Graphic Novel Marked Grabs Media Attention

by Jana Reiss, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 11/30/2005

Newsweek readers were treated this week to a half-page write-up on Steve Ross's just-published graphic novel Marked, a dose of unexpected publicity that has thrilled the people at Church Publishing, the official American publisher of the Episcopal Church. "In the Newsweek interview, Steve Ross talks about what led him to create the book, and the faith journey that he took as he worked on this," acquisitions editor Lucas Smith told RBL at AAR/SBL. "What came out of the process was first a much deeper understanding of the Gospel of Mark, but also of his own faith and his own relationship with God."

Marked tells the story of the Gospel of Mark in comic-book style. This is not your grandmother's gospel. Its Jesus (who appears as a shaved monk with Asian features) is hounded by news media, all seeking the next sensational story. When a celebrity's daughter is on her deathbed—see the original story of Jairus for some context—the TV tabloids cover her tragedy around the clock, and by the time the VIP dad gets to Jesus to ask him to come and heal her, they already know the girl has died because it was on the news. This Jesus is edgy and somewhat resigned, though horrified by the commodification of the religion he sees around him and the shallow ways in which people perceive God. When Jesus prays for release in "Gethsemane Gardens," a gritty urban highrise, readers sense his desperation through Ross's skillful use of symbolism.

The tense, piercing story is bound to raise some eyebrows. But, explained Smith. "It's theologically very sound, and if you compare it to the text, it holds up well. The story is not changed; it's just reframed in a way that embodies its power and mystery."

The book came to the press over the transom, through a network of Episcopal artists in New York. The author, a professional illustrator for magazines and a member of St. Bart's church in the city, heard that Church Publishing was looking for an artist to do a graphic novel project. The process of creating the book took about a year and a half. "You could certainly say that we lucked out," said Smith. "He delivered something that was far beyond our expectations. There's been a great deal of enthusiasm here, among every demographic slice that has encountered it so far."

At the conference, the novel was displayed at Church Publishing's booth and attracted the attention of scholars who might be interested in writing about it as a work of popular culture. "It's both a piece for scholarly interpretation and a tool for youth groups and the like," said Smith. "So far there have been a handful of professors doing courses on religion and popular culture that think their students can relate to this." With interest so high, the press has already taken the book into a second printing.