The Atheist is a horror comic book originally released in April 2005

2005 in comics

- January :* January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.-April:*April 13:**DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 A.D. titles....

 and is published by Image Comics

Image Comics

Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...

. Phil Hester

Phil Hester (comics)

Phil Hester is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer.-Biography:This Eisner Award-nominated artist was born in eastern Iowa, where he went on to study at the University of Iowa...

, of "The Wretch

The Wretch

The Wretch is a comic book created by Phil Hester and published by Slave Labor Graphics. The series focuses on the creepy town of Glass City and its residents who are protected by a strange entity known only as the Wretch. Weird things can always be found in Glass City, such as aliens, black...

" and "Green Arrow

Green Arrow

Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...

," writes "The Atheist," while British John McCrea

John McCrea

John McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...

 of "Hitman

Hitman (comics)

Hitman is a fictional character, a superpowered hitman in the DC Comics Universe. The character was created by Garth Ennis and John McCrea and first appeared in The Demon Annual #2 and then received his own series by Ennis and McCrea lasting 61 issues.-Background:Hitman chronicles the exploits of...

" does the black and white artwork.

The storyline revolves around present day humans that are having their bodies being "possessed

Spiritual possession

Spirit possession is a paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behaviour...

" by the souls from Hell similar to the possessions in the fifties horror movie "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers". The souls from Hell then begin an extremely hedonistic and malicious lifestyle that includes raves

Raves

Raves can refer to:* Rave party* Raves, Vosges, a commune in the Vosges département in France* Raves , a 1980s power pop group from Atlanta, Georgia, United States...

, drugs, self mutilation, murder, and other violence. The possessed bodies then start congregating in Winnipeg, Canada.

Characters

• Antoine Sharpe - the main character who has the nickname "The Atheist" not for a lack of religious belief, but because Sharpe has an "uncompromising brand of logic." Sharpe is "independently contracted" by the United States government to evaluate the bizarre events caused by the souls from Hell possessing living human bodies.
• Melissa Nguyen - The other main character in The Atheist. She is an employee of The Canadian Security Intelligence Service
  Canadian Security Intelligence Service
  The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
  
   (CSIS). Sharpe and Nguyen team together to stop the souls from Hell.

External links

• Image Comics
• Believe Nothing: Phil Hester talks "The Atheist", Comic Book Resources
  Comic Book Resources
  Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
  
  , December 9, 2004