Good Friday and The Gutter

And Pontius Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?"
And the chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."
And finally he delivered Jesus to them to be crucified.

- Glory/Avengelyne II: The Godyssey #1

by Robert Napton and Ed Benes

Today is a day I will spend in the gutter. Today I not only remember the death of my savior, but feel, sense, and relive it as though it is actually occurring today. In a way, it is. The crucifixion of Christ happened some 2000 years ago and it happens today. And it has happened every day in-between when believers have participated in partaking of the elements of Communion. And it will occur every time afterwards from this day.

As I write this, right now, is the moment. The next moment will be, say, when I hit the "Publish" button. But separating those two moments, in the mechanics of graphic literature, is a thin black line. But this little line holds within it the infinite. All of time and space - everything that ever was and ever will be - occurs within this slim border.

The gutter is basically a TARDIS.

Okay, maybe this is getting out of hand when I start throwing in too many metaphors. Put a hold on the TARDIS. Let's get back to just the gutter.

American Jesus: Chosen by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

In the gutter we see all of time and space collapsed into a instant for us to participate in. All of eternity occurs between any two specific instants of time. Within the gutter - within our commemoration of the crucifixion - the crucifixion happens now, and we become witnesses to the crucifixion 2000 years ago.

Is reading a comic book like a religious experience? Or is a religious experience like reading a comic book? Either way, helping me understand one has surprisingly helped me understand the other.