Cartoons for Catholics

Comic-book fan Charlene Rack reviews a new collection of cartoons about a Catholic parish by artist Joshua Masterson.

I’ve been a cartoon aficionado since I was a little kid! I’m a senior citizen now, but still love cartoons. I read dog-eared copies of Archie comics over and over again. I loved the Sunday comics, too, with “The Peanuts gang” (brought to us by Charles M. Schulz) being my favorite. My mom often bought gifts for me of hardbound Peanuts cartoon collections. Those were well-read, too, until the hardcovers were worn down, and sometimes even torn. I still have most of those books in my attic, because I just can’t bear to part with them.  

I still read the daily newspaper comics when I get the chance. So when I saw this book called The Catholic Cartoon Collection No. 1, it got my attention right away. I just had to see what this was all about. 

I read through this cartoon collection once, then started over and read it all again, taking more time to admire the illustrations. It reminded me a bit of the Peanuts gang.  

I found it delightfully and innocently funny and entertaining (and I hope that cartoonist Joshua Masterson will not mind if I also call it “cute!”).  

The comics made me smile, chuckle, and also reflect upon the teachings of the Catholic faith. The main character, Father Otto (who’s referred to most often as just “Father”) is a holy priest, but also not above playing a rousing game of wiffle ball with the school kids or stopping mid-conversation with a fellow priest to go gaze upon a newly discovered turtle with the children.  

Father has the heart and the innocence of a child, and the children recognize that. He’s also got his own funny oddities and habits, that just prove to make him even more likable. He even has a stockpile of things he just can’t get rid of, stored in his shed (similar to my attic filled with old books!). 

Father Otto also keeps a dog and a cat in the rectory, who are very Catholic in their thinking, which adds another dimension to the laughter.  

Masterson is not above making fun of the parishioners of Father Otto’s parish and making us laugh about the odd things we sometimes say and do to our priests. And the children definitely add a lot of childish kind of humor, all very believable (and probably experienced in our own lives). The questions they ask, and the silly things they do, along with their thoughts about Guardian Angels and other aspects of the faith that are hard for little kids to understand, are all definitely part of the fun!   

I can hardly wait to see what new kinds of fun will be included in The Catholic Cartoon No.2, but I can guarantee you I’ll be making space for that in my book hoard collection! 

Pick up a copy of this book, and see for yourself how good it is to laugh. And, especially, how good it is to laugh at good, “clean” fun! (With a large dose of Catholicism mixed in!) 

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Copyright 2024 Charlene Rack
Images: Canva