In 1694, the religious tolerance of the Pennsylvania Colony enticed a Transylvanian monk and his forty followers to cross the Atlantic. Almost two hundred years later, a charismatic preacher founded a utopian community in Oneida, New York, that practiced socialism and free love. In the 1960s and ’70s, a new generation of seekers gathered in vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, Satanic coffee shops in New Orleans, and fortified communes in Philadelphia. And in the twenty-first century, gurus use self-help seminars and get-rich-quick schemes to evangelize to their flocks.
Across the decades, Americans in search of divine truths have turned to unconventional prophets for the answers. Some of these prophets have demanded their faith, fortunes, and even their very lives.
In American Cult, editor Robyn Chapman has brought together over twenty of the brightest talents in comics journalism, who dig deep to find the truth that lies beyond the salacious headlines.
This collection sheds new light on infamous cults and brings focus to lesser-known groups, telling the stories of the Manson Family, NXIVM, the Oneida Community, MOVE, the Branch Davidians, Synanon, Heaven’s Gate, the Westboro Baptist Church, the Peoples Temple, and many more.
American Cult features the talents of Lara Antal, Brian “Box” Brown, Ryan Carey, Rosa Colón Guerra, Mike Dawson, Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg, Mike Freiheit, Emi Gennis, Andrew Greenstone, Janet Harvey, Josh Kramer, Jesse, Lambert, Ellen Lindner, Lonnie Mann, Ben Passmore, Jim Rugg, Robert Sergel, Vreni Stollberger, Steve Teare, and J.T. Yost.
In stores May, 2021; $24.99; 6″ x 9″ Paperback; 208 B & W pages; ISBN: 978-1-945509-63-6; Diamond: FEB21824
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