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▲<!-- %% Also: Please remember that most Christians disagree with a lot of claims made in Chick Tracts. Avoid using these tracts as an excuse to criticize Christianity or to preach against non-Christians, homosexuals, or other groups targeted by various tracts. -->
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[[File:jackchick.jpg|frame|The only known image of this elusive figure (left), assuming it's for real.]]▼
▲[[File:jackchick.jpg|frame|The only known image of this elusive figure (left), assuming it's for real.]]
{{quote|''Look out-- Here come de judge-- Here come de judge! [[Evil Laugh|HAW HAW]]!''|"[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0003/0003_01.asp Somebody Goofed]"}}
'''''Chick Tracts''''', authored by Jack T. "Thomas" Chick (April 13, 1924 – October 23, 2016), is a series of short comic books that primarily exist in the form of very small printed albums - small enough to easily fit into a wallet. However, most of the tracts are also available for free at their home website [http://www.chick.com Chick.com]. The
Each tract tells a story. These stories handle all kinds of subjects, but they all have two things in common: They all have some direct or indirect connection to religion, and they all end in [[An Aesop]] about everyone needing to become a born-again Christian. Sometimes the entire story builds up to this Aesop; other times it's shoehorned in after the actual story is finished.
Villains in these stories are demons or misguided mortals. Demons range from [[Eldritch Abomination|Cthulhuish monstrosities]] that make the heroes facing them come across as epic fantasy heroes, to silly little imps that are mostly [[Played for Laughs]]. Mortal villains are very likely to make a [[Heel Faith Turn]] due to [[Easy Evangelism]]. Those who do not invariably end up in Hell. And so does everyone else, [[Values Dissonance|including those who are kind and selfless]]. Only a very particular kind of evangelical Christian gets to avoid eternal torture; everyone else is doomed no matter what. The tracts are all set in the same world (and thus have a lot of recurring characters). A world very different from what most people, including most Christians, are used to. In [[The Verse]] of [[Chick Tracts]]:
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* A prime player in this worldwide Satanic conspiracy is the [[Path of Inspiration|Roman Catholic Church]], which in this setting is really a pagan Babylonian religion in disguise and bears the blame for pretty much every war and tragedy since its creation. Also, Islam is actually only a front organization for the Catholic Church, [[The Starscream|or at least started out that way]].
* Evolution is a religion, demanding faith and loyalty from its adherents and forbidding theism. Of course, this religion is a crackpot [[Mad Scientist]] [[Religion of Evil]], that causes and advocates badly stereotyped [[Evilutionary Biologist|white supremacist thinking]].
* Gravity may or may not be a real force, but it really doesn't matter, as [[Gravity Is Only a Theory|Jesus is in complete control!]]
* Playing ''[[
* A few centuries ago, the Holy Spirit (with the help of some English puritans) wrote the ''true'' Bible: the original pure Authorized King James Version. Older (and newer) versions of [[The Bible]] are forgeries written by [[The Devil]], never mind that the Puritans, whom he speaks highly of, embraced the Geneva Bible. (Never mind as well that the translators of the KJV made themselves no such claim, but [https://web.archive.org/web/20121231065724/http://www.featherlessbiped.com/6696/KJV1611/kjv1611.htm the opposite]: "{W}ee affirme and auow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English ... containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God.")
* More positively, Chick tracts have no problem critcizing the Anti-Semitism and Racism displayed by many fundamentalist groups. Indeed Chick has written tracts specifically directed to the culture of certain races, all of which have a [[Jive Turkey]] feel to them. (he, however, does ''not'' like [[The Savage Indian|Native Americans]])
* [[And Knowing Is Half the Battle|Now you know]].
In other words, this setting is a very dark fantasy world, comparable to ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' and ''[[Warhammer
Meanwhile, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Chick's efforts have inspired many parodies, and he was featured as the subject of the documentary, ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120818224812/http://store.documentarychannel.com/product-p/449.htm God's Cartoonist]''.
Not to be confused with [[The Chick]] with [[Gag Boobs|huge tracts of land]].
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----
{{tropelist}}
==A-E==
* [[Abusive Parents]]: Most infamously in "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140725164811/http://www.fmh-child.org/Lisa.html Lisa]," but a running theme.
* [[Activist Fundamentalist Antics]]: In [[The Verse]] of Chick Tracts, a [[The Fundamentalist|real Christian]] would never resort to this kind of behavior. However, preachers of ''other'' faiths easily fall into this trope, [[Straw Loser|thus proving the Christians to be superior]].
