and brilliant.

It breaks from standard convention of comics in a way that all his other crap never managed to. (Whether it goes too far in the other direction, well, overcompensation happens.) It's so... HIM... in a lot of the ways that are amusing about Liefeld, and actually relatively few of the ways that aren't. If you wanted to pick a comic to show someone something that truly encapsulates Rob Liefeld without instantly making them hate him, this would be the comic to do it with.

Honestly? I think this is what he should do. Forget trying to work in the mainstream. Go back to the independent press, or an imprint or something, and write "The Second Coming". Do it just like this, riding that line between ridiculous and kinda cool... if he wants, let him take it serious, the rest of us can enjoy the resulting camp.

I really, honestly want to see Rob Liefeld write Jesus wandering the Earth, beating up false gods, idolaters, and those who take evil actions in God's name and occasionally proclaiming "I kick ass for the Lord!"

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	absurd_fact 2009-07-15 06:45 pm UTC (link)
	Amen. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	thanekos 2009-07-15 06:34 pm UTC (link)
	Rob Liefeld's name followed by a big bold WHY how appropriate. (Reply to this)

kitty_tc_69
2009-07-15 08:42 pm UTC (link)

This is sooo offensive to pagans. And hell, anyone who actually respects what Jesus himself stood for. Even when he lived, people wanted him to lead a violent revolution, to "kick ass", and he taught peace, love, and endurance instead. And some of them killed him for it.

Nowadays, with him out of the way and no longer able to speak for himself, modern equivalents of those same violence-craving war-seekers turn his image to their cause of bigotry, xenophobia, revolution and civil war, judgementalism, hatred, social discord, war, and death.

One could easily be led to think that if they do meet him in the next world, they'll be quite unpleasantly surprised by what he has to say to them.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	besamim 2009-07-15 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	I believe it was Arsenio Hall who once said that at the Second Coming Jesus's first words would be (growly voice) "Where's Jerry Falwell?!" (Reply to this) (Parent)

smarmyimp
2009-07-15 09:21 pm UTC (link)

Actually, this particular (ridiculous) situation might not fall under Jesus' previously established boundaries of his particular brand of pacifism.

After all, in all Jesus' dealings of refusing to fight or refusing to lead a revolution were in the matters of man against man. Mortals exercising their free will against one another.

In this situation, Jesus is now faced with a bunch of false gods who want to fly in the face of free will and subjugate man, to take away man's right to choose. Remember, for Jehovah and Jesus, while a human can turn away from God's way and there will still be a price to pay later, that's later, and it's still the human's choice. If you did something these gods didn't like, them killing you on the spot is probably one of the more merciful fates awaiting you.

Jesus is not faced with mortals made by and granted grace by the Father, he's faced with callous immortals trying to take away that grace. Him kicking a little heathen deity ass is not necessarily sacrilegious.

As for offending pagans... Iiiiii don't know, I'm guessing that Rob figured he was pretty safe from offending anyone who worships this particular pantheon, since chances are they're either a few thousand years dead or 99.9% composed of rebellious posers who considered themselves much too individual to follow the fad of worshiping Egyptian gods and invented a deep spiritual connection with Artemis instead.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

khamelea
2009-07-15 09:55 pm UTC (link)

"Iiiiii don't know, I'm guessing that Rob figured he was pretty safe from offending anyone who worships this particular pantheon, since chances are they're either a few thousand years dead or 99.9% composed of rebellious posers who considered themselves much too individual to follow the fad of worshiping Egyptian gods and invented a deep spiritual connection with Artemis instead."

That's not "feeling safe from offending", that's "feeling free to offend."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	smarmyimp 2009-07-15 09:57 pm UTC (link)
	Don't hex me, bro! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	kitty_tc_69 2009-07-16 05:07 am UTC (link)
	This is so offensive I don't even know where to start. I am not a "rebellious poser", and my goddess is Gaia. Other pagans I have known who have chosen god or goddess representations from this pantheon aren't either. How about you not call other people "rebellious posers" and I won't call you a "narrow-minded holier-than-thou sheep", sound fair to you? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	smarmyimp 2009-07-16 05:24 am UTC (link)
	I am not a "rebellious poser" Then why did you assume I was talking about you? How about you not call other people "rebellious posers" and I won't call you a "narrow-minded holier-than-thou sheep", sound fair to you? Oh noooooes, I might be called mean things on teh internets! (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	kitty_tc_69 2009-07-16 06:09 am UTC (link)
	Or, alternately, you might recognize the idea that insulting other people's religions isn't cool. That was the hope, anyhow. (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

smarmyimp
2009-07-16 06:21 am UTC (link)

Strong words from someone who worships Whoopi Goldberg.

See, the thing is, I wasn't insulting anyone's religion. I was insulting posers. I was insulting people whose requirements for a "religion" be that it is non-mainstream and suitably vague enough that they can have its "traditions" and values mean whatever they wanted to mean. There are many of these people out there. People who claim they worship the Egyptian pantheon, because Anubis is hawt. People who claim they worship gods who are more famous for their Dungeons & Dragons incarnations than any actual religion formed around them. People who believe stuff that the original practitioners admit "Yeah, I just made that shit up." People who think Neil Gaiman has written down exactly how the universe really works. People who claim to believe in crap they looked up on the internet because it's an easy way to a victim complex and snarling that teh Xtians are oppressin' dem.

You were the one who decided that I was lumping you in with the 99.9% of people worshiping a pantheon that, uh, your goddess isn't actually included in, to the best of my knowledge. You could have thought to yourself "Oh, well, I really believe. I'm the 0.1%. Because really there are a lot of fakes and posers out there."

But no, you had to go off on a little victimization crusade and claim that an agnostic was trying to be holier than you, and immediately jump right to foamy raeg because how dare someone not psychically predetermine what your beliefs were and just what statements regarding them might make you take offense. Why, it's almost as if you were in fact a poser and getting a little defensive because you perceived that you were being called on it. But naaaah, you have a firm and true belief in a vague concept of the planet's spirit, why would you immediately leap to victimization, insults, and snappishness?

Also, way to provide a good example for your faith. GUD JERB!!!

(Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	kitty_tc_69 2009-07-16 06:28 am UTC (link)
	At this point I'm just going to step back and let the moderators handle you. (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	smarmyimp 2009-07-16 06:30 am UTC (link)
	Will they be wearing elemental rings? 'Cause that might be awesome. (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	Third Strike schmevil 2009-07-17 06:16 am UTC (link)
	Your behaviour in this thread is completely unacceptable. This is your THIRD STRIKE. You have now been banned from Scans Daily. (Replies frozen) (Parent)

	okkult3000 2009-07-15 10:07 pm UTC (link)
	I'm pretty sure I'm going to hell just for looking at this. I'm also pretty sure I deserve it. (Reply to this)

	greenmask 2009-07-15 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	Oh my goodness that bottom right corner of the last scan is so PERFECT. Rob Liefeld WHY or even as a question: Sincerely, Rob Liefeld: WHY (Reply to this)

	menagerie 2009-07-15 10:27 pm UTC (link)
	Not enough brain bleach in the world for this crap. (Reply to this)

	icon_uk 2009-07-15 10:40 pm UTC (link)
	I'm familiar with "fail", I've seen "epic fail"... this is... "Fail, with potential theological implications" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	thormonger 2009-07-16 10:22 am UTC (link)
	I think this might be either "apocalyptic fail" or "someone's-gonna-burn-in-hell-for-this fail." (Reply to this) (Parent)

	liarashadowsong 2009-07-15 11:09 pm UTC (link)
	This is... this is... I honestly don't know what this is, to be honest, and I don't want to. brain is broken, and not in the good way (Reply to this)

	rdfox 2009-07-15 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	...wow. Just... wow. I mean, I'm agnostic, leaning towards atheism, but this offends even ME. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	strangething 2009-07-16 08:51 am UTC (link)
	Motto. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	his_spiffyness 2009-07-16 12:47 am UTC (link)
	For a little more Jesus/Pagan god heretical fun, might I recommend The Pantheon? Especially the bit where Hermes and Jesus start snogging? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bluefall 2009-07-16 04:09 am UTC (link)
	Aw, poor boys. ;_; (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-07-16 09:25 am UTC (link)
	Whoa, thanks for the plug, there! :D <3 - Pantheon's author (Reply to this) (Parent)

	petalsinthewind 2009-07-16 12:49 am UTC (link)
	I love it when people call themselves "controversial". (Reply to this)

	ar_feiniel_ 2009-07-16 12:28 pm UTC (link)
	I liked the bit about Zeus being pissed about Jesus's approach of loving mankind, as opposed to just whining about how he wasn't popular anymore. Too bad it was undermined by Jesus's response of kicking the crap out of the Olympians as opposed to finding a peaceful solution. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	espanolbot 2009-07-16 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	Zeus got revenge for this by travelling back in time and knocking up Jesus' mum. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	foxhack 2009-07-16 02:50 pm UTC (link)
	Dum de dum I'll just check what's going on at S_D while I'm on vacation OH GOD WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY (This was actually published?! I posted previews of this thing AGES AGO at old S_D but never really thought this thing got published in any way, shape or form. Ow. (Reply to this)

	persoconchii 2009-07-17 04:10 am UTC (link)
	omg, even the wall of text can't keep proportions or sense for more than 2 lines! (Reply to this)