I have just posted an extensive update of Superheroes Have Religious Beliefs which was first posted 13 November 2009. To view the post, search for comic book religion in the search box at the top of this page.
Showing posts with label comic book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comic book. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2026
Monday, June 29, 2026
Subjects in the Labels List Which Begin with the Letters com to con
This blog is ακωλυτως, unhindered. (Acts 28:31) Any subject is fair game. Below is an alphabetical listing of the LABELS which begin with the letters com to con. All can be searched from the list which follows the last posted article on this page or by typing them into the SEARCH button at the top of the page. Most will call up multiple postings in which they appear.
The
search function will work in non-alphabetic languages as well. Use the web page
translate function.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
The Inferior Five
The Inferior Five are a comic book superhero team made up of persons who are not what one would expect of such a team. They are Merryman, a 98 pound weakling who wears a jester’s costume and is very smart; Awkwardman, who is super strong but very clumsy; The Blimp, who floats in the air rather than flying. He literally needs a wind to blow behind him. He is blown about by every wind (Ephesians 4:14); White Feather, who is a skilled but emotionally insecure archer; and Dumb Bunny, who is “strong as an ox and almost as intelligent.”
The Inferior Five always win the day. They are truly superheroes. Instead of Inferior, they might more correctly be named the Unlikely Five.
God always choses the unlikely person, the unlikely nation, the unlikely way. His ways seem like foolishness to the world.
He chose, not a powerful empire, but the Jews, to be the nation which He used to reveal and explain Himself to the world.
He chose a shepherd boy to become the greatest king of Israel and a man after God’s own heart. This man also committed adultery and ordered the murder of a loyal friend.
He chose a woman who was essentially being held as a sex slave by a brutal king. Her assignment was to protect His people from extermination by a scheming government official.
He chose uneducated fisherman, a hated tax collector, a little boy, a cuckolded husband, the wife of a wardrobe keeper, a sheep-herder, and a cousin of the King of Judah, to become His prophets and apostles.
He chose a Gentile trained in the science of the day to write the first history of the church which began as an exclusively Jewish movement.
He chose a vicious persecutor of His church to become its greatest intellectual and the first great explainer of Christian doctrine.
Many of us feel that we have no talents, that we have nothing to offer. We fail to remember that God has chosen each one of us and has given each of us the particular abilities we need to perform whatever duties He has for us to perform. He has equipped us to be, and expects us to be, on His unlikely team.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Comic Book Bibles
I have not personally seen any of these books and do not know of their quality or of their fidelity to orthodox Christianity. I found them during an internet search.
http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/PictureStoriesFromTheBible/
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2011/12/spire-christian-comics.html
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2011/12/spire-christian-comics.html
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Film Comment: The Road to Perdition
"My father's only fear was that his son would follow the same road ...," the road to perdition. The word "perdition" is of Indo-European origin through Latin. The main idea of the word is "loss." In Christian theology, the word is used of loss of the soul, eternal damnation, utter ruin, and destruction. It can be seen as a synonym for Hell.
The film, The Road to Perdition (1998), is set in Depression era 1931 and tells the story of Michael Sullivan, a crime mob hit man, a paid assassin, whose son accidentally witnesses one of his murders. The mob bosses are not pleased and want the boy killed so that he cannot tell anyone. The killer dearly loves his son and takes steps to protect him.
Based on a black and white graphic novel (comic book), this excellent and suspenseful film stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the hit man and is loaded with other top level actors: Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman.) The story is concurrently loving, tender, violent, and depressing.
The film is based on the idea of "the sins of the fathers," a biblical concept. We teach our children how to act by our example. Even if we do not wish for our children to follow our example, our actions do not affect only us but can have effects on our families and friends for generations. Often, once they are set in motion, the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided.
The film, The Road to Perdition (1998), is set in Depression era 1931 and tells the story of Michael Sullivan, a crime mob hit man, a paid assassin, whose son accidentally witnesses one of his murders. The mob bosses are not pleased and want the boy killed so that he cannot tell anyone. The killer dearly loves his son and takes steps to protect him.
