The highs and lows of Catholicism found in George R.R. Martin’s ‘Wild Cards’

In the 1980s, comic books were for still for kids. Fans will object (and they’re right to do so) and point back to plot arcs and standalone issues from that decade (and the 70s, the 60s, and even earlier) that engaged with adult issues like racism, sexism, unjust war, death, disease, and poverty in a frank and mature fashion.

But the greater American culture still regarded comic books as a childish thing. For proof, look at animated adaptations of Spiderman, Superman, and Batman from the 80s.  Spiderman had 1983’s Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, which was full of family friendly action where lots of things blew up, but no one got hurt. Batman and Superman appeared together in the Superfriends, a very tame and frequently silly adaptation of the Justice League comic books. And in the early 80s, most people still associated Batman with the campy Adam West series from the 60s.  True, the trend was beginning to change, as seen with Donner’s 1978 film Superman, and as continued in Burton’s 1989 Batman. But the culture was still at least a decade away from the gritty depictions of Marvel and DC heroes that abound today on film and television.

Further- in the 1980s, the Comics Code Authority was still in effect. The CCA was an industry-created, self-policing standard implemented in 1954 as a means of avoiding intervention by the American government.  The code was adapted, revised, and then abandoned in 2001, but in the 1980s it limited depictions of violence and sexuality [no gore or nudity], required certain resolutions to plots [good guys have to win, crime has to be punished], and otherwise prohibited content [no profanity, no zombies, no occult or “symbols which have acquired undesirable meanings.”]

Into this environment came George R.R. Martin and his group of role playing friends. Yes, that George R.R. Martin.  He and his friends had been playing Superworld, a comic book themed role playing game that was first published in 1983, and now they had an idea. They wanted to publish their characters- but how? The characters were created by and for adults; their adventures would not meet the standards of the CCA. Not to mention that not all of the group were artists, and that transitioning to a comic book format could be difficult.

Thus, they decided to create a collaborative novel. Members were invited to write chapters featuring their characters, and then Martin and co-editor Melinda Snodgrass edited the material into one continuous plot arc. Since the first novel in 1987, over 40 people have written chapters for the Wild Cards series, and multiple people have served as editor. The series is now on book 27, Texas Hold ‘em.

Written by adults, for adults, the series was controversial from the very start. It began with the distinction between Ace and Joker, with aces representing the traditional noble superhero (think Superman) and jokers, characters with hideous deformities and unusual abilities, presenting their shadow. The character Snotman illustrates both joker attributes.

Individual characters continued the theme- with Jack Robicheaux, a gay, shape shifting, HIV positive hero. Or Rosemary Muldoon, a good hearted District Attorney who also happened to do horrible things as a leader in the local mafia. There were many more than these two, but of them all, Father Squid, a joker Catholic priest who served as pastor for Our Lady of Perpetual Misery, was most interesting.

Father Squid appears for the first time in the third Wild Card novel, Jokers Wild. I bought books 1-6 in 2001 and read them one after the other.  I was Episcopalian back then and knew little about how the Catholic Church functioned.  Father Squid’s character intrigued me because I was considering a vocation as a priest in the Episcopal church, and he was depicted in what I thought was a very realistic fashion.  Father Squid was a joker from birth.  The lower half of his face is covered in tentacles, and his longer than normal fingers are covered with suction pads.  His parents abandoned him as an infant at a St. Cabrini orphanage. He went on to serve in the Vietnam War as a part of the “Joker Brigade,” a group of deformed super-soldiers that were considered expendable and that were sent to fight the hardest battles with the least equipment. His backstory never explains how he came to be ordained, but by Jokers Wild he is not only a priest- he’s excommunicated.  Still, Father Squid presents himself as a priest and leads a congregation.   In the novel, readers are given a tour of Father’s parish where they see an icon of Jesus behind the altar that depicts Him crucified on a DNA helix, with two heads, four arms, and masculine and feminine features.  Later comes an icon of the Virgin that is equally bizarre and disturbing. The Wild Cards series is not for children, the faint of heart, or the tender of conscience.

Throughout the series, Father Squid is described as Catholic, but shown doing Protestant things. Ex: at communion, the elements are passed around the congregation as in many Methodist or Baptist congregations.  Father is asked to provide confession, but he never calls it (or any of his other religious duties) a sacrament.  And late in the series (book 21 or so) it is revealed that he has not been celibate.  These inconsistencies probably mean the author does not know Catholicism. At the time, I recognized some of these shortcomings and realized that I wanted the real thing. Again, at the time I thought I could find that in the Episcopal Church. It would take me 15 years to finally enter into Catholicism in its fullness.

That said, Father Squid and the Wild Cards series encouraged me to continue in my Christian journey. I knew the depictions of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin were wrong, and that Father Squid was inaccurate, but I understood that they were meant to represent the outcast of society: the poor, the addicted, the mentally ill, the disabled, and the marginalized. After all, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17 NASB) Father Squid and his parish represented a misguided-yet-authentic desire to show this reality, that Jesus truly loves all.

The problem with Father Squid and his church is that they bring Jesus down instead of raising humanity up. Jesus came to save sinners-He didn’t become one.  Father Squid’s character helped me to see that I wanted real Christianity- a Christianity that reached down to where I was, and brought me up. I didn’t want to remain in my sin. Then and now, I wanted freedom. I wanted health. I wanted life and light. And thankfully, Father Squid and the Wild Card series helped me find where I should go to get it.