The Broken Cross (comic)
The Broken Cross is a full-length (32 pp.) comic written by Jack Chick. It was originally printed in 2003 and remains in-stock. Unlike their tracts, it is not available for free viewing on the Chick Publications website; it can only be purchased either in print or electronic form.
The comic is the second of a 22-comic series titled "The Crusaders".
The comic draws heavily on the "Satanic panic" beliefs popularized in the late 20th century; views still widely held within fundamentalism. Chick gave his "deepest appreciation" to John Todd, a purported "ex-grand Druid priest", and to unnamed others, who he claimed verified the authenticity of what the comic portrayed.
The comic is set in an unnamed rural community in the United States. The opening scenes show a young girl (Donna) picked up while hitchhiking; she is drugged and killed, and her blood sacrificed to Lucifer. Later, the Crusaders come upon a police barricade, where they encounter a disheveled man who claimed to have had not a drop of blood on her body. When the Crusaders identify it as the sign of witchcraft, the local sheriff advises them that "this is a God-fearing community" and that they would be advised to stay out of the situation. Another scene shows a dog taken from its owner (a young boy); the Crusaders give the boy money for another dog. (A later scene shows the dog being sacrificed, but the young boy has a new pet.)
The Crusaders attempt to speak to a local Pastor Cooley, only to find that he is a liberal theologian; a later scene shows him engaged in demonic worship. They also discover that the local library has purged its entire collection of occult material; the librarian claims that their library wouldn't have any ("you'll only find those in a big city"), but after their departure informs the sheriff of their request. Heading to a larger city, they discover another individual engaging in cannibalism; they take him to the sheriff's office where a deputy (Officer Bradley) has suspected things and offers to assist the Crusaders. Later that evening, Tim shares with Jim the Biblical account of Lucifer's fall from Heaven as well as Biblical and historical accounts of Satanic activity throughout history.
The next morning the Crusaders meet Jody, who is a practicing witch (she stated that she tried "the church scene" only to find that the local church taught that God stopped during supernatural activity). She admits that she has gained all she's wanted but is afraid of everything. The Crusaders lead her to faith in Christ; unbeknownst to them they have been spied upon and Jody's car has been tampered with. Jody is later kidnapped but is rescued prior to her being sacrificed, and the sheriff and pastor are revealed to be behind the activity (along with the mayor).
The final scene shows Jody burning all her demonic paraphernalia (something Chick and many fundamentalists advise doing).
External Links
The Broken Cross (NOTE: Only samples from the full comic are shown at this site.)