The Crossbreed: Kicking Ass for Jesus

When doing the previous post, I was deeply disappointed in my fellow comic book nerds that there was no webiste for the Crossbreed. Granted, they were second string characters in 2 or 3 issues of Astro City, a series jammed with passing mentions of B-grade superheroes. All the same, it surprised me that the most openly Christian super-team in comic book history -- with Biblical names and everything -- didn't have more of a following. Seriously, they're like if the X-Men started street preaching in their spare time. What's not to love?

The Crossbreed, aka "Jesus Freaks".
Clockwise from top left: Mary, David, Daniel, Peter, and Joshua.
Not pictured: Noah

Well, now they have at least one decent picture on the Web, which by the way is from Confession, the second volume in the always awesome Astro City series.

Rockin with the Lord

There are always strange and wonderful things to be seen in libraries, but few are stranger than this. This is the actual cover art (with actual title) of an actual book I just found lying on a table near my office. I just had to run it through the scanner and share it with the rest of the world:


Not to doubt that he does, but I would expect a singing Jesus to have better cover art. This looks like something from that immortal classic of websites, Worst Album Covers Ever. Of course, that site does include a wide variety of disturbing gospel covers, so what do I know?

On the subject of religion and strangeness, Adherents.com, an excellent site full of statistics about world religions, now includes a list of superheroes grouped by their religions. I learned that Punisher, the Huntress, Obsidian, and the Hulk (among others) are fellow Catholics. (I already knew Daredevil and Nightcrawler were Catholics, though maybe I shouldn't brag about that). Interesting that the Catholic heroes seem to be an especially melodramatic and guilt-laden bunch, even by comic book standards. But maybe that's me.

Disappointingly, the good people at Adherents forgot the greatest (and most) Catholic superheroes of them all: the Confessor and his trusty sidekick Altar Boy. Speaking of which, they also neglected my favorite Protestant superheroes, the Crossbreed. I guess they don't read Astro City. Shame on them.

In closing, have a Happy (if belated) Easter season. And what better way to celebrate the end of Lent than with the Ground Meat Cookbook. This 1955 classic bills itself as "204 intriguing ground meat recipes". When we're talking about Spicy Gelatin Garnish, Liver Dumplings, Pineapple Upside-Down Ham Loaf, and an entire chapter entitled "Burgers and Balls", ingriguing is an understatement.

Suddenly, I don't feel so good....

Just to be a bit provocative

Saw this today:

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The outcome of the 2004 United States presidential election would be different if a new ballot took place this year, according to a poll by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times. 47 per cent of respondents would vote for Democrat John Kerry, while 40 per cent would support Republican George W. Bush.

If only.

So apparently a haywire foreign policy, a massive deficit, and blatant disregard for the constitution CAN outweigh which candidate you'd have a beer with.

If only they could have done so a year and a half ago.

Happy St. Stanislaus Day

Today is the feast of St. Stanislaus (1030-1079), patron saint of Poland. He was a bishop of medieval Cracow, where his condemnations of local corruption and injustice made him a wide variety of enemies, most notably King Boleslaus II. Eventually things reached the breaking point, and Boleslaus ordered his bodyguards to kill the bishop. When they refused, Boleslaus did it himself, murdering Stanislaus at the altar while he was saying Mass.

So why do I mention this? A couple reasons, really:

1. These days, anybody who goes to such lengths to denounce injustice and greed deserves a shout out.
2. Speaking of injustice, this seems like a good day to give a hearty Daily Marmoset salute to St. Stanislaus Church here in STL, and its ongoing struggle against arrogant and short-sighted authorities.
3. The Marmoset and I are not actually Polish (despite what Mother Marmoset might tell you), but we are (among other things) some breed of Slavic, so I figure that's close enough to give me an excuse to celebrate.
   
4. Most of all, I had a revelation on St. Patrick's Day last month. What makes Ireland so damn special that they get their own holiday? Please understand: I'm mostly Irish, both genetically and by inclination, and I love St. Patty's Day. But there are hundreds of nationalities in the world, and most of them have their own patron saints. So why does the whole world stop to drink green beer once a year, while the other countries and their saints get the shaft?

No more, I say! Have some vodka and kielbasa today for Nicolaus Copernicus, Frederic Chopin, Stanislaw Lem, Jan Sobieski, and Pope John Paul II. Be proud of your Polish heritage today, whether you're Polish or not.

(And just wait till June 5, when I get to give a shout out to St. Boniface, patron saint of Germany. Beer and brats for everyone!!!)