Saviour (comic book)

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Saviour is the title of a comic book written by Mark Millar and drawn by Daniel Vallely and Nigel Kitching. It was published by Trident Comics from 1989 to 1990 and ran for six issues and a trade paperback collection of the first five issues.It was also the first professionally published work of Mark Millar.

[edit] Synopsis

The story revolved around the second coming of Jesus Christ as a superhero who looked like popular British television personality Jonathan Ross. This superhero, called The Saviour, has set out to change the world for the better. However we find out The Saviour is actually the antichrist and plans to take over the world with the aid of a satanic cult devoted to him. The only thing which could stop him is the presence of the real Son of God and much of the story involves The Saviour's attempts to track his foe down. Eventually it is discovered that the Son of God is actually an angel and not the real Jesus Christ. The Saviour kills him thinking he has won, but there is another super powered being on Earth and is unknown to The Saviour.

It is at this point that the series was cancelled when Trident went bankrupt.

[edit] Reaction and controversy

Saviour was Trident Comics' second ongoing title and instantly proved to be one of their most controversial. The depiction of Jesus Christ as a yuppie superhero was controversial, as was the violence. Millar's portrayal of the Catholic church was also criticised, as was his use of a character who was clearly meant to be James Anderton. However Jonathan Ross never had a problem with his likeness being used. Ross is a well known comic fan and is said to have liked the story.

However these criticisms aside, Millar found himself being praised for Saviour's different way of dealing with the superhero genre. Millar explored the late 1980s culture in ways not seen in comics and Saviour can be seen as a comment on those times.

Millar reworked the concept in 2004 as the three issue mini series, Chosen for Dark Horse Comics.