“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Christian Crusader Vol. 1

The only joke I could think of would require you to know about Holyland in Waterbury, CT.

The Christian Crusader: The Quest Begins

CC Comics (revised edition: September, 1992)

(first edition published February, 1992 and no, I don’t know what’s changed)

This black and white, all-ages comic follows the adventures of Sir David, the last Knight of Christ on the planet Threa, a planet ruled by Satan’s servant, Za-Tin The Unholy One. Za-Tin’s forces were able to kill off all of the other Knights thanks to be being betrayed by Sir Judas. This includes David’s father, Mat-thew. Don’t worry, the puns end here. Armed with his non-lethal solar pistol, a jetpack, and his father’s helmet and sword, Sir David struggles to bring Christianity back to Threa.

The second adventure finds Sir David finding, and adopting, two orphans, Jason, and Laura, who were running from one of Za-Tin’s giant Christian-hunting robots not because they’re Christians but because they came upon a tomb with a trunk full of Bibles. Sir David ministers to them and other children in the nearby village and they use prayer to stop Za-Tin’s soldiers…except for one who is actually a demon. Once Sir David defeats him (with the unwitting help of the robot), he leads the freed solders and villagers in prayer, which doesn’t make Za-Tin happy.

What they got right: This is a kid-centered comic that isn’t afraid of having death happen, from the other Knights Of Christ to one of Za-Tin’s generals. It works because it’s a generally light comic so the dark parts aren’t TOO dark. I love the costume design for Sir David and they set him up as a good superhero for the Lord.

What they got wrong: I’m not sure if this is puns, lack of creativity, or Celestri purposely choosing names to serve as analogs but naming the planet Threa (an obvious anagram of Earth) and the Satan agent Za-Tin (which is at least a good villain name if you’re an old movie serial fan like me) just comes off as silly, even for a cartoony action book like this. Also, why do people on other planets have an Earth Bible? I can understand wanting to use Bible quotes in a ministry comic but unless Threa is an Earth colony that lost track with “home”, it seems odd to be there.

Recommendation: All the got wrongs probably won’t matter as much to the target age group and even us older Christian folks may find some enjoyment in it as well. It’s worth looking into if you can find it at a good price. It’s rather expensive on Amazon.