Having been dropped by DC Comics prior to publication, the controversial comic book series Second Coming – which sees Jesus Christ teaming up with the world’s great superhero to continue his Holy Mission and clean up mankind – has been picked up for publication by AHOY Comics.
Second Coming is created by New York Times bestselling writer Mark Russell and acclaimed artist Richard Pace, and sees God commanding Earth’s mightiest superhero, Sunstar, to accept Jesus Christ as his roommate and teach him how to use His power in a… more powerful way. Jesus, shocked at the way humans have twisted his message over two millennia, vows to straighten it out.
The series was originally going to be published by DC’s Vertigo imprint, but after widespread controversy following an online petition, the creators asked DC to revert the publishing rights back to them in order to seek out a new home.“We want to thank DC Comics for letting us find the right home for Second Coming,” said co-creator and artist Richard Pace. “After all the manufactured outrage, we’re looking forward to seeing what the intended audience for this book thinks when they read the first issue this summer.”
“We understand that the publication of Second Coming will get a strong reaction and we support Mark and Richard’s satiric vision,” added Tom Peyer, AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief. “There are going to be people who don’t want to read Second Coming, and that’s fine. It’s not for everyone. But I don’t think it should be controversial to maintain that the rest of us have every right to enjoy it.”
“As a former newspaper man, I expect that there will be some headlines saying that this is the second coming of Second Coming,” stated AHOY Comics Publisher Hart Seely. “It’s a fun headline, but it only hints at the compelling story that will be told. We’re not chasing headlines by publishing Second Coming. We’re publishing a thoughtful satire that examines spirituality and religion in the contemporary world. And the jokes are damn good.”
Second Coming #1 will be released on July 10th 2019.