Well known Irish comics creators and supporter Tommie Kelly has just launched a new webcomic on the unsuspecting populace, The Holy Numbers. Set in Ireland and with a religious/spiritual movement at its heart, Father Ted on Craggy Island this is not. When a woman awakes in the middle of the night, concerned about her boyfriend’s strange behaviour – apparently talking to himself in nonsensical phrases to something that isn’t there – she is understandably concerned. He dismisses her and her worries by simply telling her of course she can’t see anything – she’s not on the right frequency. Oh and he isn’t himself anymore, he is now Ravensdale.

So is Dave – sorry, Ravensdale – a couple of verses short of a gospel or is he simply a charlatan, like so many before out to abuse the need many people have for some sort of religious or spiritual belief, offering them some flim-flam balm to soothe their souls and make them feel better about themselves while profiting from the resulting fame, monetary donations and influence this brings? Or is he the real thing?

Tommie has been kind enough to let me have a sneak peak at the first chunk of storyline and I’m glad to say he isn’t in a hurry to reveal the truth behind Dave/Ravensdale’s transformation into a spiritual guru but with various scenes including multiple flashbacks from various perspectives (from bystanders to other main players) he starts to build up an image of the impact he is having on the country with his ideas, the alarm he causes both the secular and religious authorities along the way. I can see this building into something rather interesting…

Rather nicely Tommie has built a whole site around The Holy Numbers – this isn’t just a few frames every week day of webcomic, the site has been constructed as if Ravensdale were real, his books actually existed and the movement he inspired is running the site, complete with interviews with agents of the movement and quotes from his books, as a way for the uninitiated to learn more about Ravensdale and his teachings. Quite a clever bit of world-building, to put it in SF terms and a nice use of the web to create more depth than just a webstrip itself could offer. I’ve only read the first couple of weeks of strips but already as well as an engrossing hook into an ongoing story there is also clearly a tale here that is drawing parallels to various spiritual organisations, be they the established churches, newer groups (like those started by certain SF writers we won’t name just in case!) or the seemingly never ending glut of theological self-help books churned out in enormous numbers by so-called spiritual gurus promising this is the book that wil help you live that idealised life as it was meant to be (and why not join the association, buy the CDs, make a donation to the retreat etc while you are at it?) and which are usually as spiritually fulfilling as their cousins in the self help ideal diet book section are…

I don’t think Tommie is having a go at any one set of theological ideas here (although I am sure that won’t stop someone being offended and convinced he is attacking their personal belief system, because there is always someone like that), rather the story is more of a comment on the human need to have some sort of spiritual and theological dimension to our lives, and if we don’t have one that fits we either invent a new one or latch onto one someone else shows to us if they can persuade us. There are already several strips up on the site, along with the aforementioned ‘value added’ related items that help set the theme of the world Tommie is creating here, so click on the ‘first’ button if you are just starting it – and obviously bookmark it now, it will be one to watch and see where Tommie is taking this.

Tommie Kelley has posted up Soundmen, a cracking spoof drawing on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal Watchmen. Made me laugh out loud, although it is not advisable for anyone who has issues with big blue willies.

(Soundmen art by and (c) Tommie Kelly, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, published DC)

(panels from Mongo, Music Critic by and (c) Andy Winter and Tommie Kelly, available free to download at Moonface Press)