New Adventures of Jesus

by Frank Stack, Gilbert Shelton (Introduction), Robert Crumb (Introduction)

Underground comics were known for their satirical assaults on beliefs held dear by middle America. None was more witty or biting than the very first underground comic ever published Frank Stack's The Adventures of Jesus. Stack's controversial strip first saw print in the Texas counterculture publications, The Charlatan and The Austin Iconoclastic, and the University of Texas humor magazine, The Texas Ranger. In 1964, Texas Ranger editor Gilbert Shelton (who would later go on to create the little known Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) made 50 photocopies of about a dozen strips, stapled and collated the pages, designed a cover and distributed it to friends around campus. Stack used the pseudonym Foolbert Sturgeon for his Jesus comics, fearful of being ostracized from the university (or killed) in his pursuit of a bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After receiving hate mail addressed to Sturgeon containing threats of death and other forms of religious retribution, he decided it best to retain the alias. "I suppose at first, in the foolish idealism of the satirist, I hoped to reform the world just a little bit, but I underestimated the power of ignorant fundamentalism in this country, a power which is, if anything, more militant and dangerous today than when I began drawing the cartoons." In this witty addendum to the New Testament, Jesus fulfills his promise "to reward the just and punish the unjust," yet returns to Earth with remarkably little fanfare. He soon realizes he may have postponed his second coming a bit too long, arriving when the planet has fallen into a dangerously advanced state of decrepitude, i.e., the late 20th Century. Nonetheless, Jesus is determined to carry out his sacred obligation. Being half-human, after all, he can relate to the skepticism of the jaded populace and isn't above performing a few parlor tricks to convince those skeptical of his divinity. The main concern, though, is whether or not planet Earth is too far gone. Fantagraphics Books is proud to collect, for the first time, over 40 years worth of The New Adventures of Jesus including a brand new story by Stack. This edition also features an introduction by R. Crumb and a preface by Gilbert Shelton. Apart from being one of the true underground pioneers, Frank Stack is an accomplished fine artist and currently a Professor of Art at the University of Missouri. His collaboration with Harvey Pekar, Our Cancer Year, won the Harvey Award in 1995 for best graphic album/original material.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Comix

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2006

Reviews

[Greta G]

I gave up reading this classic comic.
I couldn't read parts of it without a magnifying glass, which I don't have.
And the scribbly art made me feel woozy and nervy.
Sorry Jesus, maybe next coming.

[Sean Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Stack is one of the first, best and most outrageous of the underground cartoonists. This is a comprehensive collection of the Jesus strips and a worthy addition to my library.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll probably go to hell for reading this book (ha ha) but for the most part it was entertaining. There were sections that were just hilarious like when Jesus' followers jump into a stream to cool off and when Jesus jumps in, he bounces off the water. Get it? That made me laugh.

I bypassed several sections, like the college faculty meeting, because it wasn't funny and just wasn't entertaining at all.

Jesus comes back to Earth to learn about present day. He gets beat up by cops for being a damn hippie, forced into the draft, and deals with being a middle class person who can't afford to pay the bills.

Cute book if you don't mind seeing Jesus naked.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesus comes back, but decides to hang around and get a feel of a world before the final judgment. His life isn't any easier now as it was then. He almost gets drafted, he gets a teaching job, and he starts his own business falling into a world of debt. Not sure if I liked it or not, but I do think I enjoyed parts of it.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever, but definately a product of its time.

[Brent]

I love this series, the originals of which predate underground comics circa 1967. Frank Stack!

[Stoned nINJA · Rating 5 out of 5]

"HILARIOUS "
must READ .

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading an issue of these ages ago. Reading this larger collection, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Mainly due to the early two-three page gag strips work better than the longer narratives that get a bit exhausting. Nothing but respect for this - Stack pre-dates Crumb and some other Underground cartoonists with this work. I just found it wore thin pretty fast, especially in large doses.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good, but some of the stories really dragged on (and didn't even have Jesus in most of the panels!). Some of the humor was quite subtle/intelligent so I appreciated that.