Meredith Finch on The Book of Ruth

[The following interview was conducted by Patricia F. Anderson and Deborah Schild.]

Book of Ruth (graphic novel).
Author: Meredith Finch. Artist: Colin Dyer.
Springfield, VA: Cave Pictures Publishing, LLC., 2020.
ISBN 978-1-949660081.
https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUN201002 

PFA/DS: For us, the Book of Ruth has been one of our favorite books in the Bible, in part because Ruth is a family name for both of us. What drew you to retelling the story from the Book of Ruth? Was there a moment you remember when the inspiration really came into focus for you, or did it slowly grow on you? 

Meredith Finch: Ruth was one of the very first books of the bible that I read as a teenager and new Christian.  It just felt very approachable to a first-time bible reader, both in length and writing style.  For that reason, I have always had a fondness for Ruth. It was when I really started diving into the story as a mature woman that I developed a whole new appreciation for the characters.  There are so many aspects of Naomi’s impatience and need for control that I see in myself and it is Ruth’s quiet faith that I strive for. 

I feel very strongly that God put it on my heart to retell the story of Ruth in comic form several years ago when I was working on Wonder Woman for DC Comics.  At the time, I was teaching Sunday School, and it made me sad to see how often the aesthetic quality of retold biblical stories fell short of the dynamic artwork found in the secular comic book world.  I wanted to create something that could bridge the gap between being just a great comic and something that was also spiritually meaningful. 

PFA/DS: You are completely right about the uninspiring visuals of most spiritually-focused comics and graphic novels! That’s bothered me for a long time myself, and was part of why I was so enthusiastic about supporting the Kickstarter campaign for Book of Ruth. Meredith, you partnered with N. Colin Dyer for the art on this, with lettering by Cardinal Rae. Clearly, you feel strongly about the quality of the visual elements, even if you weren’t the person who drew the art for the final project. How did that work? How did you and Colin find each other or decide to collaborate on the project? Did you make your own preliminary sketches, or how did you communicate to Colin what you were hoping to achieve? 

MF:  I have worked with Cardinal Rae as a letterer for many years, including on my creator-owned, Image book, Rose, so she was an obvious choice for The Book of Ruth.

I’m very blessed to be married to a comic book artist.   David and I had discussed the look I wanted for the book and then I just put it out on Facebook that I was looking for an artist to do a faith-based project.  I was feeling a little dejected after the first day of submissions, because none of them, although very good, were exactly what we were looking for.  That night I put it before the Lord and prayed that, if this was a project He wanted me to do, then I needed Him to help me find the right artist for it.  The next morning Colin’s was the first submission I saw, and I knew my prayers had been answered. 

In terms of communicating the look and feel of the book.  I’m a big believer in hiring the right person and then getting out their way.  For the most part I simply described what I wanted in each panel and then let Colin take it from there.  If there was anything I wanted done really specifically from a visual point of view I just had David lay it out in a rough thumbnail, but I honestly can’t even recall what panels they were at this point. 

Continue reading Meredith Finch on The Book of Ruth

The Cremation of Jewish X-Man Kate Pryde

In a review for Marvel Comics’ Marauders #11, Bleeding Cool reporter Jude Terror writes:

The X-Men gives Kate Pryde’s body a Viking funeral, as Jewish tradition dictates.

This, of course, is grossly in error; Jewish tradition dictates no such thing. And even if the (pseudonymic?) Mr. Terror had his tongue deeply in his cheek, it’s a joke in poor taste.

Why’s that? Because, as writers like Rachael Knight at Women Write about Comics point out, it’s a pretty large insult to her religious heritage, particularly as one of the most prominent and long-time Jewish superhero characters.

Marauders #11 Buries Kate Pryde’s Jewish Legacy

Continue reading The Cremation of Jewish X-Man Kate Pryde

Prominent Muslim Characters Continue to Expand in Comics

Kismet, Man of Fate (2018)

With Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) soon coming to video game systems as part of Marvel’s Avengers game, it seemed a fitting time to look back at this 2017 CBR article on 15 notable Muslim characters in comics:

15 Muslim Characters In Comics You Should Know

More characters have arisen even since the article’s publication, including Red Dagger & Amulet in Ms. Marvel or Sofia & Nasser of Sheriff of Babylon. Currently, funding is being raised on Patreon for a second new volume of CBR’s number-one Muslim character, Kismet, Man of Fate.

Colgate Research Looks at Afro-Caribbean Comics Characters

On their news blog, Colgate University recently featured the work of Assistant Professor of LGBTQ Studies Paul Humphrey examining Afro-Carribean characters in comics as well as their culture. He came to find that “fiction from the region depicts Vodou and Santería as religions of resistance, standing against American neocolonialism, corruption, and Western Christianity.”

Heroic Effort

Humphrey, looking at characters in  like La Borinqueña, Doctor Voodoo, and Marassa, observed that “creators go out of their way to establish them as important, yet they never quite keep the spotlight.” Just as their religions are cast as secondary or non-normative, so are the characters. “Part of the trouble is that even very respectfully depicted and drawn side characters are, ultimately, side characters, there to support the narratives of more marquee heroes like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.”

@ the intersection of religion and comics: Graphic Religion