God (yes, the
regular one) has a problem in Deity
School; his boring life doesn’t involve throwing lightning bolts, making
tidal waves, or flying around on winged feet. He doesn’t get any funky clothes
like togas, horned helmets, or winged helmets. So what is he to do for his
school project? He makes a beautiful diorama of his universe…considered weak in
a class where the other deities juggle planets. This short comic is written and
drawn by Andrew Rae, a frequent illustrator for the New York Times. He turns
the Judeo-Christian deity into an out-of-place schoolboy, who can’t compete
with exotic paganism. It makes you think about how pre-Judeo-Christian beliefs
must’ve been a lot more fun, with all those marvels of ancient mythology.
Graphic Cosmogony is a collection of
creation stories, illustrated by well-known commercial artists. Most of the
work is only semi-realistic, no Marvel Comics muscle or faces here, not even
any Robert Crumb. Take Daniel Locke’s Moshiri
Ikkewe Chep story, about the Ainu myth of creation. The work is reminiscent
of woodblocks, with bulky shapes and only two colors-blue and black-to give it
a dark, underwater feel.
Most of the works
in this book are ironic, as in the case of Jon McNaught’s Pilgrims. They pull up to a church in the middle of nowhere, tour
the interior, take pictures, and then they leave the place the way they came.
This holy site is really just a lonely place that only exists because people
come to see it. Would these “deities” exist if nobody worshipped them? Maybe
this book is a metaphor and parable on the lives of artists; would their work exist
if nobody looked at it?
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