The ''Suburban Satanists'' is a comic strip that appears in
Herman Hedning ''Herman Hedning'' (lit. Herman the Heathen, known as ''Marwin Meathead'' in English editions) is a Swedish humorous comic strip, drawn and written by Jonas Darnell.
History
Herman Hedning first appeared in 1988 in ''Fantomen'', the Swedish editi ...
, a comic published eight times a year in Sweden and Norway. The strip began in 1997 in the comic ''
Geek
The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a genera ...
'' before restarting in 1999 in its current home. It is created, written and drawn by British cartoonist
Lew Stringer. The Suburban Satanists are the DeVille family (the name is a spoof of
the Devil
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...
), led by the father Stan DeVille, his wife Mavis, and including their grown up children Derek and Sharon. This mini-cult is rounded off with the inclusion of Sharon's son Damien (product of a tryst between Sharon and
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
) and the house lodger Benny.
The local Vicar (as yet unnamed) is a regular supporting character, as is
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
himself, who is often depicted as a pompous and flawed buffoon.
The strip doesn't promote
Satanism, but rather sets it up for satire, along with
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...
(so as not to favour either side). A typical strip might begin with a dramatic ritual, summoning forth
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
, only for him to be asked to change a light bulb or lend the family a cup of sugar. In another story Mavis is made Queen of
Hell while Satan takes a
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...
holiday, but when he returns he finds she's converted his domain into a
Nail Bar. The humour is light-hearted and mostly inoffensive, although slight criticism has actually been received by both Christians and Satanists.
1997 comics debuts
Swedish comic strips
British comic strips
Satanism in popular culture
Fiction about the Devil
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