In the near future, nuclear Holy War has decimated North America and humanity's last stronghold is the dome metropolis of New Vatican City. When vampires attack, the Church turns to a clone of Jesus Christ Himself to protect them! But all is not as it seems for the Test Tube Messiah, as he's drawn into a web of betrayal, bloodshed, and seduction!
Tim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Dark Elf Trilogy, Batman Eternal and Grayson. He is also the co-creator of the Image Comics titles Hack/Slash[1] and Revival, as well as the Dark Horse titles, ExSanguine and Sundowners. He lives in Chicago.
Like most people who have grabbed this comicbook I noticed the name first. Jesus vs Vampires. Even as atheist that sounded freaking awesome in a Gandalf vs. Terminator way. Next thing I noticed was clean artistic style and at that point I bought the book. It's hard to talk about a story without ruining the reading experience but it is sort of coming of age story of Jesus Christ during his second coming. He fights vampires with his paladinsoldiers. Everything isn't right though and things fall apart when truth is revealed. Comicbook has plenty of fresh ideas including first vampire Lilith being apelike because she is THAT old. Beautiful and fun comicbook that has plenty of social commentary about our days.
The title Jesus vs. Vampires is enticing. The establishing page, courtesy of Brandon Graham, is even better, promising "A holly [sic] trinity of badass. Domed cities and crucifix swords with some vampire tits and cybernetic eyes thrown in for good measure." Hell, even the worldbuilding is horribly plausible, with the USA's slide towards an ever more zealous, ever less charitable interpretation of Christianity culminating in nuclear holy war. But once we're into the story proper, it's weird how pedestrian Jesus fighting vampires in a post-apocalyptic wasteland works out. Every development (the Church is lying to him and not very nice! Shocking! I'm shocked!) is familiar from a dozen other second coming and/or post-apocalyptic dictatorship stories, and even the vampires are neither particularly cool nor convincingly monstrous. You'd think it might still manage, through sheer niche status, to be the best Image comic about Jesus fighting supernatural evil in the aftermath of Armageddon, but no: I'd recommend Battle Pope over this every time, despite his short shorts.
Interesting read! My first graphic novel in digital format, and the first I’ve read in tiiiiiiime
The format is actually really enjoyable, with the cinematic reading feature, allowing detailed viewing and reading of each scene
This is a gothlike, punkesque, vampiric, dystopian, story with elements appealing to conspiracy theorists, the maligned and frustrated, the satirically switched-on, and those looking for an easy read
Not sure I’d say it’s great, as I’ve no yardstick, but it was more enjoyable than I’d expected, and the artwork is impressive!
First off let me say I'm not religious. If anything I sway more to paganism. So I'm certainly not going to be offended by the sight of Jesus wielding a massive sword and chopping the heads off vampires. And that is where this story starts but questioning what we believe and have been told is part of growth and even Jesus is not immune. Great art, and an interesting story. Several characters are engaging including some vampires but unsurprisingly no-one in New Vatican City.
I'm interested in seeing where this story goes. And what happens when Art discovers the truth.
Didn't read this for way too long. Got tired of the whole Jesus trope in comics. Too many pretentious writers giving their two sense on morality and religion. But this is awesome. Vampires in a post apocalyptic world. The characters, dialogue, and action made this a very enjoyable read. Definitely going to be picking up volume two!!
When I initially saw this comic book, I wasn't thinking about whether it would be good or not. I didn't care how good the artwork was, or if any of the characters were likable. All I was thinking was probably what a good majority of people were thinking, which was "WTF? Did they really make a comic book that has Jesus fighting vampires?" Out of sheer laugh & shock value, I bought this book & took it home. After showing it off & getting a good amount of incredulous looks, I actually sat down & read it. Wow.
The plot line is set in an alternate earth where vampires were discovered to be real & their "coming out" has sparked a war that's wiped out a good chunk of humanity. Although there are a few struggling groups of humanity that survive on their own, the majority of people that are left are ruled by the church, who has absolute control over everyone's lives. To fight the vampire hordes, the church has sent out one man- Jesus Christ. His blood & saliva burn vampires. He has the power to heal & to bless. It's only after Jesus meets a beautiful vampire assassin that he begins to question whether the church's absolute control is right or if there's more to the world (and himself) than he originally thought.
There's a lot of people who will turn away from this comic just because of how the comic is portrayed. They'd be losing out on a pretty good story. The comic is controversial, but the subject matter is more tongue in cheek than an attempt to offend anyone. At times it reads like a regular comic book, at other times it reads like a satire of Jack Chick pamphlets & vampire novels. It's honestly something that's worth checking out & it's worth reading beyond using it for shock value. There's a few rough spots & a few storylines that could use a little work, but since this is only the first volume of the first story arc, I imagine that those rough spots will work themselves out over time. The volume also includes the original short comic that started the series off, which also made for interesting reading.
Okay, so yes it's super sacrilegious, and advertises itself with naked vampires, but underneath that surface there's actually some interesting questions being asked about the role of religion in culture. And lots of violence. And clones. So it's got a little of everything. In post-apocalyptic America, religious zealots live in a dome, fighting vampires and a third faction of humans fighting for freedom. Thrown into this is Jesus, a literal warrior for God who comes to question his purpose when a vampire tells him the truth of his origins. There really are some heady ideas interspersed in here, but there's more violence and nudity to make it 'palatable.' Much of the story is predictable - corrupt leadership, double crosses, and tragic secrets. The art is effective throughout (Lilith is especially disturbing). If you can accept the concept, the execution will be a pleasant surprise.
I thought this was influenced by the cult flick Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter but as mentioned in the trade this actually predates the film. Sorry for the useless information.
On to the review.
"Come get your communion suckers!" -Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter
Hehe. Nothing to say but if you like the idea of a post apocalyptic world wherein vampires and the church are the two major powers with Jesus Christ as the main man, get this book.
This book is every bit as irreverent and crazy as the suggests, but there's a lot more to it. Sometimes a situation is so dire that the only way to comment on it is with a hefty dose of heavy handedness. Seeley and company spare no one in this commentary on religious fanatics/fascists, all the while still maintaining a genuine spiritual feeling in the story. The Jesse Christian story included here is amusing, but serves mainly to show where this far superior work sprang from.
I honestly bought this book just because I thought it looked hilarious, and would probably be terrible. I was shocked to find out that I actually really, really enjoyed it! Jesus as a character was great - his shock when he found out the Church betrayed him made me feel for him, which was so strange. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes vampire stories!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Odd color artwork. The bonus is black and white. One Jesus Christ to oppose the vampires. Many types of vampires are destroying humanity. A rag tag group of freedom fighters? All the tropes are covered.
I freakin' LOVED this! I mean post-nuclear holocaust apocalypse? Clone of Jesus Christ? Vampires?! Count me in! It's irreverent, sacreligious, and satirical, or just another Tuesday for me.