What Would Punk Rock Jesus Do? A Review

Finally a book review that has nothing to do with steamy sex and every thing to do with a Punk Army.  Released on April 9th, Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy is a Vertigo published graphic novel about cloning Jesus, the evils of reality tv and Corporate America, the IRA, and punk rock music.  I was expecting something crazy but ended up with a whole mess more.  

From the back of the novel: 

J2 has created the ultimate reality-show stunt: Create a human clone from DNA lifted off the Shroud of Turin, implant it in the womb of a virginal teen mom- and give birth, on live TV, to a boy who could be the second coming of Jesus Christ Himself. 

The kid called Chris is an instant superstar, his every waking moment recorded and broadcast to billions of faithful viewers- religious zealots either love or hate the show, angry politicians debate its influence, and the scientific community fears its implications.  

But when Chris discovers the sinister secrets of his own creation, he becomes a rebel with a cause- and a guitar.  If he decides to take his system-smashing message to the masses, can even the combined forces of religious fundamentalism and corporate greed defeat the power of punk? 

It's journey that starts in what looks like 1994 with a young boy who's in the middle of a war in Belfast.  Not really what I was expecting from the back of the book, but hey I'm only 7 pages in, lots of time to get to punk and Jesus.  From there the story gets moving, we are introduced to Don Baker, the man behind the desk, the unofficial narrator of the story, who sets the scene and speaks for the masses, interviews the experts, and guides the story nicely for the reader.  Ophis, the company behind the J2 project and the broadcast of the second coming has hired Slate, a creepy version of Ryan Seacrest, to run the whole show.  Dr. Sarah Epstein is the one responsible for extracting the DNA and the other scientific aspects of the J2 project, she defends her role in the project as a scientific one and beneficial because Ophis is funding her global warming prevention project.  Dr. Epstein is implanting the DNA in Gwen, an 18 year old virgin, who will carry Jesus to term and raise him in front of all the viewers.   For security, Thomas, a large burly man with extensive weapons training and great physical strength and Tim, who will run the networking systems and electronic security.  

The characters are all interesting and well developed, you feel for the young Gwen, you hate Slate, and the internal conflict Thomas goes through is heartbreaking.  What confuses me is the punk aspect of this story.  Thomas is the punk fan, but it's only briefly mentioned, when they see his vinyl collection, and is put on the back burner until Jesus Christ finds his way to a punk rock show in lower Manhattan.  Two thirds of the story focuses heavily on the religious conflicts and questioning humanity between those part of the J2 project, the fans, and the haters of the show.  Jesus is an excellent punk icon in this story, don't get me wrong.  Murphy really works to make the story line really reflect the rest of the story's message and have it not seem like a giant shock to the story.  It's a natural progression, Jesus Christ should have joined the punk culture, but I wish there was more focus on this time there.  

I'd give this story 4 out of 5 stars.  The illustrations were amazing to look at, absolute works of art that brought the pain, suffering, and excitment to a very real level.  The story was well constructed and thought out, weaving the IRA conflict with the story of the birth of Jesus 2.0, and a punk scene was creative and not contrived.  I strongly suggest you read Punk Rock Jesus if you enjoy punk, have a habit of questioning religious notions, or really enjoy a good story with excellent visuals.  

For those of you who really enjoy the story, Sean Murphy has an online store you can purchase prints, tee shirts, etc from.