Based on a black and white graphic novel (comic book), this excellent and suspenseful film stars Oscar winner Tom Hanks as the hit man and is loaded with other top level actors: Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman.) The story is concurrently loving, tender, violent, and depressing.
The film is based on the idea of "the sins of the fathers," a biblical concept. We teach our children how to act by our example. Even if we do not wish for our children to follow our example, our actions do not affect only us but can have effects on our families and friends for generations. Often, once they are set in motion, the consequences of our actions cannot be avoided.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Using Labels to Search This Blog
This post will help you to get more value from this blog by
showing you how to search for specific subjects. This is a very eclectic blog which can touch on almost any
subject, from Star Trek ; to the Lakota war-chief Sitting Bull ; to NASCAR ; to
what is probably the world’s best-known hymn, Amazing Grace ; to comic books ;
and doctrinal subjects like sanctification and obedience .
The labels follow the posts in a separate section. To search for a subject, all you need
to do is select a label (keyword) and click on it. All the posts which mention the subject will come up as
group.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Christians
At some time during their
lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.
Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the
person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Readers are encouraged to suggest persons
who should be included on this list.
This is a recurring segment in this blog.
James Harrington: (b. 1847,
England – d. 1885) Anglican Bishop
martyred in Buganda (Uganda) 1885 at the orders of King Mwanga II.
Mwanga II: (b. 1868, Buganda
–d. 1903, Seychelles; aka: Danieri Bassammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa) Mwanga,
the 31st Kabaka of Buganda, ordered the assassination of Anglican
Bishop James Harrington in 1885.
After a troubled rule, he was deposed in exile in 1897. In 1899, he became a convert to the
Anglican Church.
Frank Miller: (b. 1957, Maryland,
USA) Comic book writer and artist
(300; The Dark Knight; Sin City), actor, film director, screenwriter. Roman
Catholic.
Oz Fox: (b. 1961,
California, USA; aka: Richard Alfonso Martinez) Vocalist and guitarist for the
Christian hard-rock music group Stryper.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Film Comment: Green Lantern
Green Lantern (2011) is a superhero movie based on the on the long time comic book series produced by DC Comics. The film was long considered to be unfilmable until computer generated imagery was perfected.
The plot of the film is well known to long time comic book readers. After an alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth, the ring worn by Abin Sur, the dying alien pilot, searches the planet for a worthy successor to its prior owner. The ring is not supernatural, but is instead, the product of a greatly advanced technology. It chooses a seemingly undeserving recipient, Hal Jordan, an immature and self-absorbed daredevil test pilot.
Jordan discovers that he is now the Green Lantern of his sector of outer space, even if he does not wish to be. He is told that the ring does not make errors and that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, one of the 3600 super-powered beings who serve as a sort of intergalactic police force. Of course, he must confront a being who has misused the ring technology and, as a result of his adventures, Hal Jordan becomes the greatest of the Green Lanterns. This is standard epic fantasy/science fiction.
Many viewers of Green Lantern have noticed the heavy occultic symbolism in this film. A Green Lantern's power ring converts his/her thoughts into material reality. As students of comparative religion will know, the essence and the aim of "magick" is the ability of the will to alter and control reality.
The symbolism in this film is quite heavy. When they are using their power, a Green Lantern's eyes glow green. Images of the Masonic symbol known as the All Seeing Eye , an eye within a pyramid, occur repeatedly within the film.
The Green Lanterns take their oath of service on their Power Lanterns, from which they recharge their power rings. The lantern symbols on the rings and on the superheroes chests are identical to the Masonic symbol 101 (the point within the circle ) turned on its side.
There is a strong undercurrent in the film of a secret government involvement in some sort of conspiracy. One commenter notes that a sign in a bar scene includes the word "harp" and relates this to the HAARP project, a real life scientific research station in Alaska which many conspiracy theorists believe is being developed as a secret government weapon to cause earthquakes and control the weather.
