There have been many different interpretations throughout history and popular culture of Jesus’s story. One of the most glaring and controversial examples is Anne Rice’s Christ The Lord series. It reimagined the religious figure out of the canon most followers had grown up believing and some thought it was sacrilegious for the author to write it. As hard it may believe, this probably was not the worst reimagining.

There was Martin Scorsese’s contentious film, The Last Temptation Of Christ, which also retold Jesus’ story and how he dealt with all the temptations of man, including the flesh where they discuss his relationship with Mary Magdelene.  On the lighter side, The Life Of Brian shows how a man who followed a similar path as Jesus would exist during this time. The one reinterpretation that has not been seen as often as these few examples is the one of action hero. This is why Joe Casey and Benjamin Marra‘s Jesusfreak had me intrigued.

We meet a young man in Sepphoris, the capital of Gallilee, that goes by the name Jesus. He’s traveled to this land as a result of his visions. We also meet Pontius Pilate, the new Roman governor, whose distaste for the locals and thirst for power is unrivaled. We also meet John The Baptist, a rough religious man whose followers treated him like the voice of God. As John and Jesus meet an uncanny spark between the two ignite and a kinship is formed instantly. As an ambush by Roman soldiers lead the two to fight alongside each other where Jesus unleashes his own fighting style, a martial art, but unfortunately John gets captured by Pontius Pilate. From there we get a mix of action as Jesus must free John, a traditional take on the Bible of Jesus’ healing, and Jesus finding himself and his destiny.

Overall, it’s an action-packed story through biblical times that I wanted to compare to Spartacus but feels more like Ghost Dog: Way Of The Samurai. The story by Casey is fun, engaging, and wildly imaginative. The art by Marra is breathtaking. Altogether, a story that will intrigue readers and think of these historical and religious figures in a totally new way.

Story: Joe Casey Art: Benjamin Marra
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review