Overkill ― The Vatican Trial of Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, Sj

This fast-moving and vividly illustrated narrative is set against the life of the Jesuit scientist and cosmologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, who inspired much of the New Age Movement in the 60s and 70s, and whose concepts drive many thinkers today. Sparked by favorable remarks made by Pope Benedict in 2009, Teilhard's ideas go viral. In a world beset by wars, economic crises, and hopelessness, Teilhard's vision sweeps the Christian world - Europe and the Americas. Recalling Teilhard's historical skirmishes with Rome, the Vatican panics, and the Roman Curia persuade a faltering Pope to authorize a modern heresy trial as the only way of stamping out the infection. The trial proceeds with flashbacks to Telhard's extraordinary life. We see his discovery of science and the mystical impact of years spent in the midst of the horrors of the First World War. Two lively Jesuits, one Mexican and one Irish, defend him with wit. The drama concludes with a twist that presages the election of Pope Francis and realizes a triumph denied to Telhard throughout his life.

Niels de Terra was born in New York City just prior to the outbreak of WW 2. The son of the well-known geologist and archaeologist Helmut de Terra, Niels was schooled in New York and Switzerland, and later obtained an honors degree from the London School of Economic. His father was a personal friend of Teilhard de Chardin, with the two participating in expeditions to the Himalayas and Burma together. While living in Queretaro, Mexico, Niels conceived the idea for this graphic novel to better explain the thoughts and cosmology of Teilhard in a more digestible and engaging format. He worked with a local artist to complete the artwork for the novel over a two-year period.