The Green Lantern Corps is, in effect a secret society. The Corp has initiation ceremonies, secret knowledge, and its existence is not revealed to the public at large.
Tomar Re , the bird-like Xudarian alien Green Lantern who is the first mentor to Hal Jordan, has what one commenter calls "Baphomet legs." Baphomet is an occult symbol of Satan represented as a human-goat hybrid with legs whose knees bend backwards.
The green "uniform" of the Lanterns is not actually clothing. It is an integral part of their being, it is who they really are, like their skin. This is consistent with the occult/New Age idea that our true inner being is divine (our True Self, our Inner Christ) and that enlightenment comes when we realize that we are God.
One commenter claims that when Hal Jordan transforms from his human self to his Green Lantern self that there is a brief burst of light from his wrists and ankles, reminiscent of Christ's wounds. This occurs at 2:05 of the first official trailer for the film. What actually occurs at this point is that Jordan's power ring begins to glow, making the back of his hand appear to glow.
Most people who watch this film will not notice or understand the heavy symbolism and many who do, will not care. That the symbolism is there is so obvious that it must be intentional on the part of the film's makers. Without falling into the trap of becoming totally paranoid conspiracy theorists, Christians must be alert to the messages being sent out by the world's media. We really are at war.
The plot of the film is well known to long time comic book readers. After an alien spacecraft crash lands on Earth, the ring worn by Abin Sur, the dying alien pilot, searches the planet for a worthy successor to its prior owner. The ring is not supernatural, but is instead, the product of a greatly advanced technology. It chooses a seemingly undeserving recipient, Hal Jordan, an immature and self-absorbed daredevil test pilot.
Jordan discovers that he is now the Green Lantern of his sector of outer space, even if he does not wish to be. He is told that the ring does not make errors and that he is now a member of the Green Lantern Corps, one of the 3600 super-powered beings who serve as a sort of intergalactic police force. Of course, he must confront a being who has misused the ring technology and, as a result of his adventures, Hal Jordan becomes the greatest of the Green Lanterns. This is standard epic fantasy/science fiction.
Many viewers of Green Lantern have noticed the heavy occultic symbolism in this film. A Green Lantern's power ring converts his/her thoughts into material reality. As students of comparative religion will know, the essence and the aim of "magick" is the ability of the will to alter and control reality.
The symbolism in this film is quite heavy. When they are using their power, a Green Lantern's eyes glow green. Images of the Masonic symbol known as the All Seeing Eye , an eye within a pyramid, occur repeatedly within the film.
The Green Lanterns take their oath of service on their Power Lanterns, from which they recharge their power rings. The lantern symbols on the rings and on the superheroes chests are identical to the Masonic symbol 101 (the point within the circle ) turned on its side.
There is a strong undercurrent in the film of a secret government involvement in some sort of conspiracy. One commenter notes that a sign in a bar scene includes the word "harp" and relates this to the HAARP project, a real life scientific research station in Alaska which many conspiracy theorists believe is being developed as a secret government weapon to cause earthquakes and control the weather.
The Green Lantern Corps is, in effect a secret society. The Corp has initiation ceremonies, secret knowledge, and its existence is not revealed to the public at large.
Tomar Re , the bird-like Xudarian alien Green Lantern who is the first mentor to Hal Jordan, has what one commenter calls "Baphomet legs." Baphomet is an occult symbol of Satan represented as a human-goat hybrid with legs whose knees bend backwards.
The green "uniform" of the Lanterns is not actually clothing. It is an integral part of their being, it is who they really are, like their skin. This is consistent with the occult/New Age idea that our true inner being is divine (our True Self, our Inner Christ) and that enlightenment comes when we realize that we are God.