* [[Affectionate Parody]]: Some funny parodies have been done of Chick Tracts. A few examples: [https://web.archive.org/web/20131107032548/http://foo.ca/wp/chick-tract-satire/darkseid/ "Darkseid"], [https://web.archive.org/web/20131026005543/http://foo.ca/wp/chick-tract-satire/who-will-be-eaten-first/ "Who Will Be Eaten First?"], and [https://web.archive.org/web/20131013073024/http://foo.ca/wp/chick-tract-satire/galactus-is-coming/ "Galactus Is Coming!"].
* [[Aggressive Categorism]]: Protagonists are likely to do this to Christians or non-Christians depending on whether they are Saved or not. [[Straw Loser|Those who do it to Christians]] are always proven wrong (and either get Saved or go to hell), while the Christians who do the same thing [[The Untwist|always turn out to be right]].
* [[Alcohol Hic]]: "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1102/1102_01.asp Hard Times]," "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tract/1025/1025_01.asp The Missing Day]" and "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0006/0006_01.asp Somebody Loves Me]". In the latter two, a character ''thinks'' with an [[Alcohol Hic]].
* [[All Myths Are True]]: They're all agents of Satan (except maybe the Grim Reaper), but a surprising number of mythological figures do exist in the Chick world. The Grim Reaper is practically a minor character, and magic, although Satanic, apparently does work (because of Satan).
* [[All Crimes Are Equal|All Sins Are Equal]]: Whether for murdering, stealing, or occasionally telling a small lie, you deserve to go to Hell if you don't accept Jesus--and conversely, you'll go to Heaven if you do.
* [[All There in the Manual]]: Reading one or two Chick Tracts can sometimes lead to an [[Accidental Aesop]] being conveyed. Having a large collection to cross-reference (especially if it includes [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0008/0008_01.asp one of his tracts directed at already-saved Christians]) tends to clarify the confusion. His company also publishes more in-depth books on some of the subjects touched upon in his tracts.
* [[All Hallow's Eve]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0058/0058_01.asp Boo!] It's [[Satan]]'s birthday, so he's liable to crash your party while wielding a [[Chainsaw Good]] and wearing a [[Narm|pumpkin on his head]]. Surprise!
{{quote|
** Also, as noted below, [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1053/1053_01.asp The Devil's Night] explains the "true" origins of Halloween in a massive case of [[Did Not Do the Research]].
* [[Almost-Dead Guy]]: A lot of Chick's amoral characters always manage to see the error of their ways and convert to Christianity just like that when on the verge of death. In one instance, a character survives ''several grenades thrown at him'' at a church, and takes time to stagger out of the building, ''drive to someone else's house'' and find peace in Jesus while [[Died in Your Arms Tonight|dying in the arms of his friend]].
* [[Amoral Attorney]]: Attorney Douglas Rogers in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1014/1014_01.asp Busted!]" prosecutes people without caring whether they're guilty, and likes "to see the accused squirm."
* [[Ancient Conspiracy]]: Apparently, the Catholic Church has a [[Magical Computer|computer database]] with the name of ''every Protestant in the world'' so that when Catholics [[Take Over the World]] they'll kill them all. Also, the Catholic Church manipulated Mohammed into creating "the Islam religion" (which includes Catholics on the list of people to convert), instigated the [[American Civil War]] and then caused the assassination of [[Abraham Lincoln]] and [[John F. Kennedy]] (despite the latter being Catholic), formed the Ku Klux Klan (despite its anti-Catholic origins), created Communism (despite its famous anti-religion views including being against Catholicism) and were responsible for the Holocaust (which included Catholic victims) among other, just as stupid, things. Where and whether the Eastern Orthodox church fits into any of this has yet to receive any mention, however.
* [[Anti-Anti-Christ]]: The vampire Antichrist becomes a Christian via [[Easy Evangelism]].
* [[Artistic License: Biology]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0055/0055_01.asp "Big Daddy?"].
* [[Artistic License History]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1000/1000_01.asp The Vatican caused the Holocaust and is the enemy of Israel].
** [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1055/1055_01.asp America DOESN'T support Israel!]
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** [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1069/1069_01.asp The Irish just got up one day and decided to kill a bunch of Protestants for no reason]. (They were rebelling against English settlers, who just happened to be Protestant. It supposedly had nothing to do with religion.)
