Some further evidence of religion and comics penetrating ever more deeply into academia…in both a negative and positive light:
Bleeding Cooland the German magazine Tazreported 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.”
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 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.
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.
Jeph Jacques’s comedic webcomic Questionable Content dedicates a rather insightful June 10th installment, entitled “A Question of Belief,” to the topic of faith for its sentient, man-made robot characters:
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.
@ the intersection of religion and comics: Graphic Religion