One commenter claims that when Hal Jordan transforms from his human self to his Green Lantern self that there is a brief burst of light from his wrists and ankles, reminiscent of Christ's wounds. This occurs at 2:05 of the first official trailer for the film. What actually occurs at this point is that Jordan's power ring begins to glow, making the back of his hand appear to glow.
Most people who watch this film will not notice or understand the heavy symbolism and many who do, will not care. That the symbolism is there is so obvious that it must be intentional on the part of the film's makers. Without falling into the trap of becoming totally paranoid conspiracy theorists, Christians must be alert to the messages being sent out by the world's media. We really are at war.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Film Comment: Daredevil
The film, Daredevil (2003), is based on a comic book series. Daredevil is one of Marvel Comic's second-tier characters, much less well known than The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Spiderman, or the Fantastic Four. The film includes several comic book insider references and, as do almost all Marvel films, has a cameo by the iconic comic book writer Stan Lee. Be aware that the film, while rated PG-13, includes extreme violence and some profanity.
The superhero Daredevil is in reality blind attorney Matt Murdock. Yes, blind. As a child, Matt Murdock was involved in an industrial accident which destroyed his eyes but enhanced all his other senses to the point that they almost produce sensory overload. He feels the heat of your breath; his fingers can feel the indentation in the wood produced by a pen writing on a sheet of paper on a desk; he can sense movements in the air around him; he can hear your internal organs at work; he can identify you by your smell as you enter a room; and his enhanced sense of balance means that he has become the world's best acrobat.
By day an attorney, at night Matt becomes Daredevil, a vigilante in a form-fitting red leather suit, complete with small devil horns on his forehead. Motivated by the murder of his boxer father, Jack "the Devil" Murdock, Matt swears to fight crime and to "seek justice, one way or another." Matt's way is extreme violence against rapists, muggers, thieves, and other low-life scum who exist in the underbelly of the city.
The reason this film is germaine to this blog is that the film highlights the fact that Matt Murdock is, at least nominally, a Christian. This was established as early as Daredevil #119. Matt's Christianity was brought to the forefront by the writer Frank Miller (who, by the way, is an atheist) during his run as the book's writer and has become one of the character's most identifying aspects, playing on the conflict between his beliefs and his actions. In Ultimate Spiderman #109, Daredevil states that he is Catholic.
Matt Murdock is a Roman Catholic and the comic books (and the film) are full of cathedrals with stone gargoyles, crosses, stained glass windows, priests, nuns, and other overtly religious images. Matt hangs around his church and talks to his priest, but seems to avoid actual church services, though he does occasionally go to confession. He actually believes but can't give up his quest for revenge. He doesn't want to be a bad man, but he fears that he is a devil.
After severely beating a mob enforcer, Matt realizes he has been observed by the man's son. He turns to the boy and says, "I'm not the bad guy, kid. ... I'm not the bad guy. ... I'm not."
Matt is stuck in the limbo in which many religious people find themselves. He is blind, even though he thinks he can see. People like Matt believe intellectually, perhaps even emotionally, but they are unable or unwilling to commit, unwilling to give up their favorite ways of doing things, unwilling to give control of their lives to the Lord. They are neither hot nor cold for God, they are lukewarm.
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" Revelation 3:15-16
The superhero Daredevil is in reality blind attorney Matt Murdock. Yes, blind. As a child, Matt Murdock was involved in an industrial accident which destroyed his eyes but enhanced all his other senses to the point that they almost produce sensory overload. He feels the heat of your breath; his fingers can feel the indentation in the wood produced by a pen writing on a sheet of paper on a desk; he can sense movements in the air around him; he can hear your internal organs at work; he can identify you by your smell as you enter a room; and his enhanced sense of balance means that he has become the world's best acrobat.
By day an attorney, at night Matt becomes Daredevil, a vigilante in a form-fitting red leather suit, complete with small devil horns on his forehead. Motivated by the murder of his boxer father, Jack "the Devil" Murdock, Matt swears to fight crime and to "seek justice, one way or another." Matt's way is extreme violence against rapists, muggers, thieves, and other low-life scum who exist in the underbelly of the city.
