History Trivia / ChickTracts

** Poe's Law notwithstanding, the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated Chick Publications as a [[https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2011/11/02/pastor-apologizes-hate-filled-halloween-hand-out hate group]] due to their anti-Catholic, anti-Muslim, anti-gay, anti-pretty-much-everything-else views.

* CreatorBacklash: The company, as well as most likely Jack Chick himself, have banned a few Tracts over the years. The most infamous being "Lisa," for obvious reasons if you know what it's about. Another being "Wounded Children," most likely because, while it's stated in the Tract that being gay is the work of Satan, there's nothing in the Tract saying it's necessarily wrong either (unless you're Christian), as well as Satan actually being portrayed more positively than most likely intended, as he's apparently the only being who accepts David for who he is, who's not already gay himself, and actually tries to help him cope with life as a gay person in the 70s-90s, when the Tract takes place.

* OldShame: [[EveryoneHasStandards Chick does have his limits]]. Many, many titles, including those written during a time when Chick was convinced [[FailedFutureForecast Soviet Russia would start World War III]] by invading Israel under orders of UsefulNotes/{{the pope}}: [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/ivan.html "Ivan the Terrible"]] and [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/macho.html "Macho"]]. Others include the infamous incestuous-pedophile-forgiven-by-Jesus strip [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/lisa.html "Lisa"]], and the anti-homosexuality [[http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 "Wounded Children"]], starring TheTwink.

* RecycledScript: The "[[QuestioningTitle Spellbound?]]" issue of Chick's full-color ''Crusaders'' comics from 1978 (dissected [[http://www.boolean-union.com/Chick/Comics/Spellbound/Spellbound.htm here]]) first laid out the theory that trick-or-treating is descended from a horrific door-to-door sacrifice ritual carried out by {{druid}}s on Samhain. A theory that has no [[DanBrowned basis in fact]]. Nevertheless, Chick regurgitated it for many of his later Halloween tracts, even copying some of the artwork (including one panel of a druid carrying an Egyptian ankh for no obvious reason). You can also see the roots of classic tracts like "Angels?" (the depiction of TheNewRockAndRoll as being a literal invention of Satan) and "Dark Dungeons" (the hooded figures in a CandlelitRitual around a floor pentagram, a blonde Debbie-ish teen renouncing the occult) in "Spellbound?".

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: Chick's ''Dark Dungeons'' (about how D&D is '''''[[EmphasizeEverything EEEVIL]]''''') has nothing to do with Red Hook's ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' (a Lovecraftian horror Rougelike RPG).

* ImageSource:
** DeusAngstMachina
** ExpectingSomeoneTaller
** FullCircleRevolution
** GravityIsOnlyATheory
** ILied
** MustBeInvited
** TheNewRockAndRoll
** UnwantedFalseFaith

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: Chick's ''Dark Dungeons'' (about how D&D is '''''[[EmphasizeEverything EEEVIL]]''''') has nothing to do with Red Hook's ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' (a Lovecraftian horror Rougelike RPG).

* OldShame: [[EveryoneHasStandards Chick does have his limits]]. Many, many titles, including those written during a time when Chick was convinced [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp Soviet Russia would start World War III]] by invading Israel under orders of UsefulNotes/{{the pope}}: [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/ivan.html "Ivan the Terrible"]] and [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/macho.html "Macho"]]. Others include the infamous incestuous-pedophile-forgiven-by-Jesus strip [[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/lisa.html "Lisa"]], and the anti-homosexuality [[http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 "Wounded Children"]], starring TheTwink.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: While he was pretty reclusive all his life, it was announced via the website that Chick passed away on October 23, 2016, at the age of 92 (ironically close to Halloween).

* AmericansHateTingle: They are extremly unpopular in the G7 countries that are not the USA. The UK, France, Canada, Italy, Germany and Japan have all banned them for violating hate speech laws.
** Also, most "Communist" and Muslim-majority countries have banned them as well.
** Even in the USA, they are divisive by a signifcant amount (possibly the majority) of the population. Neither of the major political parties (Republican or Democratic) would support some of the bat-crap insane positions that Jack Chick supports. Especially the ones that are anti-Catholic, anti-black and anti-Semitic. It's bascially neo-confederate, KKK and Westboro Baptist Church level stupidity that no one wants to associate with.

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Times Have Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] [[HilariousInHindsight Ironic given the latter's stint as a Christian comic.]]

* OldShame: [[EveryoneHasStandards Chick does have his limits]]. Many, many titles, including those written during a time when Chick was convinced [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp Soviet Russia would start World War III]] by invading Israel under orders of UsefulNotes/{{the pope}}: "[[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/ivan.html Ivan The Terrible]]" and "[[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/macho.html Macho]]". Others include the infamous incestuous-pedophile-forgiven-by-Jesus strip "[[http://www.angelfire.com/on/3angels/lisa.html Lisa]]", and the anti-homosexuality "[[http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 Wounded Children]]", starring TheTwink.

* ReclusiveArtist: Chick courted some publicity early in his career (including appearances on Evangelical TV shows), but after 1975 stayed out of the spotlight, allegedly because of his shyness and fears for his safety (though not having to answer for the many flaws in his work was a nice side-benefit).

