Miniature Jesus #1

by Ted McKeever

Here's a question for those of you who are more religiously inclined than I am - if a wall-statue of Jesus were to suddenly come to life, pull the nails out of its hands, and drop to the floor, what would you automatically assume?  If you are Ted McKeever's preacher, you'd find it to be proof of demonic activity, a reaction that I find a little strange.  I would think that those that preach "the return" would be more inclined to interpret bizarre goings-on as proof of it, not its opposite.

But then, I'm not a preacher, nor inclined to think like one.

Anyway, it's a new Ted McKeever comic.  It's weird.  People act strangely.  Do I need to say anything else?

Most of this book is not about the titular miniature Jesus though; it appears that the true star of this series is a homeless alcoholic who has holed up in an abandoned motel, spending his days staring at the corpse of a cat.  His temptations take the form of a demon that appears to talk to him (when the dead cat isn't).  Whether or not this demon is an actual demon remains to be seen.

McKeever is at his best when dealing with religious themes - his Metropol is my favourite of his series, and this comic seems much more coherent than his recent Mondo.  I've always liked McKeever's art - his establishing shots are beautiful, and his characters are always interesting to look at.  He's the kind of cartoonist for whom Image's 'Golden Age' format was created.