This Ain’t a Sunday School Lesson for Kids

Last updated on: November 16, 2015 at 4:22 pm by J. Ryan Parker

This Ain’t a Sunday School Lesson for Kids 2015-11-16T16:22:25-08:00 J. Ryan Parker

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.

If you’re a person of faith that is offended by the title and/or content of the new series from Image Comics, The Goddamned, then you’re probably not reading much of any scripture as closely as you should. Written by Jason Aaron with art by R. M. Guéra, there’s loads of coarse language (some–ok, much–of it aimed at God) and rivers of blood. However, underneath this gruesome facade, lie a host of questions about myth, sacred texts, and the Divine.

The Goddamned: Before the Flood focuses on Cain, who, as we all learned in Sunday School, was punished by God for killing his brother Abel and forced to live out the rest of his life wandering the Earth. What our Sunday school teachers didn’t tell us is that he was such a badass. I guess you can hone your fighting skills when you’re virtually immortal (Genesis 4:15). The series feels like the Bible by way of Sam Peckinpah or Quentin Tarantino. It has the horrendously hideous bad guys of the former, the whip-smart dialogue of the latter, and the over-the-top violence of both.

1600 years after Eden, we meet Cain as he comes to in a muddy bone pit with a boy accidentally urinating on him (above). He’s naked and unafraid. The boy doesn’t have much information for Cain, aside from the fact that a bunch of thugs are terrorizing his village, and, luckily, there aren’t any Nephilim with them. Cain marches into the village and does away with the thugs in a whirlwind of violence that goes on for nearly seven pages. Cain clothes and arms himself, continuing his journey across a barren, prehistoric landscape. He theologizes as he walks and reflects on his troubled relationship with his “asshole” brother. He’s in search of a way to lift the curse God placed on him…a way to die. As the first issue draws to a close, in a brilliant twist, an unexpected “new” character arrives on the scene.

I’ve seen just about every film and television series based on the stories of the Bible, and The Goddamned feels like a welcome addition to the conversation. With shades of R. Crumb‘s illustrated Genesis and Darren Aronofsky’s Noah, Aaron and Guéra provide the kind of theologically honest and aesthetically gritty take these stories deserve. Aranofsky dared to do something similar and was equally praised and crucified for it. Depending on their readers, I imagine a similar reaction awaits these daring artists.

Personally, I’m hooked. The first issue teems with the kind of predatory, survivalist, and unnecessary violence that Marjorie Suchocki writes about in The Fall to Violence. It all takes place against desolate, nightmarish landscapes that will no doubt shape the way readers imagine Bible stories from now on. There’s something interesting about the way these ancient stories embed themselves in our minds (or at least those of us who grew up reading or hearing about them) and how quickly and easily (even diverse) images or representations of them become our visualizations of them. For me, Noah used to be Charlton Heston, but now he’s Russell Crowe (or is it the other way around?). Either way, if the first issue of The Goddamned is any indication, we’re in for both a gruesome and thought-provoking journey.

The first issue of The Goddamned is available at your local comic book store or online through Comixology.

Previous Post

November 16, 2015

Killer Serials: Breakthrough, Ep. 3 "Decoding the Brain"

Next Post

November 23, 2015 Killer Serials: Jessica Jones, S1 Eps. 1-6

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month 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 December 2014 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 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Elisha purified a pot of stew that had been poisoned with what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Arsenic Wild Gourds Wild Mushrooms Bad Cheese