The mini series Punk Rock Jesus is similar to great punk albums in that it's loud, fast, at times sloppy, and it has some biting observations buried in the text.
The artist Sean Murphy had explained in interviews preceding the release of this series that he had the idea for it a decade ago, and, after much work, the fruit of his labors was published. Most sequential artists have difficulty in tasking themselves both scripting and art since it's apparent that most artists are much more suited with the visuals than that and the dialogue. Sean Murphy is pretty capable of handling both tasks.
The story of Punk Rock Jesus is set in the near future, where a company working with some scientists have taken DNA from the fabled Shroud of Turin and through science they are able to construct a clone embryo and impregnate a virgin girl named Gwen. The pregnancy and subsequent birth are filmed for audiences as the pull for the show has this setup the second coming of Christ. Gwen names her baby Chris, short for Christ.There's an island facility where cameras catch every move. The show is a worldwide hit as viewers tune in as the infant ages, looking for signs of miracles and wonders.
The head of the project, Rick Slate, is the heavy of the story. Manipulating the scenes, Slate orchestrates scenes for his viewers to believe this baby is indeed the second coming of Christ. Slate is also calculating and ruthless in maintaining his programs popular status, essentially keeping Gwen hostage on the island.
The island has a head of security named Thomas to keep the island safe from threats in the form of a radical paramilitary zealous Christian group called the NCA. Thomas hails from Ireland and there are portions of the story which show his violent past, and these parts are actually the best things in the mini series.
Chris grows to a young teenager and after a series of unfortunate events, he begins to immerse himself in science books and punk music, emerging as Punk Rock Jesus denouncing religion and God, and fronting a band called The Flak Jackets who tour worldwide with their angry music.
This mini series is indeed pretty good science fiction in the ideas presented. Some of the things don't work well, like the overall characterization of the NCA, Chris' band, the Flak Jackets, felt like broad sketches rather than actual characters. Those that do are in regards to the cloning human embryos, religion marketed as entertainment to the masses. While the story is ostensibly about Chris as punk rock messiah, it really works better in showcasing Thomas and his back story. There's a great deal of exploration in the long violent fight between the Protestants and Catholics in Ireland which had pulled Thomas in as an adolescent and has him on a personal road for redemption.
Sean Murphy's art is splendid in detail and movement. Foregoing color for his art and keeping it a rough black and white, this choice enhances some scenes to greater effect. Murphy's overall story however is okay, but, not as strong as his art. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. It asks the reader some big questions, goes places in regards to atheism without stepping onto a bully pulpit. I found some of the characters just not as good as Thomas, and this was a detriment to my overall opinion of the book. It's provocative nature is really good as it can spur on some good healthy discussion amongst people, of which I'm sure Sean Murphy was striving for in the first place.
I recommend the book, but, the pull ads on the cover are somewhat a little misleading. It's good, but, it's not THAT good.
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