All posts by A. David

academic, interviews, online

Alan Moore’s Gift to Religion and Comics Scholar

Seeking the MysteryThe London-based Albion Calling blog recently featured a full-length interview with Dr. Christine Hoff Kraemer, co-editor of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels. As both an instructor for the Department of Theology and Religious History at Cherry Hill Seminary and the author of Seeking the Mystery: An Introduction to Pagan Theologies, Kraemer was asked, in particular, about the works of Alan Moore and her own personal interaction with the Magus:

I wrote Moore a fan letter, telling him a bit about myself, my religious leanings, and my academic studies. A month

passed, and then a mysterious package from the UK arrived, containing a stack of Moore’s ritual theater CDs, an unpublished article on chaos magick, two copies of Promethea Vol. 2 (one signed for me to keep, one to lend out), and a warm and encouraging note. I was floored!

Kraemer notes, though, that while being a fan of Moore and even a scholar considering his work is quite popular, “many comics scholars either don’t take his spiritual philosophy seriously (preferring instead to focus on his politics) or simply don’t have the background to understand and interpret it.” She offers that this “gap in Moore scholarship” is one she is addressing with her work.

Learn more about Kraemer at Cherry Hill here.

academic, controversy, events, interviews, online

Comics at Universities, Protested and Praised

Andrew Tripp
Andrew Tripp

Some further evidence of religion and comics penetrating ever more deeply into academia…in both a negative and positive light:

  • Bleeding Cool and the German magazine Taz reported that a graphic novel exhibition by the German university of Duisburg-Essen was the subject of outrage and vandalism by Muslim protestors. The “What Comics Can Do!” exhibit included art from Craig Thompson’s Habibi and Rutu Modan’s Exit Wounds that the protestors found offense for their use of the Arabic word for Allah and for presumably pro-Israel sentiments.
  • BU Today, a publication of Boston University, highlighted a recent article in its School of Theology Focus magazine, a profile on pastor Andrew Tripp and his appreciation for superheroes and comics in accomplishing his job. They had a foundational influence on him, he admits, ““The superheroes and the comeback characters spoke to something profound about what it meant to be human.”

 

online

Maronite Monk Writes “The Truth It Out There” Graphic Novel

The Catholic News Agency reports that a monk of the Eastern Catholic Church, a part of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, has produced his own graphic novel to teach and explain his faith. Published in May 2013 by publisher Catholic Answers, The Truth Is Out There is penned by the Maronite monk Amadeus but is told through the experience of two interplanetary mailmen Brendan and Eric and, according to Catholic Answer’s site, “readers don’t have to be Catholic—or possess any kind of faith—to appreciate the thoughtful ideas and arguments they’ll encounter.”

The Truth Is Out There cover

The Catholic News Agency reached Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, of the Maronite Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, for comment:

[S]omehow the words ‘comic book’ and ‘intellectually challenging’ don’t usually go together, but they do in ‘The Truth is Out There’ by Amadeus…Thank you, Amadeus, for presenting the journey from the prison walls of our mind to the exhilarating freedom of the truth in such an exciting way.

(They don’t, Bishop?)

controversy, cultural

Sermon Stumping for Man of Steel

Recently, the Sequart Comics Research Organization offered an editorial by library historian Stuart Warren on the inherent Christ-ness of Superman, no doubt times to coincide with the release of the new Warner Brothers big screen depiction of the Last Son of Krypton Man of Steel. It’s well-trodden ground, Supes as Jesus (and news outlets like FOX News and WND seemed to pick up on this popular observation, too, this cinematic go-around — AmericaBlog was among those who did not appreciate the repeated comparison)

But certainly Sequart didn’t give Warren the sum that Warner Brothers paid theologian Craig Detwiler of Pepperdine University for his notes on Superman as fodder for Christian sermons.
20130626-104412.jpg
Detwiler claims that his material, entitled, “Jesus: The Original Superhero,” gives “churches a chance to engage with pop culture instead of just condemning it,” according to io9 and CNN. Of course, none of the reports suggest free tickets are included with Detwiler’s sermon notes, so whatever inspiration or identification these congregations find through Zack Snyder’s Superman will also prove lucrative to Warner Brothers at the box office and in merchandising.