HOLY HELL, NO!
DC Comics kills planned Christ’s ‘Second Coming’
Prayers have been answered for critics of an upcoming comic book centering on the return of Jesus Christ.
DC Comics nixed plans to release “Second Coming,” which was billed as the story of Jesus coming back to Earth and becoming roommates with a superhero named Sun-Man.
The comic had received a wave of disapproval from people who found Jesus' depiction in the book offensive.
Co-creator Mark Russell vowed that the comic would still be released under a different publisher, tweeting that DC gave the rights to the book back without any issue.
“My goal is always to write the best books I can about things I have a deep personal attachment to,” Russell tweeted. “Publishers have goals of their own. Sometimes our goals complement each other's, sometimes they don't. It's OK to admit it when they don't and go separate ways.”
The comic book had been slated to hit shelves on March 6 under the DC Vertigo branch.
A description of the comic on the DC website reads in part, “But when Christ returns to Earth, he's shocked to discover what has become of his gospel — and now, he aims to set the record straight.”
The book's description also says of Jesus, “He is sent on a most holy mission by God to learn what it takes to be the true messiah of mankind by becoming roommates with the world's favorite savior: the all-powerful superhero Sun-Man.”
Ahead of the scheduled release of “Second Coming,” a petition on the Citizen Go website slammed the comic as “outrageous and blasphemous” and called for it to be canceled.
It has garnered more than 230,000 signatures.
“This blasphemous content should not be tolerated,” a portion of the petition reads. “Jesus Christ is the Son of God. His story should not be ridiculed for the sake of selling comic books.”
DC Comics did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Russell co-created “Second Coming” with artist Richard Pace.