* BannedInChina: The tracts are, in fact, banned in China (one of the few good decisions their CensorshipBureau made).[[note]]There still exist both Traditional and Simplified Chinese translations of a few of the tracts, however. The Chinese translations were either from before the tracts were banned in China, or made for Hong Kong and Taiwan but not mainland China.[[/note]] Also, a couple was found guilty of deliberately mailing certain anti-Islamic tracts to Muslims in Singapore, and convicted of sedition; the bookstore which had imported the Chick tracts for distribution was also dealt with. Some of his tracts have also been banned in Canada as hate literature.

* BeamMeUpScotty: Karl Marx said, "Religion is the ''opiate'' of the masses", not "opium".
** Specifically, he wasn't directly railing against religion as the quote may suggest. At the time, opiates were legitimate painkillers and not illegal narcotics. He saw religion as false, but necessary and useful for the time being. He argued not that a lack of religion would make the world perfect, but that a perfect world, once achieved, would no longer need religion. For obvious reasons, many dispute both his idea of a perfect world and whether any such utopia could ever be achieved. To a modern reader, it seems as though the quote is accusing the ruling classes of deliberately engineering religion as an "addiction" to control the working class. That was not Marx's intent.

* BannedInChina: The tracts are, in fact, banned in China.[[note]]There still exist both Traditional and Simplified Chinese translations of a few of the tracts, however. The Chinese translations were either from before the tracts were banned in China, or made for Hong Kong and Taiwan but not mainland China.[[/note]] Also, a couple was found guilty of deliberately mailing certain anti-Islamic tracts to Muslims in Singapore, and convicted of sedition; the bookstore which had imported the Chick tracts for distribution was also dealt with. Some of his tracts have also been banned in Canada as hate literature.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: While he was pretty reclusive all his life, it was announced via the website that Chick passed way on October 23, 2016, at the age of 92 (ironically close to Halloween).

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Times Have Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] [[HilariousInHindsight Ironic given latter's stint as a christian comic.]]

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Have Times Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/{{BC}}'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] [[HilariousInHindsight Ironic given latter's stint as a christian comic.]]

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Have Times Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/B.C.'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] [[HilariousInHindsight Ironic given latter's stint as a christian comic.]]

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Have Times Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/B.C.'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] [[HilariousInHindsightIronic given latter's stint as a christian comic.]]

* HeAlsoDid: Long before he converted and became a fundamentalist, Chick drew for a single-panel comic strip called ''Have Times Changed?'', which was similar ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' or ''ComicStrip/B.C.'', [[OlderThanTheyThink but predated both.]] Ironic given latter stint as a christian comic.

** Judging from the number of times that characters in [[{{Metafiction}} other Chick tracts]] read and are moved by it, Chick seems to view "Somebody Loves Me" as his MagnumOpus.

* RecycledScript: The "[[QuestioningTitle Spellbound?]]" issue of Chick's full-color ''Crusaders'' comics from 1978 (dissected [[http://www.boolean-union.com/Chick/Comics/Spellbound/Spellbound.htm here]]) first laid out the theory that trick-or-treating is descended from a horrific door-to-door sacrifice ritual carried out by {{druid}}s on Samhain. A theory that has no [[DanBrowned basis in fact]]. Nevertheless, Chick regurgitated it for many of his later Halloween tracts, even copying some of the artwork (including one of a druid carrying an Egyptian ankh for no obvious reason). You can also see the roots of classic tracts like "Angels?" (the depiction of TheNewRockAndRoll as being a literal invention of Satan) and "Dark Dungeons" (the hooded figures in a CandlelitRitual around a floor pentagram, a blonde Debbie-ish teen renouncing the occult) in "Spellbound?".

* RecycledScript: The "[[QuestioningTitle Spellbound?]]" issue of Chick's full-color ''Crusader'' comics from 1978 (dissected [[http://www.boolean-union.com/Chick/Comics/Spellbound/Spellbound.htm here]]) first laid out the theory that trick-or-treating is descended from a horrific door-to-door sacrifice ritual carried out by {{druid}}s on Samhain. A theory that has no [[DanBrowned basis in fact]]. Nevertheless, Chick regurgitated it for many of his later Halloween tracts, even copying some of the artwork (including one of a druid carrying an Egyptian ankh for no obvious reason). You can also see the roots of classic tracts like "Angels?" (the depiction of TheNewRockAndRoll as being a literal invention of Satan) and "Dark Dungeons" (the hooded figures in a CandlelitRitual around a floor pentagram, a blonde Debbie-ish teen renouncing the occult) in "Spellbound?".

* FollowTheLeader: Chick took a dim view of pop culture in his tracts, but he was also savvy enough to jump on a trend's bandwagon from time to time, most famously with his anti-TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons tract "Dark Dungeons". "Bewitched?" opens with a TakeThat to the [[Series/{{Bewitched}} title show]] (though, oddly, earlier editions [[http://www.collinsporthistoricalsociety.com/2016/10/the-unsavory-jack-chickdark-shadows.html had Satan]] watching ''Series/DarkShadows'' instead). "Boo!" is a SlasherMovie takeoff. "The Nervous Witch" seems to have been inspired by ''Series/{{Charmed}}'', with a character even saying "'''''Charmed''''', I'm sure," but he also shoehorned in a couple awkward references to Franchise/HarryPotter. "First Bite", with its teen vampire character, appears to be a riff on ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'', with caricatures of characters from other places as well.

** He obviously liked "This was Your Life!", based the number of times he subjected it to CulturalTranslation.