Hello everyone. As with the last couple comics, I have a lot of thoughts on this one, and plan on doing another patron-exclusive video deep-dive sometime in the next few days. Don't worry-- it's mostly going to be me talking about design stuff, not drowning you in more information after an already dense comic. That being said, if you have any specific questions after reading this, or things you'd like me to clarify or just go into more, I'd be happy to do so-- just leave a comment below. Otherwise, it's going to be largely character design and joke stuff. See you there in a few days!
Now, if you're interested in some further learning, I've attached below a sort of rough bibliography. I didn’t originally intend for this comic to be as dense as it is, and did a poor job of keeping track of each one of my sources. If there is an unsupported claim you’re curious about, or are just interested to learn more, please let me know and I’ll try to track down the source. Sorry, I know it's unprofessional.
In addition to the Apocrypha listed in the comic itself, the sources I used include:
The History of Yahweh - Storm God to Israelite Deity
(Belial/Mastema)
https://brill.com/previewpdf/display/book/edcoll/9789004324749/B9789004324749_071.xml
(Satanael)
https://www.marquette.edu/maqom/watch55.html
What is the Demiurge - Pt 1 - How the God Yahweh Became a Demon
The Apostle Paul vs James & Peter - What's Their Beef? Dr. James D. Tabor
THE OTHER GOD: DUALIST RELIGIONS FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE CATHAR HERESY
(Book by Yuri Stoyanov)
The Origins and History of the Bogomils
Gnosticism - Scriptures of the Cathars - Introduction, The Vision of Isaiah & Secret Supper of John
The Medieval Gnostic Theology of the Cathars - The Book of the Two Principles
There are probably a few other small sources I used for fact checking that I can’t remember at the moment. Apologies again.
It’s worth mentioning as well that in a surprising twist of serendipity, the day before I released this comic an interview with Dr. Elaine Pagels was released which deals with the exact topic of Satan’s origins. It also delves more into Satan’s role in the New Testament, making it an excellent companion piece to this comic. Check it out here!