Jesus and Mo
Encyclopedia
Jesus and Mo is a British webcomic
created by an artist using the pseudonym
Mohammed Jones. Launched in November 2005, the comic is published on its eponym
ous website twice a week.
s, Jesus and Mo. While Jesus
is portrayed as the actual Christian
historical figure, Mo claims to be a body double
, using casuistry
to oppose the restriction of Islam
in representing the Islamic prophet Muhammad
pictorially.
Jesus and Mo share an apartment (and a bed), and occasionally venture outside, principally to a public house
, The Cock and Bull, where they drink Guinness
and engage in conversation and debate with an atheist
female bar attendant known simply as Barmaid, who is never drawn
but is characterised only as an out of frame speech bubble
. The barmaid functions as the voice of reason. Other times, Jesus or Mo may act as the voice of reason depending on which religion a particular comic aims to criticize. They also converse with each other on a park bench.
A fourth character, Moses
, another Abrahamic
prophet, appears in a few strips. The Hindu
god Ganesh
made a one-time appearance; both Jesus and Mo mocked his depicted weight and four arms. Joseph Smith
, the founder of Mormonism, has also appeared. His face is hidden by a hat, a reference to Smith supposedly reading seeing stones by putting them inside a stovepipe hat and sticking his face inside.
In the comic for September 24th, 2008, the author used animation (blinking eyes) in the final panel. In November 2009, both of the principal figures were completely redrawn; this new design has been used ever since.
, often criticizing arguments for religion, religious text
s and decrees and the actions of believers. As the comic features only Christian and Muslim prophets, these are generally directed at the two religions, though some apply to many forms of theism
.
of 140 strips '"Big Al"' was published in 2008. All print copies are published by lulu.com
, which makes it hard to boycott the publisher or identify the author.
The strip is published sporadically in the British
magazine The Freethinker
. Three strips were printed in the Danish newspaper Information
and one in their online version on 2007-03-22.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
created by an artist using the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Mohammed Jones. Launched in November 2005, the comic is published on its eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous website twice a week.
Set-up
The comic is simply drawn, typically using a single image for each face, each of which is duplicated for each panel in the strip. It features two present day religious prophetProphet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s, Jesus and Mo. While Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
is portrayed as the actual Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
historical figure, Mo claims to be a body double
Body double
A body double is a general term for someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character in any recorded visual medium, in shots where the character's body is shown but the face is either not visible or shown indistinctly, or in shots where the image of the credited actor's face is joined,...
, using casuistry
Casuistry
In applied ethics, casuistry is case-based reasoning. Casuistry is used in juridical and ethical discussions of law and ethics, and often is a critique of principle- or rule-based reasoning...
to oppose the restriction of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in representing the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
pictorially.
Jesus and Mo share an apartment (and a bed), and occasionally venture outside, principally to a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, The Cock and Bull, where they drink Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
and engage in conversation and debate with an atheist
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
female bar attendant known simply as Barmaid, who is never drawn
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
but is characterised only as an out of frame speech bubble
Speech balloon
Speech balloons are a graphic convention used most commonly in comic books, comic strips and cartoons to allow words to be understood as representing the speech or thoughts of a given character in the comic...
. The barmaid functions as the voice of reason. Other times, Jesus or Mo may act as the voice of reason depending on which religion a particular comic aims to criticize. They also converse with each other on a park bench.
A fourth character, Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, another Abrahamic
Abrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
prophet, appears in a few strips. The Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
god Ganesh
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
made a one-time appearance; both Jesus and Mo mocked his depicted weight and four arms. Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was founder of what later became known as the Latter Day Saint movement or Mormons.Joseph Smith may also refer to:-Latter Day Saints:* Joseph Smith, Sr. , father of Joseph Smith...
, the founder of Mormonism, has also appeared. His face is hidden by a hat, a reference to Smith supposedly reading seeing stones by putting them inside a stovepipe hat and sticking his face inside.
In the comic for September 24th, 2008, the author used animation (blinking eyes) in the final panel. In November 2009, both of the principal figures were completely redrawn; this new design has been used ever since.
Themes
The comic consists mainly of religious satireReligious satire
Religious satire is a form of satire targeted at religion and religious practices. Religious satire can be the result of agnosticism or atheism, but it can also have its roots in belief itself...
, often criticizing arguments for religion, religious text
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
s and decrees and the actions of believers. As the comic features only Christian and Muslim prophets, these are generally directed at the two religions, though some apply to many forms of theism
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
.
In print
Episodes from Jesus and Mo have been published in paperback. Strips 1–50 are published in Vol 1 "Where's the soap?" and strips 51–100 in Vol 2 "Transubstantiated". Vol 3 "Things Not Seen" contains strips 101–140, as well as 10 unpublished strips. A fourth compendiumCompendium
A compendium is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. A compendium may summarize a larger work. In most cases the body of knowledge will concern some delimited field of human interest or endeavour , while a "universal" encyclopedia can be referred to as a compendium of...
of 140 strips '"Big Al"' was published in 2008. All print copies are published by lulu.com
Lulu.com
Lulu is a company offering publishing, printing, and distribution services with headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Since their founding in 2002, Lulu has published over 1.1 million titles by creators in over 200 countries and territories and adds 20,000 new titles to their catalogue a month...
, which makes it hard to boycott the publisher or identify the author.
The strip is published sporadically in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magazine The Freethinker
The Freethinker (journal)
The Freethinker is a British secular humanist magazine, founded by G.W. Foote in 1881. It is the world's oldest surviving freethought publication.It has always taken an unapologetically atheist, anti-religious stance...
. Three strips were printed in the Danish newspaper Information
Dagbladet Information
Information , full name: Dagbladet Information , is a Danish newspaper published Monday through Saturday.Originally established and edited by Børge Outze and published during the World War II by the Danish resistance movement. Information was illegal during the war as it was not regulated by the...
and one in their online version on 2007-03-22.