The reason this film is germaine to this blog is that the film highlights the fact that Matt Murdock is, at least nominally, a Christian. This was established as early as Daredevil #119. Matt's Christianity was brought to the forefront by the writer Frank Miller (who, by the way, is an atheist) during his run as the book's writer and has become one of the character's most identifying aspects, playing on the conflict between his beliefs and his actions. In Ultimate Spiderman #109, Daredevil states that he is Catholic.
Matt Murdock is a Roman Catholic and the comic books (and the film) are full of cathedrals with stone gargoyles, crosses, stained glass windows, priests, nuns, and other overtly religious images. Matt hangs around his church and talks to his priest, but seems to avoid actual church services, though he does occasionally go to confession. He actually believes but can't give up his quest for revenge. He doesn't want to be a bad man, but he fears that he is a devil.
After severely beating a mob enforcer, Matt realizes he has been observed by the man's son. He turns to the boy and says, "I'm not the bad guy, kid. ... I'm not the bad guy. ... I'm not."
Matt is stuck in the limbo in which many religious people find themselves. He is blind, even though he thinks he can see. People like Matt believe intellectually, perhaps even emotionally, but they are unable or unwilling to commit, unwilling to give up their favorite ways of doing things, unwilling to give control of their lives to the Lord. They are neither hot nor cold for God, they are lukewarm.
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" Revelation 3:15-16
Monday, December 12, 2011
Spire Christian Comics
Spire Christian Comics was a line of Christian-themed comic books published from 1972 to 1982 by the Fleming H. Revell company. They were kept in print until 1988 and over forty million copies were sold. Most were written and drawn by the Christian artist, Allan Hartley (b. 1921, New Jersey, USA - d. 2003).
At the link above, there is a listing of several Spire comic book editions. Those which are underlined are links to files which include copies of every page of that particular comic book. The most famous was Jesus (1979). The Jesus comic had an original cover price of 49 cents. Depending upon the current condition of the book, copies now are valued at between $6.00 and $20.00.
Links:
http://www.dougcomicworld.com/INVENTORY-Christian&ReligionSite.html
http://www.mycomicshop.com/search?pl=Spire%20Christian%20Comics
At the link above, there is a listing of several Spire comic book editions. Those which are underlined are links to files which include copies of every page of that particular comic book. The most famous was Jesus (1979). The Jesus comic had an original cover price of 49 cents. Depending upon the current condition of the book, copies now are valued at between $6.00 and $20.00.
Links:
http://www.dougcomicworld.com/INVENTORY-Christian&ReligionSite.html
http://www.mycomicshop.com/search?pl=Spire%20Christian%20Comics
Monday, June 13, 2011
Chick Publications
Jack Thomas Chick (b. 1924, California, USA) is the most published comic book artist/author in history, with over 750,000,000 of his Christian evangelistic tracts, comic books, videos, and posters having been produced and distributed worldwide. The works have been translated into over one hundred languages and are included in exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution.
Jack Chick's works are quite controversial. He is hailed by some as a soul-winner, a genius at evangelistic outreach, and denounced by others as a homophobe, Islamophobe, and a religious bigot because of his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Check out the website of Chick Publications and make up your own mind.
Jack Chick's works are quite controversial. He is hailed by some as a soul-winner, a genius at evangelistic outreach, and denounced by others as a homophobe, Islamophobe, and a religious bigot because of his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Check out the website of Chick Publications and make up your own mind.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Book Comment: The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
You may never have heard of Robert Crumb (b. 1943, Philadelphia), but he is an internationally respected cartoonist closely associated with the underground counter-culture of the late twentieth century. His pen or pencil is constantly moving and people have been known to follow him to grab left behind napkins, matchbook covers, and scraps of paper on which he has compulsively doodled. His artwork sells for thousands of dollars.
