506 RELIGION IN COMICS
turned into graphic novels, such as Samson: Judge of Israel and Te s t a m e n t from Metron
Press, Daniel: Prophet of Dreams from Cross Culture Entertainment, and J. T. Wald-
man’s Megillat Esther from the Jewish Publication Society of America. In addition to
those already listed, the Christian Bible has seen numerous treatments in the medium,
including Th e Comic Book Bible from Barbour Publishing, Th e Illustrated Bible: Com-
plete New Testament from Th omas Nelson, and Th e Lion Graphic Bible: Th e Whole
Story from Genesis to Revelation from Lion UK. Finally, Rex Mundi , an alternate world
Holy Grail quest as murder mystery, gives both a sympathetic portrayal of Judas and a
diff erent account of Jesus’s fate.
A chief mainstream source of religiously-themed works is the Vertigo wing of
DC Comics. As a mature readers (adult) line, the Vertigo imprint has served as a
home for the spiritual, Gaea philosophies in Th e Saga of Swamp Th ing and the mys-
tic, paranormal underworld of Hellblazer : John Constantine. Notably, Neil Gaiman’s
Sandman series —a mixture of pantheism, Abrahamic monotheism, polytheism,
and henotheism — conducted its remarkable 75-issue run under the Vertigo banner,
in addition to various specials and related miniseries. It led to Th e Dreaming , an
exploration of the eponymous Sandman’s kingdom, and Lucifer , the exploits of the
fi rst fallen angel now liberated from reigning over Hell. Vertigo also produced Kyle
Baker’s graphic novel King David , a semi-comical staging of the Goliath- slayer’s rise to
power, and the entirety of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher , the gruesome
story of a divinely-powered, lapsed clergyman’s search for God in order to hold the
Creator accountable. Like Sandman , Preacher had a 75-issue run, though largely
confi ned to Judeo-Christian material. More recently, Vertigo has generated the
postmodern Bible update Te s t a m e n t , the sexually charged American Virgin , and the
Eastern-focused Crossing Midnight series, yet all three were canceled short of their
creators’ full visions.
A majority of the comics foregoing scriptural adaptation to address religious concerns
of impact has arisen from independent presses or the graphics branch of major prose
publishers. Originally published by Baronet Books in 1976, Eisner’s A Contract with
God was not only shaped around the Jewish tenement communities of Eisner’s childhood
but its title story directly addressed the issue of faith in the face of unjust loss. Popu-
larly credited as the fi rst “graphic novel,” A Contract with God has since been reissued by
Titan, Kitchen Sink Press , DC Comics, and W. W. Norton. From 1977 through 1991,
Spiegelman developed Maus: A Survivor’s Tale , the memoir of his father’s ordeals as a
World War II-era Jewish concentration camp survivor and their subsequent relationship.
Serially published in his RAW magazine, Maus was fi rst collected in 1986, earning the
1986 Pulitzer Prize Special Award among other accolades.
Pantheon Books brought Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning French-language
Persepolis memoir to an American readership beginning in 2000. Th e book and its
follow-up editions detail the childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood of Mar-
jane as a Muslim girl coming of age and being impelled to leave post-war Iran. Her
youthful course towards becoming a self-appointed prophetess is quickly derailed by
