# Do webcomics tend to be atheistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323 "2008-07-04T21:43:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/21 "2008-07-06T21:27:37Z")
[QUOTE=wolf in second hand clothing] E.T.A. Oh, and I _haaaaaate_ Jeph Jaques’ comics. I used to read **Questionable Content** pretty regularly, but then I realized it was similar to my nasty habit of reading **The Family Circus** just because it’s there, included along with all the others. [/QUOTE] Wow, QC is in like, my 3 favorite regulars: XKCD CAD (Though I have to admit CAD is getting a little weird lately and he can’t seem to decide whether he wants to do a story arc or a non-sequitur, it seems like every other comic is not related to the story. I wouldn’t mind if he picked one and stuck with it for a week, but it’s getting annoying switching back and forth every day now) QC (I catch up on Order of the Stick every week or so because it reads better to me with a little buffer. I also read Penny Arcade when I’m bored but don’t feel it’s too exciting most of the time. Anyway now that my webcomic autobiography is done…) Different Strokes and all I guess (though I have to say indie-tits is just annoying, it’s worse than a freaking sprite comic). On Penny Arcade- Read the top newspost here - [http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/01/16/](http://www.penny-arcade.com/2006/01/16/) Not Gabe, but Tycho appears to be Christian after reading that. The attached [comic](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/01/16/) heavily implies Gabe to be one as well, even if they are playing it up for “t3h lulz.” ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/22 "2008-07-06T22:06:24Z")
Well, my impression has been that Tycho had a very religious upbringing (e.g., Bible camp, among other things), but that he has long since left such belief behind (“even as a person for whom the document has lost divinity”). Gabe, though, I can more easily picture as a Christian, but I know of no hard evidence for it either way. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/23 "2008-07-07T15:07:11Z")
I will jump in here and mention another webcomic that I would not consider “atheist”: _College Roomies From Hell_, which began as a “laugh-a-day” comic but has become more and more “serious” and convoluted. The author is Maritza Campos, from Mexico, and in the comic you have a (deadly) serious Satan, and what appears to be a (definite) divine presence. However, it manages (in my opinion) not to be corny, preachy or overblown. Just my 2 eurocent! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/24 "2008-07-07T18:34:53Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] _Something Positive_ has made fun of Woo-Woo Wiccans and hypocritical Christians before (to say nothing of _Nailed!:The Musical_), and Davan seems to be atheist, but there’s also a few positively-portrayed Wiccans, an increasingly-more positively portrayed Catholic (Mike) and Davan’s parents were always made out to be really good Christians, so it’s mostly favourable. [/QUOTE] Indeed. Most notable, I reckon, are the strips involving Davan’s father visiting the Christian “Hell House” one Halloween, which begin [here](http://somethingpositive.net/sp10042006.shtml). In the end, he tells 'em off for their insane in-your-face evangelism and dresses them down for missing the whole point of Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/25 "2008-07-07T19:41:54Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] Many of the Web comic creators are already aware of the regular crazy and rude meddling syndicate and newspaper owners subject the comic creators to, so why should successful web comic creators go into the shoe horn of syndication after experiencing the freedom (and some times good revenue) the Internet offers? Of course there is still more recognition in syndication, but I see that currently syndicates are still more dedicated to keep things the way they are, particularly in preventing alternative views on religion that could generate complaints and loss of revenue. And this leaves people that have other ideas, particularly on religion, out of syndication. The Internet is virtually the only medium then for comics with those ideas to appear. Big controversy subjects like sex, violence and scientific ideas that rub religion the wrong way create a mix that is not a good match to the image mainstream syndicates and Newspapers look for. So it is not that web comics tend to be atheistic, it is because they do not have other ways to appear in the mainstream. [/QUOTE] That’s more or less what I was going to say – it’s not a matter of being “atheistic” as such, but rather a matter of having more latitude to express skeptical or unflattering views about religion. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/26 "2008-07-07T20:49:34Z")
One strongly religious, even crypto-Christian webcomic is [Jack](http://www.pholph.com/), by David Hopkins. He’s posted over 1200 strips now and you really have to read them from the beginning to get the full feel of the strip, but in a nutshell: the very first genetically-engineered human-animal hybrid eventually leads the extermination of the human race, and as a consequence is damned to be the Reaper for the race of furries that succeeds humanity. Or as I described it in another post, “Heaven, Hell, damnation, redemption, good vs. evil, sexy angels, horrid demons, a tragically flawed hero, several appallingly evil villians, ordinary folk facing temptation, danger and struggle- all in a post-humanity world inhabited by furries!” ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/27 "2008-07-07T21:41:22Z")
