Francis, Brother of the Universe

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Comics That Time Forgot)

Francis, Brother of the Universe

(#1, one-shot, Marvel Comics, 1980)

Story: Roy Gasnick, O.F.M.
Script: [Mary] Jo Duffy
Layouts: John Buscema
Finishes & Color: Marie Severin
Lettering: Jim Novak
Editor: Jim Shooter

Although one could be easily forgiven for thinking otherwise, Marvel Comics has published more than just super-heroes in its history. I’m sure many of us will remember the various charity comics Marvel used to do, such as Spider-Man encouraging us to brush our teeth or Captain America warning us about the possible dangers of drug use. In Francis, Brother of the Universe, Marvel did something that it hadn't done often before.*

Religously-themed comics are nothing new. Various denominations have sponsored comics, and have used mainstream characters before as well—Archie being the most enduring example. Francis, Brother of the Universe was something of an experiment however. Instead of being sold only in religious bookstores, it was distributed both on the newsstands by Marvel and in religious bookstores by the Paulist Press.

The comic tells, from the point of view of the modern Franciscan Order, the history and lifestory of Francis Bernadone, also known as Saint Francis of Assisi. Born to a noble family, the comic tells that Francis soon becomes disgusted by the tragedy of war and the wastefulness of idle wealth. After hearing a voice from God, Francis dedicates himself to religious work and finds an Order with several distinguishing principles, among them, a vow of poverty, a vow of pacifism, and a vow never to pledge oneself to nobility. In the comic at least, the Pope seems to (reluctantly) endorse Francis’ new Order, and even asks him to make it open to both men and women, who are allowed to marry.

Francis is clearly not an objective history, but it also doesn’t pretend to be. It is written by a Franciscan monk and portrays Francis working miracles, such as calming an enraged wolf and conversing with birds. The final page is perhaps a bit of an overreach—it shows Francis in heaven, kneeling before Jesus, and Jesus is saying, "I thank my father for a brother such as you."

Regardless, Francis is clearly a well-done comic. It was scripted by a respected young writer and drawn by two of Marvel’s best artists. The comic includes a text-piece explaining the inception of the idea of doing a comic about Saint Francis, maps of the area he lived, and a translation of a Franciscan prayer. The story, although not fascinating, is relatively interesting.

It’s not easy to judge the success of Francis. My guess is it didn’t sell very well on the newsstands, and I’m not sure what to make of the fact that Marvel didn't do many religious comics thereafter. It appears to have had a decent distribution, however. An Internet search reveals that several people were introduced to Saint Francis through the comic, and at least one critic of the Franciscan Order cites the comic for evidence against the morality of the Order (in an essay entitled "Francis of A Sissy, a Saint that Ain’t").

*Marvel published a short series of religous comics in the 1950s, a biography of Pope John Paul II decades later, and, in the 1990s, co-published a line of religious comics. Thanks to Dagda80@aol.com for this info!