*** From the same tract: The Inquisition never ended until the 19th Century. It was targeted towards the Jews and Muslims. Martin Luther (who is described as having "saved our necks") was virulently antisemitic.
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: People who are Sikhs, Satanists, North Koreans, witches, atheists and... archaeologists.
** The crimes against God in ''This Was Your Life'' include theft, whoremongering, [[One of These Is Not Like the Others|and whispering]].
* [[As the Good Book Says...]]: Quoted very often--but only the King James Version. (All other translations are allegedly the work of [[Satan]] himself, with the help of a massive [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0031/0031_01.asp Jesuit conspiracy], you see.) Whether the quotes are presented with [[It Makes Sense in Context|due regard to context]] is another question.
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* [[Badass]]: Jesus, according to "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0086/0086_01.asp The Sissy?]", for being willing to suffer and die for the good of humanity.
* [[The Bad Guy Wins]]: Fairly often, Satan and his minions succeed in capturing a soul.
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: The flip side of this trope is more frequently observed; Chick's heroes tend to be "cute" children who tend to look [[Creepy Child|somewhat creepy]], whilst his villains are hideous. [https://web.archive.org/web/20071027042933/http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 "Wounded Children"] presents an odd inversion: the gay men, including the main character, are drawn ''very'' detailed, handsome and attractive for the majority of the tract. The ex-homosexual and born-again Christian he meets that turns him from homosexuality is bearded, fat, and just plain ugly. The main character then becomes much less attractive when he converts.
* [[Big Bad]]: It turns out that the Vatican is behind everything. ''Everything''. And, of course, [[Bigger Bad|Satan]] [[The Man Behind the Man|is behind the Vatican]].
* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: Several tracts feature the characters dying untimely and tragic deaths, but managing to get into heaven.
* [[Black and White Morality]]: All people in Chick tracts are divided into either Christians (''i.e.'': good, unless Roman Catholic) or non-Christians (''i.e.'': bound to Hell, unless they convert). Note that Chick's definition of "Christian" is (apparently) "American evangelical Protestant."
* [[Bold Inflation]]: Jack Chick loves this style of writing.
* [[Bond Villain Stupidity]]: In [https://web.archive.org/web/20071027042933/http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 "Wounded Children"] (an [[Old Shame]] of his), Satan/a demon leads a boy to get into porno, have unsatisfying sex with girls, then go gay and have unsatisfying sex with guys. The boy considers suicide, but Satan/the demon suggests against that. Later, the boy [[Cure Your Gays|gets saved straight]]. Satan/the demon could've just killed the boy/let him commit suicide, since sending people to Hell is what Satan's supposed to do, right?
* [[Book-Burning]]: In a rare case were burning books (and other media) is presented as a rather benevolent thing to do, "Dark Dungeons" ended with people burning their [[Dungeons & Dragons]] games, gear, and such.
* [[Bowdlerise]]: In the original version of "The Poor Little Witch", the main character [[Too Dumb to Live|leaves alone despite the warnings and the threats to her life]] and gets murdered by the Satanists. In the modified version, she stays under the protection of Mrs. Grayson.
* [[Bratty Half-Pint]]: Li'l Susy can easily be seen as incredibly annoying and petulant.
* [[
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Bruce in "Fallen." He's apparently a [[Jerkass]], and comes off as quite rude, but what exactly he did to avoid being dumped by his friends with his mother's purse, and have his neck broken by Frankie is unclear. The main character in "Unloved" has also been one his entire life.
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]: Satan and his demons. No [[Freudian Excuse]] for these guys; they ''know'' that God is right and drive you away from him anyway, purely [[For the Evulz]]. Satan is also sometimes seen filling the role ''Judaism'' has him in, as God's "devil's advocate".
* [[Catch Phrase]]: "Hi there!" -- [[The Grim Reaper]].
** God seems fond of Matthew 25:41
{{quote|
* [[Cats Are Mean]]: Inverted - "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0025/0025_01.asp Trust Me]" portrays dogs as mangy [[Jerkass|jerkasses]], and cats as misplaced, innocent creatures, a kind of [[Animal Reaction Shot]] [[Author Avatar]] [[Empathic Environment]].
* [[Crapsack World]]: Present in many of his works. However, there's always one way out of it: ({{spoiler|Jesus}}).
* [[Creepy Child]]: Li'l Susy, but most of his portrayals of kids (even the heroes) fall into the [[Uncanny Valley]] eventually.
