Therefore Repent!
Encyclopedia
Therefore Repent! is a bestselling Canadian graphic novel
written by anarchist freelance writer Jim Munroe
and illustrated by Salgood Sam. It is set in a post-apocalyptic
Chicago
neighbourhood after the predictions of Christian fundamentalists concerning the Rapture
have come true, the righteous have risen to Heaven
and a society divided between Splitters who believe there will be a second Rapture for those who perform good acts after the first and those who do not. The novel has been called "a progressive
, humane rejoinder" to the Christian science fiction
novels in the Left Behind
series.
s of the novel are Mummy and Raven, lovers who used to have a touring act at Raves and Festivals where they dressed up as a mummy
and a raven
. The novel opens as they arrive in Chicago
searching for somewhere to live following the Rapture
. They meet a local kid in their new neighbourhood who shows them to an empty apartment vacated by its raptured inhabitants. Settling into the squat
. Mummy and Raven are happy to live in a world without Christians, unlike Splitters (people who were left behind who strive to become as Christian as possible in order to ascend to Heaven
during the Apocalypse). As the story progresses, Mummy and Raven explore the neighbourhood around their apartment, and become disconcerted as the world becomes increasingly unhinged. Militaristic angels appear and begin to kill "sinners" using machine gun
s, the couple's dog begins to speak, while they and other people start to develop magical powers and forms.
("an absolutely boundless piece of fantasy that he wisely grounds in very human relationships...[t]o say it’s an imaginative work would be an understatement"), Junot Diaz
, and Annalee Newitz
of io9
, reaching the Canadian Top 20 bestsellers list, and garnering Munroe a nomination for the 2008 Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
written by anarchist freelance writer Jim Munroe
Jim Munroe
Jim Munroe is a Canadian science fiction author, who publishes his works independently under the imprint No Media Kings.Munroe was managing editor at the magazine Adbusters in the 1990s, before publishing his debut novel Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gasmask in 1999...
and illustrated by Salgood Sam. It is set in a post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
neighbourhood after the predictions of Christian fundamentalists concerning the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
have come true, the righteous have risen to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and a society divided between Splitters who believe there will be a second Rapture for those who perform good acts after the first and those who do not. The novel has been called "a progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
, humane rejoinder" to the Christian science fiction
Christian science fiction
Christian science fiction is a subgenre of both Christian literature and science fiction, in which there are strong Christian themes, or which are written from a Christian point of view. These themes may be subtle, expressed by way of analogy, or more explicit. Major influences include early...
novels in the Left Behind
Left Behind
Left Behind is a series of 16 best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, dealing with Christian dispensationalist End Times: pretribulation, premillennial, Christian eschatological viewpoint of the end of the world. The primary conflict of the series is the members of the Tribulation...
series.
Storyline
The protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s of the novel are Mummy and Raven, lovers who used to have a touring act at Raves and Festivals where they dressed up as a mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
and a raven
Common Raven
The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...
. The novel opens as they arrive in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
searching for somewhere to live following the Rapture
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
. They meet a local kid in their new neighbourhood who shows them to an empty apartment vacated by its raptured inhabitants. Settling into the squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
. Mummy and Raven are happy to live in a world without Christians, unlike Splitters (people who were left behind who strive to become as Christian as possible in order to ascend to Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
during the Apocalypse). As the story progresses, Mummy and Raven explore the neighbourhood around their apartment, and become disconcerted as the world becomes increasingly unhinged. Militaristic angels appear and begin to kill "sinners" using machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, the couple's dog begins to speak, while they and other people start to develop magical powers and forms.
Reception
The graphic novel was a critical and commercial success, attracting critical praise from Quill & QuireQuill & Quire
Quill & Quire, a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry, was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, but its publisher claims a readership of 25,000...
("an absolutely boundless piece of fantasy that he wisely grounds in very human relationships...[t]o say it’s an imaginative work would be an understatement"), Junot Diaz
Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz is a Dominican-American writer and creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Central to Díaz's work is the immigrant experience...
, and Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
of io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
, reaching the Canadian Top 20 bestsellers list, and garnering Munroe a nomination for the 2008 Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer.
External links
- Therefore Repent! at No Media Kings
- Therefore Repent! a free downloadable copy at No Media Kings
- Therefore Repent! at Salgood Sam dot com
- Therefore Repent! in Previews from Sequential
- Trailer by Salgood Sam at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.com
Reviews
- Warren Peace Sings the Blues
- Read About Comics
- PopImage
- Sibin Mohan from BlogcriticsBlogcriticsBlogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
- The Guild of Outsider Writers