The Confessional #1

The Confessional #1, Chris McCay and Lee O'Connor, 2003

Having spent the last several million years as God's adversary, Satan wants to quit; actually, he wants to die. This one-shot comic from England tells the story of his trip to a parish priest to confess.

Satan is in the form of a man in his 40s who needs a shave, and not the traditional horns and pitchfork. After convincing the priest of his identity by a quick trip back in time to the Silver City, from which he was outcast millennia ago, the two return to the present. In the confessional, they discuss the nature of things. Satan thinks that mankind is doing pretty well, by itself, as God's adversary. The priest is convinced that for people to know God's goodness, there has to be something for them to run from. The term is "good and evil," not "good and...nothing." If there was no Satan, according to the priest, everything would just fall apart.

This is an excellent production. The story is very thought-provoking, it's in full color, and doesn't follow the usual frame-by-frame format. It's also easy to follow for comic novices. A visit to www.warpton.com, to ask about prices and availability, is a fine idea. This is well worth the time.