* [[Culture Blind]]: It's hard to believe that the adults who grew up in the United States and are the target of his [[Easy Evangelism]] have never even heard of Jesus or basic Christian beliefs. In one tract, an American Christian lectures a Muslim on the "history" of Islam.
* [[Curiosity Causes Conversion]]: Once anyone hears of Jesus.
* [[
* [[Deal with the Devil]]: Occurs in [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0078/0078_01.asp "The Contract"] and [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0034/0034_01.asp "Angels?"] among others.
* [[Death by Childbirth]]: Li'l Susy's mother.
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* [[Depraved Homosexual]]: In the Jack Chick universe, being a homosexual is apparently synonymous with being a drifting, shamelessly promiscuous swinger unable to form any kind of commitment. The only reason any of them seek government recognition for gay marriage is that [[For the Evulz|they know it'll upset Christians]]. In addition, they feel that using the word "queer" is a sign of insanity and that anyone who disagrees with their agenda should be sent to prison.
* [[Deus Angst Machina]]: Particular the case in [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1018/1018_01.asp this tract].
{{quote|
* [[Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat]]: The Devil in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1047/1047_01.asp First Bite]" makes a false prophecy to a group of vampires because, as he says, "[[I Lied]]! [[It's What I Do]]!" Except that this false prophecy directly leads to many of them being saved, which is usually the ''opposite'' of what he does. The way it's presented, however, it does seem he ''intended'' to make his prophecy to come true, and then claimed to have lied to save face when he failed. Of course, this is ''very'' in-character for the Father of Lies.
* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: Comes up quite a bit when he tries talking about historical events.
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** [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0074/0074_01.asp The origins] of [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1053/1053_01.asp Halloween], which offers few sources and little accuracy. While some traditions of Halloween are indeed pagan in origin (the pumpkin, originally a turnip, for example), it never involved worshiping Satan or child sacrifice. The worst that would happen with the "trick"--then as now--is that you'd get your house vandalized. Kids certainly don't dress up as devils and witches to "celebrate paganism" these days. The costumes originate from the disguises superstitious pagans would wear so that ghosts wouldn't recognize and haunt them, which is the same tradition by which we wear black (originally white) at funerals. "Halloween" means "Hallowed Evening" because it's the night before All Saints' Day. Also, no teacher would punish a child for not wearing a "scary" costume. [http://www.chick.com/seasonal/halloween/celebrate.asp He even has an article on his website] talking about how [[No True Scotsman|"no true Christian"]] should ever celebrate Halloween. ''Christmas'', which also has many pagan origins, doesn't get so anywhere near so much attention.
** Every single part of [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp Dark Dungeons]:
*** It's pretty unusual, albeit not impossible, to have an RPG group with more girls than boys; [[
*** The tract begins with a player freaking out when their character dies, only to be kicked out of the group because "they're dead." While there may be a psychotic gaming group out there that plays like this and it's certainly possible for players to become attached enough to a character to be really upset when the character dies--especially new players--character death in D&D either means you create a new character and keep playing, or you find a way to bring your character back. Most good DMs would probably allow for some leeway with the latter option if a player got that upset about his character's death. This gets even more ridiculous when we find out in the next panel that the player who kicks the dead character's player out of the group is playing a *Cleric*, meaning that her role in the party is to heal members and even bring dead characters back. Rather than getting to join a coven at the 8th level, an 8th. level Cleric would be getting to the point where she would be able to bring her friend's dead character back. Depending on the deity, a Cleric is the closest you can get in the D&D world to playing a Christian priest, and is therefore not terribly good "occult training."
*** Also, you can't cast "Mind Bondage" on a loved one to get them to buy you D&D stuff.
**** Sadly.
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* [[Dinosaurs Are Dragons]]: According to [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1038/1038_01.asp this tract], anyway.
* [[Dirty Communists]] / [[The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized]]: "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0053/0053_01.asp Fat Cats]" and "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0065/0065_01.asp The Poor Revolutionist]".
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]:
** [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1033/1033_01.asp In "Fairy Tales?"] after learning a horrifying truth, a child (Harry Garner) goes on a killing spree, burning down his school and eventually becoming the FBI's most wanted fugitive who is then arrested, tried, and executed. What was the truth so dreadful it drove this child to kill? ''The fact that Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and Easter Bunny aren't real''.
