''Therefore Repent!'' is a bestselling Canadian

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

written by

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...

freelance writer

Jim Munroe Jim Munroe is a Canadian science fiction author, who publishes his works independently under the imprint ''No Media Kings''."Author dumps publisher". ''Peterborough Examiner'', May 6, 2000. Munroe was managing editor at the magazine ''Adbusters' ...

and illustrated by

Salgood Sam Max Douglas (born September 15, 1970) is a Canadian comic book creator. Since approximately 1996, he has worked under the pen name of Salgood Sam which is derived from a reverse spelling of his name. Published works ''Early Career'' Douglas sta ...

. It is set in a

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

neighbourhood after the predictions of

Christian fundamentalists Christian fundamentalism, also known as fundamental Christianity or fundamentalist Christianity, is a religious movement emphasizing biblical literalism. In its modern form, it began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among British and ...

concerning

the Rapture The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...

have come true, the righteous have risen to

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the bel ...

and a society divided between Splitters who believe there will be a second Rapture for those who perform good acts after the first and those who do not. The novel has been called "a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy pa ...

, humane rejoinder" to the

Christian science fiction Christian science fiction is a subgenre of both Christian literature and science fiction, in which there are strong Christian themes, or which are written from a Christian point of view.Mort (2002) These themes may be subtle, expressed by way of a ...

novels in the ''

Left Behind ''Left Behind'' is a multimedia franchise that started with a series of 16 bestselling religious novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. It focuses on a seven-year conflict between the Tribulation Force, an underground network of converts ...

'' series.

Storyline

The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

s of the novel are Mummy and Raven, lovers who used to have a touring act at Raves and Festivals where they dressed up as a

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

and a

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

. The novel opens as they arrive in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

searching for somewhere to live following

. They meet a local kid in their new neighbourhood who shows them to an empty apartment vacated by its raptured inhabitants. Settling into the squat, Mummy and Raven are happy to live in a world without

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, unlike Splitters (people who were left behind who strive to become as Christian as possible in order to ascend to

during the Apocalypse). As the story progresses, Mummy and Raven explore the neighbourhood around their apartment, and become disconcerted as the world becomes increasingly unhinged. Militaristic

angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

appear and begin to kill "sinners" using

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifl ...

s, the couple's dog begins to speak, while they and other people start to develop magical powers and forms.

Reception

The graphic novel was a critical and commercial success, attracting critical praise from ''

Quill & Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

'' ("an absolutely boundless piece of fantasy that he wisely grounds in very human relationships... say it’s an imaginative work would be an understatement"),

Junot Diaz Junot is a French name that may refer to the following notable people: ;Given name *Junot Díaz (born 1968), Dominican American ;Surname *Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantes (1784–1838), French writer *Jean-Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st ...

, and

Annalee Newitz Annalee Newitz (born May 7, 1969) is an American journalist, editor, and author of both fiction and nonfiction, who has written for the periodicals ''Popular Science'' and ''Wired''. From 1999 to 2008 Newitz wrote a syndicated weekly column calle ...

of ''

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

'', reaching the Canadian Top 20 bestsellers list, and garnering Munroe a nomination for the 2008

Shuster Award The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadians. The awards, ...

for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer.

Publication details

References

{{reflist

External links

''Therefore Repent!''
at

No Media Kings Jim Munroe is a Canadian science fiction author, who publishes his works independently under the imprint ''No Media Kings''."Author dumps publisher". ''Peterborough Examiner'', May 6, 2000. Munroe was managing editor at the magazine ''Adbusters' ...

''Therefore Repent!''
a free downloadable copy at No Media Kings

at

dot com
''Therefore Repent!'' in Previews
from Sequential
Trailer by Salgood Sam
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

.com

Reviews

Warren Peace Sings the Blues

Read About Comics

Sibin Mohan
from ''

Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of all its published c ...

''
The Guild of Outsider Writers
2008 graphic novels Canadian graphic novels Comics set in Chicago Post-apocalyptic comics Christian novels Fantasy comics Novels by Jim Munroe Novels set in Chicago Urban fiction