Category Archives: cultural

articles and essays, cultural

Superheroes in Stained Glass and on Liturgy

Andrew Tripp, a contributor to Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels, has written an essay for STHConnect (STH = School of Theology at Boston University) on how superheroes and their film adventures may reflect upon liturgy. Preaching to the choir, as it were, of those involved in Christian liturgical practice, he posits, “The structure of the cinema and the imaginative world of the superhero film offer tools for new understandings of liturgy in your congregation. […] The community participates in stories we uplift as sacred in the past through scripture and in the present through witness and testimony.” Best yet, he’s responding to readers’ comments on the piece, so have a read and lend him some thoughts.

Meanwhile, if superheroes aren’t informing the church’s preacher, they may be decorating the church: io9‘s Lauren Davis featured the artwork of Brandon Michael Barker who has been reimagining classic superhero comics covers as stained glass windows “dressed up with a touch of Christian iconography.” Rao has included Spider-Man from Amazing Fantasy #15 below, but follow the link to see more!

Brandon Michael Barker's stained glass superheroes
Brandon Michael Barker's stained glass Amazing Fantasy #15
cultural

R.I.P. Hellboy?

A very amusing Gutters webcomic on the (temporary) death of Hellboy:

Gutters #176 by Ryan Sohmer, David Namisato, Richard Clark, and Rus Wooton

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has said, “this isn’t the end of Hellboy, both the character and the comic, even though he’s now dead.” Still, funny, funny stuff from The Gutters.

cultural, interviews

NPR Covers Grant Morrison’s SUPERGODS

Grant MorrisonAll Things Considered on National Public Radio, spoke with comics writer Grant Morrison recently both to learn about his personal background with superheroes as well as the content of his new book Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. 

Morrison argues that, unlike movies and TV shows with slow production schedules, comic books speak to the moment in a more immediate way. “A comic is on the streets within three months of it being created,” Morrison says. “There’s very little editorial influence, so you see an artist’s work directly on the page.”

And, he says, comic books provide valuable role models for a new generation of superheroes. “When new superheroes appear on the planet — real superheroes — they’ll have all this material to study and figure out, ‘What are we supposed to be and do?'”

The book jacket adds, “these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations.”

Download the entirety of the 8-minute interview: NPR Interview with Grant Morrison

academic, articles and essays, cultural, reviews

Rao Reads the Blogs

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The blogosphere frequently has a great deal to offer on comics & religion. Here’s a taste of what’s currently being covered at some other notable sites:

The Comic Book Bin‘s “Religion and Comics” section has two new offerings from two of their contributing voices. First, Hevre St-Louis examines the 14 Stations of the Cross as sequential art: “My point in arguing this simple premise about the 14 stations and comic art is of course to show how omnipresent and an important part of world culture the comic book is.” Then, Andy Frisk remains with Christianity as he looks at the character of Thor, naturally tied to pagan Nordic religions, as a “warrior Christ,” specifically highlighting the God of Thunder’s portrayal by Mark Millar in Ultimates 2 as the epitome of this vision.

The Apocalypse Plan

ComicAttack.net‘s “Comics Are My Religion” offers insights from Jeff Jackson, this month focusing on (mis)portayals of Revelation in comics. Fortunately, one new book, The Apocalypse Plan by Rafael Nieves and Dan Dougherty, seems to get it right, at least in a creative manner. “Nieves’s book is not a literal retelling of Revelation, although it does wrestle with the literal sensibilities that most interpreters give it.”

Steve Bergson’s Jewish Comics blog provides an extensive and impressive account of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) from a Hebraic perspective. Bergson delivers details not only on the panels that relate to Judaism but also on high-profile creators with backgrounds or works pertaining to the faith.

Finally, Faith in Four Colors both gives its Swedish recommendation of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels (also covered by Jackson last month) and puts out a call for people’s personal experiences with Chick Tracts. Information on how to respond is available at the blog site.