“God is Disappointed in You” was written by Mark Russell and Shannon Wheeler. Russell creates the text and Wheeler draws the images. The project started after Wheeler asked Russell to summarizes the bible in a few paragraphs. Wheeler said that the rewrite was entertaining and accurate and wished to do more. The two sat out to both condense the Bible down to 200 pages and modernize the language used in it with illustrations to go along or enhance the text. Russell and Wheeler’s propose in doing this is to make the Bible’s message accessible to more people, not just to a younger audience but to all Americans no matter their faith. So, the question is, did they succeed in this goal and how these illustrations help this goal or theme?

The first panel in “God is Disappointed in You” is a parody of Da Vinci’s painting, “Last Supper”. The picture is called, as printed at the very bottom, “The Last Call” which plays on the original title “Last Supper”. The new title gives the picture a more common feeling. In the foreground, we see a bar complete with a tap instead of the table in the original work, which makes the picture seem less holy than the original mostly because one does not usually think of Jesus going to a bar with his buddies. It is a cartoonish style that is very simple but it’s simple style tells and means a lot. Even in this cartoon style which contrasts the original, which was very highly detailed with many vibrant colors, we are still able to distinguish who is who and what it is they are doing. Jesus and his disciples are depicted as much more normal and less elevated than these people are usually depicted. This is a theme throughout God is Disappointed in You. Jesus is made to look like a normal guy sitting at a bar with his friends explaining something, while his disciples whisper among themselves, ask Jesus questions, raise a glass to him, or intently pay attention to Jesus.   

The second picture in God is Disappointed in You depicts God in heaven, with angels flying around in the background, being asked a question by a new soul. God is sitting on a giant recliner on top of the clouds, making Him appear more like a father figure than the divine creator of all. God is depicted with long white hair, an even longer scraggly beard, and big bushy eyebrows. The facial expression God has as he listens to this new soul’s question is the epitome of disappointment and boredom. At the bottom of the picture there is text that is supposed to represent what the new soul is asking God which reads “What’s up with all the planned obsolescence?” (209). At first this question seems confusing, what is it supposed to mean, what are you talking about planned obsolescence? The planned obsolescence the soul is referring to is death. This assumption is supported by the fact that just before the illustration, the text was talking about Jesus’ death on the cross, but as we know later in the story Jesus rises from his tomb to live again in Heaven therefore making death obsolete.

The authors use these comic panels to really bring these holy figures down to a more relatable and understandable level. The depiction of Jesus at a bar with his disciples in the first panel, is meant to resemble someone going out with their friends. This targets the younger generation about in their twenties but is still relatable to those who are older as well. This image helps the audience picture the “Last Supper” more as a going away or farewell celebration for a friend and or leader, and less of a holy figure with his future sight announcing that on the next day he shall die. This is relatable because we all have had friends that had to move away or a college move on to a better job. This depiction of God in the second panel, is meant to convey him as a father or grandfather figure. It solidifies that god is definitely a father figure of some kind by putting him in the dad position. God is sitting in a recliner with a slight slouch, hands resting on the arms of the chair. The reason He could be grandfather figure because of the long, scraggly beard, and big bushy eyebrows. Also, what implies he has some kind of authority is the fact that he is so much larger than everyone else in the panel. The text at the bottom of this image shows that it is geared toward a younger but more educated audience. This is clear through the vocabulary used in it. The text in the picture starts off with ““What’s up with all the…”” (209) this indicates a younger audience because is more recent syntax. However, the mention of “… planned obsolescence?” (209) is what indicates the target audience is supposed to be well-educated.    

Russell and Wheeler achieved their goal of expanding the audience who could read and understand the message of the Bible was achieved. They achieved this goal by first making the Bible easier to read by shortening the entire book thus making it a less daunting task and not taking up too much time. Secondly, they do so by making it more relatable so that even those who don’t believe in the Christian faith can still get its meaning. It is made more relatable by explaining things in a more modern language and settings so more people can relate to the events and not misunderstand the old language by putting it in more modern terms. Even the people from the Bible are depicted in a more modern light, which makes them again more relatable and easier to understand but also it lowers their status in a way. Jesus and even God don’t feel like so divine or holy, at such a level that feels unobtainable. This helps bridge the religious gap, because at this lower level it seems easier for someone to read it even though it may be talking about things that their own faith may disagree with. The image helped with all of this by giving more detail where the text didn’t or maybe was felt needed to help understand and to provide a laugh to keep you reading. 