** Another case of this trope comes from "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0094/0094_01.asp The Last Generation]" mentioned below. It's mentioned that Larry's mom told him to go to bed immediately. What happened? {{spoiler|She got put in a concentration camp for child abuse.}}
* [[Do Not Do This Cool Thing]]: The tracts fall prey to this quite heavily.
** The notorious "Dark Dungeons" made roleplaying out to be an exciting life-or-death scenario that introduced real occultism and gave players fabulous supernatural powers that they can use to [[Mind Control|brainwash]] their parents into buying them stuff. More than a few roleplayers love the tract and it has been parodied and affectionately referred to in innumerable ways among the subculture.
*** To be fair, there are actually christians who believe that there's demons who would alter reality as if one had successfully performed magick ([[Spell My Name with an "S"|Wiccans call their magic "Magick" to desquinish between fairy tale magic and their magic]]).
** In his anti-Catholic tracts, Chick shows very little downside to being one of those dastardly Papists, since they seem to have nothing but crazy sex parties and oodles of cash, and be secretly running the world.
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* [[Doublethink]]: In this [[The Verse|Verse]], Fundamentalist Christianity is not only true, but a very obvious truth. Some characters who understand this at heart still choose not to believe in it, instead embracing whatever false teachings that will be good for their career and social life. In some cases this is merely playing along with the lies, but in others they appear to honestly believe in them.
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP "Dark Dungeons"] among others.
* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]]:
** People who reject the offer to convert are often killed off in short order by a fairly sudden or improbable cause of death (such as Charlie Connors in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0076/0076_01.asp Hi There!]" falling from a girder and getting impaled, or the main character's cousin being killed by a falling tree in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0078/0078_01.asp The Contract]").
** Sometimes people who accept the offer get the treatment: ([http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1061/1061_01.asp Crazy Wolf] is told by God he made it by the skin of his teeth), other times those considering it [[
* [[Dystopia]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0094/0094_01.asp "The Last Generation",] complete with an oppressive government regime that teaches animal sacrifices in school, and evil little children who snitch on their parents.
* [[Earth Is Young]]: Chick typically use straight Type B: Scientists are evil, and need to be cured of their heresy by the power of [[Easy Evangelism]].
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* [[Evil Laugh]]: '''''HAW HAW HAW'''''
* [[Evilutionary Biologist]]: All of them.
* [[Expospeak]]: Quite a bit of it. Arguably justified, since after all these are unashamedly [[Author Tract
==F-J==
* [[Face Death with Dignity]]: The saved Christians die with more dignity than those who end up going to Hell.
* [[Face Heel Turn]]: Occasionally, Christians fall from grace, like three of the four brothers in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1026/1026_01.asp Four Angels?]", Harry (only briefly mentioned) in "The Poor Revolutionist", and Paul in "The Last Generation".
* [[The Faceless]]: [[God]]'s head is silhouetted by brilliant light, making it impossible to see His face.
* [[Fan Film]]: ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38KzV1fk1x4 Hot Chicks]'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfbTHIu0LbM here], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVi4TacysKc here], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAo0U5WZjrQ here].
* [[Fan Flattering]]: Those who read the tracts and agree with them go to heaven. All Christians who disagree with the tracts (most Christians), as well as all non-Christians, go to hell.
* [[Feeling Oppressed by Their Existence]]: The non-Christians do this quite often. They feel insulted, threatened, even oppressed... not by how the Christians treat them, but by their very existence.
* [[Flat Earth Atheist]]: Every atheist on the planet, according to Jack Chick. Of special notes are the atheist who are visited by devils. It's probably intended to come off as the whispers of the devil putting thoughts in their minds, but some panels really show the atheist facing the demons and having what looks like a conversation with them.
* [[For Halloween I Am Going as Myself]]: A demon in [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1065/1065_01.asp this] tract.
* [[Footnote Fever]]: Chick Tracts sometimes have as much space devoted to footnotes as to the tracts themselves.
* [[For the Evulz]]: Aside from the protagonist of any given tract, supporting characters with a viewpoint that opposes Chick's are quite often very happily aware that their religion, belief, ''etc.'' has been planted by the Devil. More often than not these characters are intentionally out to inflict some form of harm the other characters of the tract. (In several cases, the supporting characters are flat-out demons in disguise.)
* [[The Fundamentalist]]: All the heroic characters in a Chick Tract.
* [[Funny Background Event]]: Sometimes, there are Funny ''Foreground'' Events, too.
* [[Gender Flip]]: Take "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp This Was Your Life]", replace the damned soul with a woman, update the wording a bit, and you get "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1072/1072_01.asp You Have A Date]".
