Johnny Hart on Christian themes in B.C.

MARSCHALL: …When did you start putting Christian or Bible-based spiritual themes in the strip?
HART: It's been quite a few years, I think, longer than I thought. Maybe 1985 or '86 I can't remember... It started out like when Christmas would roll around -ー if a holiday comes up, I do something about the holiday. I've been doing that for the life of the strip. However when the religious holidays come up, some people really tick me off; like I did a Good Friday strip about Jesus. It's Good Fniday, so I do something about who the day is about and... well, the Los Angeles Times wouldn't run it. I found out from somebody.
MARSCHALL: They dropped it? Did they run an explanation? Run an old strip?
HART: I don't know how that worked. I think they did it this year again. I called up Rick [Newcombe] one day and said, "take the strip away firom them!" But he was saved by the bell -ー there was a new managing editor or something who was just hired by the L.A. Times, and Rick wanted to see what was going on; he'd check it out and and give him a chance, or something.
MARSCHALL: I'm interested in reactions from both ends. Have you gotten any other grief or complaints or letters or drops...
HART: Not any drops that I know of. But I'm like the Pied Piper of the Woodwork-Christians, They're coming out of the woodwork, and they're saying, "Way to go!"
MARSCHALL: So, you're getting more positive reactions?
HART: Oh, yeah! Probably 99 percent, A handful of crank people say, "I see what you're doing. You' re trying to ruin the scientists with your evolution ideas"ーand one of them said, "Keep your God out of my face." These are the guys that have a lot of anger and hatred, who have turned away from God big time. [laughs] There was always this one guy, a letter-writer, who I wanted to reach, to get him to realize what it's all about. "Oh my gosh, this is it! That's what it's about!" This guy who was so angry and offended and irate about me putting my religious ideas in front of his face. And I'm working, working, and I have a little folder on the side and thinking that one of these days I'm going to get the right thing and I'm going to write back to him and surprise the hell out of him and hit him with this incontrovertible truth! So I pull out his folder one day... and he didn't have any address on his letter! I'd been working on this for three years and I didn't know where the guy is! I've got a lot of material for him if he surfaces. Maybe I'll tick him off again.