Another Jesus clone?

Nearly every comic about Jesus attempts to clone him. As a character, Jesus has been reproduced endlessly and shuffled about, pasted into all sorts of locales and warped beyond recognition. The graphic form allows readers and artists to experience his significance in situations far removed from earlier forms. Some comics reconstruct first-century Palestine, others create analogs with the present day. Mark Millar’s unfinished series American Jesus , for example, features a middle-American character who’s considering whether he might be Jesus.

Sean Murphy’s Punk Rock Jesus features a more explicit reproduction: Chris, a putative Jesus clone. Chris shares Jesus’ genetic makeup—using material extracted from the Shroud of Turin —but he is not Jesus. He is not the return of Jesus, as some characters in the book believe. In fact, he revolts against his strange origins and embraces an anti-religious mission as a singer in a punk band. The duplicate turns on the original. 

Punk Rock Jesus is a categorical leap beyond other Jesus comics, because it calls attention to their hollow attempts to replicate Jesus. Chris lives his life as the star of J2, a 24-hour reality show. After the show’s demise, its creator, Rick Slate, testifies before a congressional investigative committee—where he abbreviates Peter’s Pentecost sermon. Was this man the Christ? Yes, says Slate, detailing how the comic’s events are in fact what happened to Jesus in the Gospels. Chris is a copy of Jesus in the ways that matter.