Crumb has been described as a genius, a misogynist, a devoted and loving father, the founder of the underground comix movement, a misanthrope, a philanderer, a 78 RPM record collector, the creator of Fritz the Cat, a recluse, a talented musician, a counter culture icon, an illustrator capable of near-photographic portraits and highly stylized caricatures, an obsessive man, a man so famous that a documentary about his life and work has been made as a feature film, a compulsive man, a vulgar artist sometimes accused of producing pornography, a member of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame (1991), and so on. He is a very complex man.
Many were shocked, and some were highly offended, when R. Crumb decided to illustrate the Book of Genesis. Crumb is known to not be religious in any traditional sense and, indeed, does have a history of producing images which could be interpreted as pornographic.
Crumb originally intended to do a "takeoff" of Adam and Eve but decided instead to do a literal verse by verse illustration of the entire book, as he says, "All 50 chapters." What resulted is a fascinating, massive, and controversial book illustrated in Crumb's distinctive highly detailed and intricate comic book style which I believe actually shows reverence for the book by not glossing over anything. I mean that. That is why the book is controversial.
Where people are naked in the Bible, they're naked in the book. Where they have sex in the Bible, they have sex in the book. Where there is killing, blood and guts abound. The "begat lists" have a different face associated with each name. The people are very plain, some are ugly, just like real people. God is presented as a stern old man in flowing robes and with hair and beard hanging down to his feet.
Robert Crumb, in his introduction to the book says, "... I, ironically, do not believe the Bible is 'The Word of God." I believe it is the words of men. It is, nonetheless, a powerful text with layers of meaning that reach deep into our collective consciousness, our historical consciousness, if you will. It seems indeed to be an inspired work..."
It may be that a man who is, at best, an agnostic, has shown more respect for a biblical text than those who squeamishly sanitize and euphemize the "hard parts." The sort of people who would be horrified to find out what "hand under thigh" (Genesis 24:2) means.
Crumb, R., The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2009)
Crumb has been described as a genius, a misogynist, a devoted and loving father, the founder of the underground comix movement, a misanthrope, a philanderer, a 78 RPM record collector, the creator of Fritz the Cat, a recluse, a talented musician, a counter culture icon, an illustrator capable of near-photographic portraits and highly stylized caricatures, an obsessive man, a man so famous that a documentary about his life and work has been made as a feature film, a compulsive man, a vulgar artist sometimes accused of producing pornography, a member of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame (1991), and so on. He is a very complex man.
Many were shocked, and some were highly offended, when R. Crumb decided to illustrate the Book of Genesis. Crumb is known to not be religious in any traditional sense and, indeed, does have a history of producing images which could be interpreted as pornographic.
Crumb originally intended to do a "takeoff" of Adam and Eve but decided instead to do a literal verse by verse illustration of the entire book, as he says, "All 50 chapters." What resulted is a fascinating, massive, and controversial book illustrated in Crumb's distinctive highly detailed and intricate comic book style which I believe actually shows reverence for the book by not glossing over anything. I mean that. That is why the book is controversial.
Where people are naked in the Bible, they're naked in the book. Where they have sex in the Bible, they have sex in the book. Where there is killing, blood and guts abound. The "begat lists" have a different face associated with each name. The people are very plain, some are ugly, just like real people. God is presented as a stern old man in flowing robes and with hair and beard hanging down to his feet.
Robert Crumb, in his introduction to the book says, "... I, ironically, do not believe the Bible is 'The Word of God." I believe it is the words of men. It is, nonetheless, a powerful text with layers of meaning that reach deep into our collective consciousness, our historical consciousness, if you will. It seems indeed to be an inspired work..."
It may be that a man who is, at best, an agnostic, has shown more respect for a biblical text than those who squeamishly sanitize and euphemize the "hard parts." The sort of people who would be horrified to find out what "hand under thigh" (Genesis 24:2) means.
