About

Jack Chick was an American cartoonist who came to fame through his Christian fundamentalist comic pamphlets, known as "Chick Tracts." Despite criticism of Chick for his staunchly racist, homophobic, anti-feminist views and his pamphlets that used debunked or one-sided arguments, the outlandish and campy nature of the pamphlets made him popular among fans of outsider-art.

History

Chick was born on April 13th, 1924, in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the Southern California area.^[1] He served in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Afterwards, he met his wife, Lola Lynn Priddle, whose family introduced him to the Charles E. Fuller radio show, the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour, which Chick credits as converting him to Christianity.

From 1953, Chick drew a single-panel comic called "Times Have Changed?", which was syndicated in the Los Angeles area. Chick wanted to do missionary work, but was shy about talking to people about Christianity. While creating illustrations for presentations he would give to prisoners as part of his missionary work, he came up with the idea for "Chick Tracts."

Chick self-published his first tract, Why No Revival?, in 1960. Christian bookstores were reluctant to pick up Chick's work, but it was popular among missionaries and churches. In 1970, Chick Publications was officially established. The company published 23 full-color "Chick Comics," which addressed topics such as the occult, Biblical prophecy, evolution, Islam, Mormonism, and more. The comics were also notorious for their negative portrayal of Catholicism, claiming Catholics were responsible for the Holocaust, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, starting the World Wars, and more.

Chick Publications also spread "Chick Tracts," which often focused on criticizing elements of pop culture, including Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter, rock music, homosexuality, etc. Chick often connected his negative opinions on the subjects to the Roman Catholic Church.

As Chick's work spread, it was widely criticized for its arguments and political views, but it did begin to grow popular among enthusiasts of outsider art.^[2] The Smithsonian Natural Museum of American History included some Chick Tracts in an exhibit on pop culture. In the late 90s, Brill's Content described Chick Tracts as "American folk art, or even a form of religious pornography, titillating and somewhat dangerous. Chick is the ultimate underground artist: single-minded and self-published, passionately committed to his message without regard for external social forces."^[4]

Death

Chick died in his sleep on October 23rd, 2016. He was 92. Media companies with and without religious affiliation, including The Los Angeles Times, Christianity Today,^[3] Jezebel,^[5] and more published obituaries decrying his views while acknowledging the pop culture fascination with his work.

Online Presence

Chick's presence online mostly came from people sharing their fascination with his art and ridiculing it. One of his most popular works online was "Dark Dungeons,"^[7] his pamphlet warning against the table-top role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. In the comic, two Christian girls go to college but are drawn into the world of Dungeons and Dragons, which is portrayed as the gateway to a plot to summon the evil deity, Cthulu.

The comic grew notorious for its outlandish portrayal of the Dungeons and Dragons fandom. The comic inspired a film version of Dark Dungeons, which portrays the events of the comic. Because the film was true to the source material, critics interpreted the film as satire. JonTron uploaded a video review of the film on August 28th, 2016, which has gained nearly 3 million views as of October 25th, 2016.

Chick is also the artist of the image used in the Sandwich Chef meme that was popular in the late 2000s.

Chick Tracts' Facebook page has less than 1,000 likes.^[6]

Search Interest

External References