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* [[Gravity Is Only a Theory]]: [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp?wpc=1049_01.asp&wpp=a Some tracts] go into this territory, claiming that the solar system is held together by Jesus' hand rather then any scientific principle such as gravity, because [[Science Is Bad]].
* [[The Grim Reaper]]: Originally appeared in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0076/0076_01.asp Hi There!]" "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1041/1041_01.asp Moving on Up!]" also gives him a cameo:
{{quote|
** Also "Busted", in which he escorts the prosecutor to hell, and even tells him that it's almost time when he prepares to leave work for the last time.
* [[Hearing Voices]]: In "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1020/1020_01.asp Kidnapped!]"
* [[Heel Faith Turn]]: Constantly.
▲* [[Heel Face Door Slam]]: Some people, like Charles Bishop in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0022/0022_01.asp The Assignment]" and Bruce in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/5019/5019_01.asp Fallen]"<ref> which actually tells Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son</ref> die while considering conversion (and procrastinating), and go to Hell as a result.
* [[Hell of a Heaven]]: If your loved ones don't convert you'll be in Heaven all alone so convert everyone you know today!
* [[A Hell of a Time]]: According to "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0052/0052_01.asp No Fear?]", millions of people have been told that Hell will be a wild, endless party.
* [[Hellevator]]: Apparently operated by [[Joseph Stalin]], wearing a [[Hazmat Suit]].
* [[Hell Seeker]]: Some tracts feature [[Straw Loser]] characters who believe that [[A Hell of a Time|hell is cool]]. They are, of course, soon taught the error of their ways.
* [[Heteronormative Crusader]]: Several tracts are about homosexuals being possessed by demons or generically evil. Sometimes fetish clothes and BDSM tools are used to show just how evil the gays are. Heterosexual BDSM and sodomy has not yet gotten any mention. One of the strongest examples is the tract called [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]: The tract feature [[Heteronormative Crusader|a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[Soulsaving Crusader|her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an [[Anvilicious
* [[Hollywood Satanism]]
* [[If I Were a Rich Man]]: In "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0048/0048_01.asp Titanic]", Chester and his wife stay in a first class room on the aforementioned ship. He then goes off to rub shoulders with all the wealthy passengers and says that in a few months, they'll "be rolling in money." [[Fridge Logic|This is odd, considering that they're in a first class suite]] and in today's dollars, they cost either $83,000 or $3000 (depending on if they went with a parlor suite or a berth). Therefore, by some standards, he was ''already'' rolling in money. Of course, he may have been saving his pennies for this expensive trip [[Fridge Brilliance|because it was his opportunity]] to get ''really'' rich really fast.
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* [[Insane Troll Logic]]: For starters, believing in evolution probably will turn you into an atheistic, xenophobic, borderline-sociopathic [[Jerkass]]. Thankfully, [[Easy Evangelism]] can save you.
* [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope]]: Harry in [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1033/1033_01.asp "Fairy Tales,"] mentioned above, who goes straight from disbelieving in Santa Claus to becoming a mass murderer.
==K-O==
* [[Karma Houdini]]: While neither abuser in "Lisa" is shown going to jail, the neighbor is an even better example. The [[Villain Protagonist]] father, at least, gets scared badly enough to contemplate suicide, not only because he might go to jail, but because everyone's going to know what he's done. The neighbor, who also helped make things even worse for him by blackmailing him, [[What Happened to the Mouse?|simply disappears at the end]] without explanation.
* [[Laser-Guided Karma]]: Happens from time to time, such as when A.J. fires Dudley after he makes a $5 million contract with Japan (for ''flying first class''), the contract fails and he gets sued for it ([[Humiliation Conga|among other indignities]]).
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** He uses this to portray witchcraft in certain Native American religions.
* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: [[Satan]], to [[Path of Inspiration|the Vatican]].
* [[Manly Gay]]: Amazingly, the homosexuals in "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071027042933/http://www.enterthejabberwock.com/?p=465 Wounded Children]" are portrayed this way. Chick typically depicts them as a variant of [[Camp Gay]].
* [[Meet the New Boss]] / [[Full-Circle Revolution]]: Played straight with a vengeance in [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0053/0053_01.asp "Fat Cats"]. (Compare the first and last frames.)
