You've seen them fluttering from phone booths, wedged into bus seats, or hidden between condiment bottles at your neighborhood restaurant: undersized religious comic books with provocative titles like This Was Your Life, Creator or Liar?, and the ominous Room 310. The 24-page, pocket-sized pamphlets are a fixture of modern life - tiny, evangelical cries rising from the cacophony of the urban landscape. Yet once you've picked one up, you can't seem to put it down - a fact that Chick Publications, the self-supporting ministry and printer of the leaflets, counts on. With 390 million booklets sold in more than 60 languages and a catalog of 70-plus titles, Chick knows that not even amateurish cartoons, implausible plots, or a dark, apocalyptic tone will deter headstrong atheists from reading its comics.Last year, Chick took its wares to the Net at www.chick.com, with an online site proffering sample tracts, catalogs, and a predictable dose of born-again proselytizing. The company's homepage offers a biography of founder Jack T. Chick, "Eight Reasons Why Chick Tracts Get Read," and a list of other products sold, including the popular Evolution Poster, which illustrates "how ridiculous the theory is."Though the site draws its share of traffic, the company's ecumenical philosophy isn't without detractors. Several Christian netizens have taken umbrage with the company's doomsaying, all-or-nothing spiritual approach. Critics also point out that some Chick comics are blatantly antigay, anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, or inherently racist. Each delivers the Christian gospel with all the gentleness of a jackhammer.Getting a statement from the big man himself proves next to impossible. "Mr. Chick doesn't really have time for interviews," explains sweet-as-pie Amy, who runs the Chick Web page from Chick headquarters in Chino, California. Amy says she'll need to check with her supervisor before answering any further questions. It's the last time I hear from her. Like email and the Lord, Chick Publications works in mysterious ways.
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The Mystery of Chick Comics
