The Life of Pope John Paul II is an oversized one-shot comic book published by Marvel Comics in 1982. It was written by Steven Grant with art by John Tartaglione, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, and Marie Severin. The comic recounts the life of Pope John Paul II, beginning with his birth as Karol Wojtyła and ending as he recovers from a 1981 assassination attempt. The idea of a comic covering his life was conceived of by Marvel Japan representative Gene Pelc, and John Paul II assigned his biographer and childhood friend Mieczysław Maliński to help Grant research the comic. The comic was reworked following the assassination attempt and its release was delayed by the December 1981 imposition of marshal law in Poland.
The Life of Pope John Paul II was a commercial success, selling about one million copies. In his book Comic Book Propaganda, Fredrik Strömberg remarked that the comic was the most engaging biography of John Paul II he had read.
Plot
The comic is told from the perspective of a newspaper reporter on the Pope beat. The reporter feels that he does not fully understand Pope John Paul II and so he comes to hear him speak at Yankee Stadium on October 2, 1979, where the pope is set to deliver mass. While waiting for the pope to speak, he recounts the facts of his life, beginning with the 1920 birth of Karol Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, and ending with his election as pope and the beginning of his travels. After the reporter finishes recounting his life, the pope speaks. All listen and raucous kids are brought to order. The reporter understands the pope and thinks "That is why the pope is great!". The reporter feels that listening to the pope was a revelatory experience. He recounts more of John Paul II's travels until May 13, 1981, when the pope is shot in an attempted assassination. The reporter is shocked by the attempt, causing his boss to assume that he is Catholic, an assumption he rejects, saying his despair at the assassination attempt has nothing to do with religion. The reporter leaves work early, walking mindlessly to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where he helps a Polish immigrant enter the cathedral so they can pray for him together. The pope survives the assassination and a few weeks later he speaks to a crowd at St. Peter's Square on Pentecost Sunday.
Development
The comic was written by Steven Grant, penciled by John Tartaglione, inked by Joe Sinnott, lettered by Jim Novak, and colored by Marie Severin. Marvel president Jim Galton said that Tartaglione was selected because he was a competent artist who did not exaggerate, as they wanted to avoid deifying the pope. Assistant direct sales manager Peter David described the comic as being aimed at the general reader, but said it had been written at an adult level. Kenneth A. Briggs of The New York Times characterized the pope's approval of the comic as quixotic.
Publication history A 1986 article in The Baltimore Sun reported that the comic was receiving biannual reprinting runs of 50,000 copies. The comic sold about one million copies, mainly due to large orders from Catholic agencies. Following the success of The Life of Pope John Paul II, Marvel published Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a biography of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was the last major religion-themed comic by Marvel.
Reception In his book Comic Book Propaganda, Fredrik Strömberg remarked that the comic was the most engaging biography of John Paul II he had read.
See also
Toni Pagot, author of the graphic novel Pope John Paul II , illustrator of The Life of Pope John Paul II in Comics Battle Pope
References