* [[The Movie]]: "The Truth as You've Never Seen it Before", a 78 minute long film that brings [[The Bible]] to life, named for its star, ''The Light of the World''. Perfect for your Hell-bound friends and Sunday School. [http://www.chick.com/catalog/videos/LOTW.asp Official Site]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGPZgur2i6g Watch here].
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* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: In [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1063/1063_01.asp this tract], the protagonist, Joe Bronson, who has been established as only caring about money, is all set to convert to Christianity, until his Christian aunt (Louise), who is a multimillionaire, dies and leaves him all her money. Joe then decides that [[Genre Blind|he doesn't need to accept Jesus as his aunt saved him from poverty]]. {{spoiler|He dies in a sudden storm that hits the next night, and so goes to Hell.}}
* [[No Punctuation Period]]: In some Scripture passages of the KJV version embedded in many Chick tracts, most notably with no quotes.
* [[No True Scotsman]]: If you believe in Evolution, either are Catholic or consider Catholics fellow Christians, or question Mr. Chick's interpretation of Scripture, you are not a True Christian™.
* [[Normally I Would Be Dead Now]]: In "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0086/0086_01.asp The Sissy?]", the man who converts the truckers notes that Jesus should have died even before he got to the cross.
* [[Oblivious Guilt Slinging]]: The Christian homeowner in "The Thief" is not trying to talk the burglar out of murdering him, but succeeds anyway.
* [[Oh Crap]]: The reactions of people of other faiths, or Christians who disagree with Chick when they realize that they aren't going before ''their'' god. In "Baby Talk," Eric has this reaction when he learns that Ashley is being taken to the abortion clinic while he's trying to rectify his mistake.
* [[Once Per Episode]]: Rare indeed is the tract where John 3:16 isn't quoted.
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Yusuf in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1011/1011_01.asp The Sky Lighter]" wonders why only the kids, and never the old men training them to be suicide bombers, actually blow themselves up.
* [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: And named [[The Igor|Igor]], for some reason. They're born as vampires, and apparently they can survive all the way up to adolescence before the first time they get hungry.
* [[Original Position Fallacy]]: One of the most common types of [[Straw Loser]] is the guy who isn't afraid of hell. One variant of this is that he believes that hell exists and that it is a horrible place for the damned, but also believes that he'll be one of Satan's demons reigning in hell. Of course, his fate invariably turns out to be much crueler.
==P-T==
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Li'l Susy's mother died when she was born and her father died of a heart attack.
* [[Parental Incest]]: The tract "Lisa" where a father (Henry Walker), and his next door neighbor (Charlie), sexually abused his very young daughter, but [[Karma Houdini|he was forgiven because he accepted God and Jesus]]. Since pulled from publication, but copies are still online.
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* [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]]: God regularly kills people, including unsaved ones, just to get the attention of their loved ones. The subject of ''Mean Momma'' gets all three of her children killed just to make her repent. No one brings this up, instead gushing on about [[Broken Aesop|how wonderful God is for saving her]].
* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: [[The Grim Reaper]] seems like a rather pleasant fellow even while he's killing people.
{{quote|
* [[Race Lift]]: In the tracts' case, a rather interesting variety: when the [[Target Audience]] is of a different race/nationality, the characters and sometimes the settings as well are also redrawn to look like the people and places of those ethnicities. Compare, for example, the [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp North American English version] of "This Was Your Life" with the [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0409/0409_01.asp African English version ("It's Your Life!")]. Even the ''angels'' are of different ethnicities. Even ''God'' can be black or white depending on the ethnicity of the one who's up for final judgment. Chick is nothing if not flexible.
* [[Rape and Switch]]: In the first tract of the year 2011, Chick declares that all gay people were molested when they were children (and possessed by gay demons).
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* [[Reclusive Artist]]: Chick himself has only ever given one interview in his lifetime, citing death lists as the reason. The top of the page picture is [http://jimmyakin.typepad.com/defensor_fidei/2007/02/the_face_of_chi.html the only photograph] that seems to exist.
* [[Recursive Canon]]: When there's no Bob or Lil' Susy around to perform [[Easy Evangelism]], Chick will have a character find redemption by coming across one of his other tracts, sometimes as a [[Deus Ex Machina]] randomly stuck in their pocket.
* [[Redemption Equals Death]]: Tracts that involve people such as murderers finding redemption will often end with their death.
* [[Religion Is Magic]]: In [[The Verse]] of chick tracts, all religions (except Chick's variant of Christianity) practice black magic. Catholic clergy are particularly vicious mages.
