Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Earthworm Jim and Great Comics (Guest Voice: Doug TenNapel)

Earthworm Jim and Great Comics (Guest Voice: Doug TenNapel)

Last updated on: May 29, 2019 at 12:36 pm by John Mark N. Reynolds

Earthworm Jim and Great Comics (Guest Voice: Doug TenNapel) 2019-05-29T12:36:30-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Brief Introduction

Comics counted when I was a kid. If you are my age (old), you recall Stan Lee (Rest in Peace!) saying “excelsior” (had to look it up even though I lived in New York State) in a book with ads for sea monkeys, buckets of army men, and x-ray glasses. Basic economic ideas have never been taught better than in Scrooge McDuck’s episode in Tralla La.

If the movies are now (often) better than the comics, the opposite was true for 1970’s kids. Comics were cool and Saturday morning cartoons were The Super Friends.

Do not get me wrong, 1970’s comics were not what they would become: the graphic novel, the elite “comix” . . . much more serious and diverse in story telling. By the early twenty-first century, I taught a pop-culture elective to gifted students that needed to include a dose of comics. After all, Stan Lee is plausibly more the maker of the modern average American mind than any post-modern professor ranting in his classroom (and certainly than any Christian!).

And no, one should not give any comic the attention one gives Abolition of Man, let alone Republic.

Don’t go there.

Yet.

There are stories we tell that are basic, one might say archetypical, and when they come with powerful illustrations, masterfully done in the limits of the genre, they can become very powerful and interesting. One of the most thoughtful, intellectually eccentric (and oddly humble) writer in pop culture has been and is Doug TenNapel. Whether in comics (the only ones to make it to our living room bookcases), animation, or gaming, TenNapel will give more than mere entertainment, but never fail to entertain.

I consume his stuff and if I wish to think, I can and the product holds up . . . And teaches me. In short, if Doug does it, I buy it (and I have purchased all his stuff with my own cash). In the end, Doug has become a friend. I hired him once upon a University to teach and I follow all he does with interest.

Who else could help me teach the Platonic soul with illustrations in an entertaining story?

He is a Christian (and conservative!) in comics, Hollywood, and gaming. He is not narrow, a fundie, or anything other than a man*. And now his most famous character, Earthworm Jim, is getting an origin story.*

This is a must buy in our neighborhood. You should do the same if you value pop art that matters, pop art that thinks, pop art that is fun.

My guess is that a good many reviewers will write some portrait-of-an-artist-as-an-outspoken-man thing about what Doug has said and not about his work. My other surety is that most of those reviewers still will be entertained by his work, but feel oddly uncomfortable with all the ideas floating about in it: not the content of the ideas, but that there are ideas they cannot quite grasp. The reaction will be resentment . . .

The rest of us, less judgmental, more open to ideas and fun, will read, find our fun, and maybe dialog on the artist.

Enough of my excitement about the book . . . And on to why Doug is appearing as a guest writer on Eidos.

I asked him about being a Christian in comics and he wrote the following.

I agree with his puckish find-a-way, Saint Constantine Strategy approach to making art. Warning: Doug talks like he talks. If you don’t care about all of this metaphysical stuff, buy the book and be entertained while knowing you can always think about it if you wish and that will never be anyone’s safe stuff (including his own team).

It will be good stuff that has gone around the cartels and the Know Nothings who would block art and fun they don’t like. Of course, I am now going to ask the artist to talk about being an outspoken man and not so much about his work. That’s too bad, we all would rather look at the art, but that’s the discussion we have been given!

And Now the Brilliant Doug TenNapel Reflects on Being a Christian in Comics (I did not write this, Doug did.)

Life is not fair. The sooner the Christian artist learns that the faster he is on the road to joy. Nothing robs one of their joy quite like keeping score of who is more successful and who puts out worse work than you. Often your being in God’s kingdom has nothing to do with you being a success or not. We live in a place of waiting and longing in this world and there will only be a removal of tears in the next life.

My key to happiness is to not give a rat’s ass about what the world is doing, or what is the latest Christian trend is in the church. The spirit of every age has tried to carve the church into its own image, and some ages succeeded better than others. But look around today, the church is still standing.

Those two principles can be found in Job, the poster child for unfairness. He was a good guy and we learn a great lesson from his book in the Bible that virtue has little to do with avoidance of suffering. In his case, it was why he was chosen to suffer. Job went through the ultimate test, and I assume, it was probably simply because his story would make for a great book in the Bible that the rest of us would learn from.

That second principle of not caring about what any given pagan culture says a Christian artist must do can be seen in both the story of Joseph and Daniel. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, served Potiphar then falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, thrown in prison and ends up being the right hand man to the Pharaoh. Everyone wants to be the right hand man to the Pharaoh, but nobody wants to go through what Joseph endured. When he got into a position of power, he didn’t serve the Pharaoh’s death-worshipping paganism, but he interpreted dreams that helped Egypt avoid a massive famine.

Daniel best exemplifies what a culture threatens your life, for he served the mad Nebucadnezzer, an evil king. Daniel would not compromise and eat the foul meat sacrificed to idols. He was thrown to the lions, thrown in a furnace and God kept him alive. But that was just Daniel and God makes no such promise to every Christian being ground up in persecution today. Many more prophets were obedient to God and were put between planks and sawed in half. That could just as easily be our lot and to God be the glory if He finds me worthy of that task. So far I’ve gotten off pretty easy, I just have internet progressives calling me names. Not exactly being crucified if you know what I mean.

I guess what I’m getting at is that the Christian should embrace a little suffering. Yes, the world is still being dickish when they come after us, but when Paul was falsely imprisoned he didn’t call for a lawyer and demand his rights, he rejoiced that he got to identify with the suffering of Christ. We need to get better at that. Life isn’t fair and the Christian who understands grace should be the last person in the world to want things to be fair.

Finally, the greater concern of mine is that I will be seduced by the pagan values of my culture. The Christian’s greatest problem isn’t the world, it’s his own person. I’m not afraid of the world, I’m afraid of ME. The Christian life described in the Bible isn’t one of breezy self-righteousness, but of men tormented with grasping their own sin, their unworthiness of Christ’s sacrifice, and a longing for holiness that seems to never be quenched until the next life. When this Christian artist considers these things I feel like the most blessed man in the world. Things are pretty easy in America now, and I pray that we remember these good times should things take a dark, dark turn for the worst.

I’m an independent, voraciously Christian artist that is always looking for allies and audiences. My latest project is the Earthworm Jim Comic on Indiegogo.

In Which I Hawk the Book

I bought the book. Do it.

Culture

On Books

Pop Culture

Previous Post

May 27, 2019

The Daughters of Union Veterans- An Increased Devotion

Next Post

May 29, 2019 When the Athonite UFOs Land (I fail to explain UFOs Just Like Everyone Else Just Now)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many people boarded the ark with Noah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ten Eight Twelve Two

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »