Collage Story Box: "My Name is Legion" by John Kohan

October 20, 2024

Collage Story Box: "My Name is Legion" by John Kohan

The assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 must never be forgotten, doubly disturbing for me because of the pictures of Christ carried by the rioters Donald Trump instigated to “Save America” and overturn the presidential election results by violent means. My second collage story box contrasts this event with a very different “mob” scene found in the Bible. The title, “My Name is Legion,” comes from the fifth chapter of Mark’s Gospel where Jesus exorcises a demon-possessed man by sending this self-identified evil force within him into a hapless herd of swine that goes mad and drowns in a frenzied plunge into the Sea of Galilee. It’s a troubling story, and I’ve added a touch of levity by incorporating Beppa Pig Family figures and a caricature from Brian Whelan, but the wood engraving of Christ with the healed demoniac from Illustrator Fritz Eichenberg  (with a JESUS SAVES sticker!) makes my all too serious point: Don’t put your faith in Fake Saviors who are out to exploit you. It can only end badly. Find the real one. (John Kohan)