* [[Religion of Evil]]: Catholicism, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193956/http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractbykeyword.asp?subject=Catholicism mostly]. And [https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194003/http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractbykeyword.asp?subject=Islam Islam], [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0016/0016_01.asp Buddhism], [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0070/0070_01.asp Hinduism], Judaism,... heck, any other religion that is not Chick's particular brand of fundamentalist Protestant Christianity.
* [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]]: One demon [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1036/1036_01.asp looks exactly like a Frill-necked Lizard].
* [[Resuscitate the Dog]]: Eric leaves Ashley after she gets pregnant, but after seeing the error of his ways and accepting Jesus, races to stop her from getting the abortion, declaring that he's willing to stay with her now.
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* [[Schmuck Bait]]: In [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1008/1008_01.asp this tract], a group of boys find a pool surrounded by numerous warning signs [[Too Dumb to Live|and decide to go for a swim]].
* [[See You in Hell]]: A hitman says this to the Judge after injecting him with a fatal poison in Here Comes The Judge. Since this is Chick, he means it literally.
* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: In "Fatal Decision", Dr. Bowers sells most of his stocks and bonds to obtain a vaccine for a patient, who destroys it and dies a few days later. To make matters worse, Bowers' son died in an accident on the way back.
* [[Sliding Scale of Realistic Versus Fantastic]]: The tracts run the range. Some, like "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0001/0001_01.asp This Was Your Life]" do represent the author's view of reality; others, such as a fairy tale "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0020/0020_01.asp The Fool!]" are clearly intended more as fantastic allegories.
* [[The Starscream]]: According to Chick, Islam is this to Catholicism.
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* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: The main character in the original version of "The Poor Little Witch" leaves alone after getting saved despite knowing her life is in danger, and gets murdered.
* [[Twist Ending]]: "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0003/0003_01.asp Somebody Goofed]" and "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1108/1108_01.asp Oops!]" which was illustrated for black people.
==U-Z==
* [[Undercover Cop Reveal]]: In "Trust me" and "Bad Bob," a buyer turns out to be an undercover narcotics cop, who arrests the respective main characters
* [[The Unfavourite]]: Jimmy in "Unloved", as his parents refuse to attend his high school graduation, constantly tell him he's inferior to his sister Nancy, criticize his choice of a wife, blame him for having rotten kids, berate him for losing his job, and disown him after he asks to borrow money.
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* [[Unwitting Instigator of Doom]]: Brutus indirectly causes a patient's death by getting him to distrust a doctor.
** The Devil often tries to invoke this, especially in The Assignment. Charles Bishop's subordinate's wife is a successful case, as she prevented him from witnessing to his boss, but the devils' attempts to use a popular boy and the subordinate as distractions for Bishop's daughter and Bishop fail.
* [[Vanity Publishing]]: All of Chick's work is published and distributed by Chick Publications, including books by other authors.
* [[Verbal Tic]]: The omnipresent and random use of Biblical quotes, especially John 3:16.
* [[Villainy Discretion Shot]]: When the Bull has some prisoners killed, it isn't shown, presumably to prevent people from seeing him as a [[Karma Houdini]].
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] If you believe Jack Chick is a real person and not a troll, no matter how distasteful you find his opinions or ridiculous his methods, he is after all just trying to get people into heaven and away from a fiery pit of eternal torment.
* [[Wham! Line]]
** Baby Talk: "She's not here. Thelma took her to the [[Good Girls Avoid Abortion|clinic]]. They left an hour ago."
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* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: The angels and the devils in "[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0022/0022_01.asp The Assignment]" repeatedly revise their plans to ensure that Cathy Hillman witnesses to Charles Bishop and prevent her from doing so, respectively. For example, the devils have an insurance man named Irving plan to pitch a policy to Bishop, but the angels give him a flat tire and prevent him from using the phone by having an old woman tie it up. {{spoiler|[[Downer Ending|Bishop dies before he can convert, and thus is sent to hell.]]}}
* [[Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe]]: God, of course, as well as the KJV Bible itself.
* [[You Have Failed Me...]]: The devils hand down severe punishments when souls get into Heaven.
* [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness]]: Lance Clawson is implied to have been killed in jail in Here Comes The Judge.
* [[You Rebel Scum]]: "Fanatic" is a favorite insult to True Christians (very much a minority in the world of Chick Tracts) by nonbelievers and authorities.
----
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''[[Overly Long Gag|Hi there!]]'' }}
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