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. 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.
On the heels of ReligionLink’s less-than-comprehensive topical overview of religion and comics, The Huffington Post recently made its own attempt. Written by Professor S. Brent Plate, an expert on religion and American visual culture, kept his commentary narrow and targeted on the Judaic elements. While not pioneering new trails in the exploration of the medium (and the superhero genre) in terms of Judaism, Plate does bring the discussion largely up to date on the eve of Superman’s latest film incarnation in Man of Steel. One suspects, though, that if there’s something new or more to say on what Plate calls “the sacredness of superheroes,” it’ll come from outside Judeo-Christian discourse.
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.”
What is clear is that Muslims on the comics pages confront the conundrum of their flesh-and-blood counterparts: their community views them with suspicion. Lewis says non-Muslim heroes wonder, “Can they truly represent the American way? Could they really be on our side? When Dust joins the X-Men, these persecuted American mutants don’t really know if they can trust her. The comic book creators can have it both ways. They can present an altruistic Muslim hero, but also reflect the Islamophobia.”
Wow! So in Lewis’s narrow vision, the Copts of Egypt aren’t victimized, nor are the French, the Israelis, the Sudanese Christians, or even the Armenians during WW1, when the Islamic-led Ottoman Empire of Turkey slaughtered at least a million Armenians. Nor, I suppose, was Lara Logan when she was gang raped in Egypt back in February. What a most utter ignoramus. I guess he hasn’t ever read the Koran either.
Green suggests The 99 as one example of Muslim superheroes Lewis may have been trying to sidestep: “Lewis chose to put his head in the sand.” Meanwhile, that series was being featured elsewhere online, as part of The National‘s coverage of DC Comics’ recent publishing shift. Shot in February, the video focuses on The 99‘s creator Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa discussing the multi-national and inter-religious basis for the series in addition to its Islamic roots.
New cover but old solicitation.
Coincidentally, DC’s position on Muslim characters was challenged in a different way this month with the resolicitation of Superman #712. ComicBookResources.com reports that the issue was originally supposed to feature Superman teaming up with the Muslim hero Sharif (formerly Sinbad), but it had been replaced with a story of Krypto the Super-dog. ComicBook.com notes that “the change was apparently so last minute by DC Comics that the DC Comics website still shows the old content description for Superman #712 with the new Krytpo the Superdog cover image for Superman #712.” ComicBookMovie.com has opened a poll to ask readers whether the decision was a wise move or not.
Lastly, in separate but not unrelated news, PR Newswire announced the new series Buraaq from Split Moon Arts. The title character is “a practicing Muslim, a regular guy who is turned into a superhero by traumatic events in his youth. According to SplitMoonArts, the mission is not to preach, but to provide wholesome family entertainment. The underlying message, they say, would help foster better relations between the West and the Islamic World.” Whether this is, as the PR Newswire headline reports, the first Muslim superhero is doubtful, but that claim does not seem to originate with SplitMoonArts itself.
James Bucky Carter, founder of the SANE Journal (i.e. Sequential Art in Narrative Education), recently announced that the University of Texas – El Paso (UTEP) would be offering his special section of ENGL3327: Jewish American Literature in the Fall 2011. Specifically, Carter’s course will focus on the graphic novel:
I’m not Jewish, but there is a rich backlog of texts and articles dealing with comics-and-judaica connections. What an exciting challenge to put together a course list and to have to choose from all the great comics and graphic novels out there!
Expect to see — for sure! — a lot of Eisner and Sturm, some Spiegelman, Crumb’s Genesis, some Superman comics, some Stan Lee, probably some Kominsky-Crumb.
On Facebook, Carter also noted that the course may include The Golem’s Mighty Swing and the possibility of The Rabbi’s Cat and MAUS.
@ the intersection of religion and comics: Graphic Religion
