True Faith (comics)

"True Faith" is a creator-owned British comic story. It was originally published in the adult-orientated anthology comic Crisis between 14 October 1989 and 17 February 1990. Written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Warren Pleece, the story is a satirical critique of organised religion.

While the original serialised publication passed without incident, the issue of a collected edition in 1990 drew mainstream controversy; the book was subsequently withdrawn and pulped. In 1997, a new collected edition was produced by DC Comics subsidy Vertigo.

Creation
Garth Ennis had received his first professional commission "Troubled Souls" for Fleetway Publications' anthology title Crisis earlier in 1989, to positive reader response. Crisis editor Steve MacManus approached Ennis for other ideas. Ennis would recall "I fancied doing something funnier, something that sat better with my own experiences and interests - my distrust of organised religion, in this instance." MacManus assigned Warren Pleece as artist, having been hugely impressed after seeing his work on Velocity, a self-published comic Pleece produced with his brother Gary.

Publishing history
The story was one of several Crisis stories to be rapidly repackaged as a graphic novel, an unusual step for British comics of the time. Rian Hughes, art director for Crisis, handled the design, which included a new cover commissioned from Pleece and a foreword by Grant Morrison. At this stage the story began attracting negative attention from Christian groups, and The Sunday Times ran an interview with Dave Roberts (then-editor of Christian magazine Alpha), describing it as "an incitement to religious hatred" and comparing it to Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses as an example of blasphemy. Fleetway's managing director John Davidge, who had controversially blocked Crisis from publishing Peter Milligan and Brendan McCarthy's "Skin", ordered the collected edition withdrawn after a short period on sale; a press release stated this was due to the story being "inappropriate" for the book market. Purportedly Davidge made the decision on the direct order of Fleetway owner Robert Maxwell. The print run - variously reported as being 5,000 or 20,000 copies - was destroyed. The Economist ran an article on the controversy on 19 January 1991, speculating that "no one would think twice about it" if the story was a novel, and felt that the furore was largely caused by the ongoing belief in the press that the comic medium was still exclusively aimed at children. New Statesman also discussed the controversy, quoting a BBC Radio 4 interview where Ennis reiterated his opposition to organised religion.

In 1997 DC's mature readers Vertigo Comics label, for whom Ennis was writing Preacher at the time, released a new collected edition with a fresh cover by Pleece and a new foreword by Ennis himself.

Plot Summary
London schoolboy Nigel Gibson attends a Scripture Union meeting, motivated entirely by getting closer to devout attendee Angela Hyman. He is able to persuade her to accompany him to the pub, but swiftly realises she only sees him as a convert, and insults Angela and her friends (including rugby player Henson, who is also hinted to only be showing interest in Christianity to get at Angela), stating his belief that God doesn't exist. Another man at the bar - a recent widower called Terry Adair - joins him in arguing against the Christian group, stating he plans to kill God before leaving. Nigel continues to castigate Angela before following Terry, fascinated despite considering him likely insane. They get talking at Terry's sparse flat, where he rants about attacking churches to flush God out and kill him. Alarmed, Nigel talks Terry into letting him go but sees a burning church on his way home. He tries to tell a policeman about Terry, who appears and kills the officer. Nigel flees, but arriving home finds Terry has butchered his dog Rex. He is cornered in an alley by Terry, who instead of attacking him takes him as a collaborator. Realising Adair will kill him and his family if he objects, Nigel goes along with him.

The pair firebomb a church together, with Adair mercilessly killing a priest who tries to stop them. The pair are then grabbed by the Truth Soldiers of one Cornelius Garten, who claims to have the same aim as Adair - to remove the cancer of God from the world - and provides them with a huge arsenal. A further spate of arsons against churches follow, bringing national press attention. The Prime Minister orders action to be taken, and orders the SAS deployed at prominent churches in London. Nigel's personality becomes darker, and he is suspended from school after attacking Henson with a cricket bat, though his family remain apathetic. Garten reveals their next target is St Paul's Cathedral, but they are ambushed by SAS troopers. Most of the Truth Commandos are gunned down as Nigel, Terry and Garten take cover. Terry remains unshaken until Garten mentions his wife, who he was never told about. He confesses he bribed the doctor to botch his wife's operation in order to drive him towards the Truth Commandos after believing God killed his own wife when she died during childbirth. While arguing both are found and shot by the SAS, with Nigel slipping away.

Nigel returns to school before his suspension has lifted, drinking vodka and briefly speaking with Angela. When his bullying teacher Mr. Hunt confronts him, Nigel shoots him in the head with Terry's revolver and waits for the police to arrive, reflecting that he has finally found true faith - in himself.

Reception
MacManus recalled the story had received a good review in the NME. As with several of his early works (including "Troubled Souls"), Ennis has expressed dislike of "True Faith" - comparing Terry Adair to a "rejected Dredd villain" and reserving particularly harsh criticism for author surrogate Nigel Gibson, describing him as a "whiny little sod who needed a good kick up the arse" and referring to the character as a stock "neurotic boy outsider" much like those in Grant Morrison's St. Swithin's Day and John Smith's "Straitgate". Ennis resolved to leave the "NBO" behind after seeing a particularly scathing Martin Rowson cartoon in The Guardian which encapsulated the "wretched self-indulgence" of such characters.

In a retrospective review for Slings & Arrows ' online graphic novel guide, Gareth Forest considered the story an "early curio" and felt it was interesting for tracing the development of Ennis' career, regarding it as a "flawed but ambitious book".