The comic book world lost a figure of global influence this week. Jack Chick, the prolific creator of those rectangular extremist comics often found in public places, and the deranged conspiracy Crusader Comic Books, died October 23. Chick’s often surreal comic-book rants against everything from evolution to role-playing games created controversy even among evangelical Christians and became ironic must-reads among many hip consumers of comix culture. Over the years, Chick claimed the Catholic Church created Islam and assassinated JFK, warned against the corrupting influence of rock ‘n’ roll, Bewitched and Family Guy (well…), and established much of the groundwork for the 1980s/90s “Satanic Panic.”
Pity he couldn’t have held out a bit and died next Monday. Chick freakin’ hated Halloween.
Too bad he out-lived Gygax and Arneson. I would have chipped in to pay their airfare so they could dance on his grave.
I love Chick Tracks!! The best commentary I read has been lost to Bit Rot, but the Wayback machine managed to save it:
https://web.archive.org/web/20080821104145/http://www.spinnoff.com/swhc/FF-Chick.html
Parodying Chick might seem redundant, but there are some great parodies. The ones where he dies & faces an irked god are especially relevant now.
I have some faux-Chick tracts, one about School Prayer, and one that was a comic version of The Other People.