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable] Not because I doubt you, but just out of curiosity, cite? [/QUOTE] Ya know, I think I just read it somewhere in the multitude of news posts of his I have read over the years. Sorry, but I can’t really get any more specific than that, feel free to remain skeptical. [[Have A Holly, Jolly Xmas - Penny Arcade](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/12/26/)]([http://This](http://This) comic) and its attached news post seem to go along with it. Of course, I know that the characters differ from the actual people in a number of ways. I think I read in some ancient interview that the nickname “Gabe” actually comes from the archangel Gabriel, and that a lot of the art he did in his free time had a religious theme. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/28 "2008-07-08T05:33:02Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] One strongly religious, even crypto-Christian webcomic is [Jack](http://www.pholph.com/), by David Hopkins. He’s posted over 1200 strips now and you really have to read them from the beginning to get the full feel of the strip, but in a nutshell: the very first genetically-engineered human-animal hybrid eventually leads the extermination of the human race, and as a consequence is damned to be the Reaper for the race of furries that succeeds humanity. Or as I described it in another post, “Heaven, Hell, damnation, redemption, good vs. evil, sexy angels, horrid demons, a tragically flawed hero, several appallingly evil villians, ordinary folk facing temptation, danger and struggle- all in a post-humanity world inhabited by furries!” [/QUOTE] My God, that’s a fucked up comic. I’m bookmarking it. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/29 "2008-07-08T05:50:51Z")
[QUOTE=wolf in second hand clothing] Sorry, but I can’t really get any more specific than that, feel free to remain skeptical. [/QUOTE] I’m not particularly skeptical; it strikes me as quite plausible. If it is true, I’d just be interested in learning more about it, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Richey84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Richey84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richey84)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/30 "2008-07-08T21:17:33Z")
[QUOTE=Hodge] And I can’t think of any specifically anti-religious XKCD strips. AFAIK, he’s rarely, if ever, addressed the issue. [/QUOTE] [This](http://xkcd.com/373/) was the first one that popped into my mind. And Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content described himself as “a cheerful atheist” in the big “Ask Jeph” thread on his QC forum. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/31 "2008-07-08T21:24:34Z")
[QUOTE=Richey84] [This](http://xkcd.com/373/) was the first one that popped into my mind. [/QUOTE] That one doesn’t seem to be making fun of the religious so much as folks who claim to be psychic, or dowse, or anything else that would earn Randi’s cash. The mouseover text suggests that, anyway. But it’s vague enough that religion could certainly fit under the umbrella. I have to say, I read a lot of webcomics and I can’t think of any that are expressly atheist. Many rant about religious jerks and other jerks in general, but for the most part I don’t see people attacking religion just for kicks. If any creators are atheist, they generally have the sense to just not make it a large part of their comic. That or they don’t care. QC’s Jeph is one example; he calls himself atheist, and as far as I can remember religion, pro or anti, has never been prominent in QC. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/32 "2008-07-08T21:32:37Z")
Yeah. “Supernatural Powers” is a pretty broad category. It could include faith healing and praying for rain, I suppose. It would definitly snub the more superstitious sorts of religious beliefs. As in, you’ll be struck by lightning if you say this word. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/33 "2008-07-08T23:03:29Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] I have to say, I read a lot of webcomics and I can’t think of any that are expressly atheist. Many rant about religious jerks and other jerks in general, but for the most part I don’t see people attacking religion just for kicks. [/QUOTE] Sometimes, a comic will take a [cynical look](http://partiallyclips.com/index.php?id=1083) at religion, but that’s not quite the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323/34 "2008-07-12T00:45:48Z")
[QUOTE=Steve MB] Sometimes, a comic will take a [cynical look](http://partiallyclips.com/index.php?id=1083) at religion, but that’s not quite the same thing. [/QUOTE] Aaaaaand that’s another webcomic that I’m going to be keeping up with. That was hilarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-webcomics-tend-to-be-atheistic/455323.md?page=1)