Friday, October 11, 2013

31 Days of Halloween - Day 11


Monster: Reprobus

Appearance: Midnight, Mass. - Here There Be Monsters #5 - "Here There Be Monsters, part 5: Reprobus" July 2004.

Paul Lee: Artist, Sherilyn Van Valkenburgh: Colorist, Janice Chiang: Letterer, Harvey Richards: Assistant Editor, Joan Hilty: Editor. 




Reprobus made his initial appearance on a St. Christopher medallion in Midnight, Mass. #2. Nothing much was said about him, though the medallion was clearly meant as an emblem of protection, and this emblem was being used by monsters. When a police officer asked why St. Christopher looked like that he was told that it's what he actually did look like before the Catholic Church made him more palatable by depicting him as a human being. Don't believe me? Just look...





St. Christopher's sainthood has been rescinded, but people still follow him. He's best known as the patron saint of travelers, but he also covers bachelors, storms, transportation, epilepsy, gardeners, toothache, and holy death. In Midnight, Mass., Reprobus was the patron saint of monsters. Below you can read the actual origin story of how Reprobus became St. Christopher, followed by the alternate story of how he became the patron saint of monsters. 




If anyone reading this lives in one of the Eastern European countries where St. Christopher is still occasionally depicted with the head of a dog and can obtain for me a medallion that depicts him this way, please contact me. I'd love to get my hands on one. 





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