Bible John-A Forensic Meditation
Encyclopedia
Bible John - A Forensic Meditation was a story written by Grant Morrison
and drawn by Daniel Vallely
which appeared in the anthology
title Crisis #56-61 in 1991.
was an unidentified serial killer
who killed in Glasgow
in the late 1960s. Bible John - A Forensic Meditation is a study by Morrison and Vallely into the nature of evil, as well as forming ideas as to why the killer committed his crimes. It has been compared to Alan Moore
and Eddie Campbell
's From Hell
as it covers similar themes.
The story was highly experimental in terms of story and art, with Vallely and Morrison claiming to have used a Ouija board
to write the script and Vallely through a cocktail of hallucenogenic drugs attempted a series of collages rather than conventional panels to tell the story. The term "forensic meditation
" refers to Morrison's mixture of science
and magic
in order to tell the story.
Though Vallely ritually burned most of his original art upon his exit from the comics industry, the original pages from Bible John were amongst a very few spared.
The story was serialised in Crisis from issues 56-61 and has not been reprinted since.
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and drawn by Daniel Vallely
Daniel Vallely
Daniel Vallely is a designer, illustrator, comic book writer/artist, photographer, filmmaker, musician, and producer.Vallely's first published work was in Saviour, written by Mark Millar and published by Trident Comics in 1989. Vallely only drew one and a half issues before setting all the pages...
which appeared in the anthology
Comics anthology
Comics anthologies collect works in the medium of comics that are too short for standalone publication.- U.S. :- UK :British comics have a long tradition publishing comics anthologies, often weekly...
title Crisis #56-61 in 1991.
Publishing history
Bible JohnBible John
Bible John is the nickname of a serial killer who is thought to have operated in Glasgow, Scotland, in the late 1960s. Three murders were attributed to him, but it is not clear if they were the work of the same person.-Murders:...
was an unidentified serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who killed in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in the late 1960s. Bible John - A Forensic Meditation is a study by Morrison and Vallely into the nature of evil, as well as forming ideas as to why the killer committed his crimes. It has been compared to Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell
Eddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
's From Hell
From Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
as it covers similar themes.
The story was highly experimental in terms of story and art, with Vallely and Morrison claiming to have used a Ouija board
Ouija Board
Ouija Board is a Thoroughbred mare racehorse owned by Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby and trained by Ed Dunlop. In a career spanning four seasons, she won 10 of her 22 races, 7 of them Group 1s, including the Epsom Oaks in 2004 and the Hong Kong Vase in 2005...
to write the script and Vallely through a cocktail of hallucenogenic drugs attempted a series of collages rather than conventional panels to tell the story. The term "forensic meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
" refers to Morrison's mixture of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
in order to tell the story.
Though Vallely ritually burned most of his original art upon his exit from the comics industry, the original pages from Bible John were amongst a very few spared.
The story was serialised in Crisis from issues 56-61 and has not been reprinted since.