PUNK ROCK JESUS review

(Review by Melody Werner)
Punk Rock Jesus is a 2012-2013 6 issue series, which was later released as a graphic novel, published by DC under its Vertigo imprint. Written and illustrated by Sean Gordon Murphy. It's about a reality TV show where a clone of Jesus Christ is born by a virgin, and also about his life, those of other people on the show, and beyond. PRJ was met with rave critical acclaim and some even compared it to Watchmen. When I read the back cover quotes while at my public library on Tuesday, I was a bit skeptical but still interested. I finished it in about two hours, while there. So how is it? I'll save my overall thoughts for the conclusion as I want people to read the rest of the review first. But suffice to say, it's pretty damn good.

Murphy's black and white art is extremely sketch-like and grungy, which fits the tone of the series perfectly. The art style may be a sticking point to some, but I thought it looked quite good. It could've done with a more visual way of showing the passage of time, as I wasn't able to easily tell when it jumped years, and most characters don't age. The character designs are distinct and fit the characters snugly. I don't think the name was a good idea, as it gives away too much. It's flashy, but not entirely functional.

PRJ's narrative is its stand-out aspect. It's sprawling, dark, twisted, light at times, brutal, tragic, and just generally fantastic. It's balanced so very well and is consistently spontaneous. The characters are also phenomenal, with each of the main ones having their own machinations, personalities, ideals, faults, ideologies, and ways of speaking. It's a superb cast of memorable characters. Thomas McKael is my personal favorite. The dialogue is fantastic and pulls no punches. The pacing is a bit too fast for my liking, in that the transitions between periods of time are not very well defined. There are times when it jumps several years across the time-line with no acknowledgement of that except for a character maybe saying "It's been five years since...", which is a confusing way of doing things.

Punk Rock Jesus is heavy in social commentary--and that understandably may be a turn-off to some people--but I implore people who admire having their viewpoints challenged to see this book through. It's a subversive and savvy message, and the series shifts the paradigm multiple times when you think you have the idea figured out. And even if you aren't one for commentary, it's still an excellent story without that, if you can ignore the deeper elements.

Punk Rock Jesus is such an affecting and absorbing story which hits such high notes (zing!) that the minor setbacks barely manage to put a chink in its proverbial armor. While I wouldn't put it completely on par with Watchmen, having thought over it, they are peers. Punk Rock Jesus is unique, intriguing, macabre, and ingenious. It gets a 10/10.

Master-class

Summary:
Punk Rock Jesus is a new classic, thanks to its top-notch, sweeping plot, characters, premise, dialogue, and social commentary. The art is pretty good too, and the pacing is mostly smooth.

(originally posted: 8/31/2017)