Crumb, R., The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb (New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2009)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
We Live in a Bizarro World
His, or its, name is Bizarro, an imperfect clone of Superman, who lives on a square planet he created when he realized he could never fit on our strange world. Bizarro World is populated by imperfect copies of Earth's inhabitants and its culture is based on chaos and disorder, failure is celebrated, and stupidity is highly respected. To a Bizarro, ugliness is beautiful.
The character is used in the Superman comic book universe to make statements about us and our illogicalities and absurdities. We live in a Bizarro World where the popular culture is more interested in parties, or in mixed drinks, or in getting as much unencumbered sex as possible, and in casual drug use, than it is in what is happening in Darfur, or in Colombia, or in the international sex slave trade. More people know about the latest happenings in the lives of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton than can name a single person in U.S President Barack Obama's cabinet.
In the DC Comics compilation trade paperback, Superman: Escape from Bizarro World, one of the stories is the 1984 tale, "The Mark of Bizarro." Bizarro Superman grows weary of fighting his Bizarro clones of Earth's superheroes (the Bizarro Justice League) and decides to create a supervillain. Bizarro Flash tells him, "Hah! You beat us all up again, Bizarro Number One ... so naturally, you lose!"
Bizarro creates Bizarro-Amazo, a clone of a villain who almost defeated the real Justice League by stealing their superpowers. In true Bizarro fashion, Bizarro-Amazo returns his stolen superpowers to the members of the Bizarro Justice League. This makes him the greatest super-villain: having no superpowers. When Bizarro Number One reminds him that Bizarro-Joker and Bizarro-Luther also have no superpowers, Bizarro-Amazo decides to one-up them all and turns himself off.
The citizens of Bizarro World erect a glass case (cracked of course) in which they place the body of Bizarro-Amazo. The last frame of the story has Bizarro Lois Lane looking admiringly at the encased body and saying, "No wonder everyone admire him! Us merely think stupid ... him not think at all!"
The character is used in the Superman comic book universe to make statements about us and our illogicalities and absurdities. We live in a Bizarro World where the popular culture is more interested in parties, or in mixed drinks, or in getting as much unencumbered sex as possible, and in casual drug use, than it is in what is happening in Darfur, or in Colombia, or in the international sex slave trade. More people know about the latest happenings in the lives of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton than can name a single person in U.S President Barack Obama's cabinet.
In the DC Comics compilation trade paperback, Superman: Escape from Bizarro World, one of the stories is the 1984 tale, "The Mark of Bizarro." Bizarro Superman grows weary of fighting his Bizarro clones of Earth's superheroes (the Bizarro Justice League) and decides to create a supervillain. Bizarro Flash tells him, "Hah! You beat us all up again, Bizarro Number One ... so naturally, you lose!"
Bizarro creates Bizarro-Amazo, a clone of a villain who almost defeated the real Justice League by stealing their superpowers. In true Bizarro fashion, Bizarro-Amazo returns his stolen superpowers to the members of the Bizarro Justice League. This makes him the greatest super-villain: having no superpowers. When Bizarro Number One reminds him that Bizarro-Joker and Bizarro-Luther also have no superpowers, Bizarro-Amazo decides to one-up them all and turns himself off.
The citizens of Bizarro World erect a glass case (cracked of course) in which they place the body of Bizarro-Amazo. The last frame of the story has Bizarro Lois Lane looking admiringly at the encased body and saying, "No wonder everyone admire him! Us merely think stupid ... him not think at all!"
Friday, May 7, 2010
A Quote from Constantine (2006)
In the comic book based movie, Constantine (2006), the angel Gabriel is filled with resentment and is trying to "fix" things. He (?)/she (?)/it (?) (Tilda Swinton as an androgynous angel) thinks that mankind is unworthy of God's grace and is trying to bring about an apocalypse on Earth from which worthy, tested survivors will emerge. John Constantine, cancer victim, demon hunter, etc. goes to Hell and back (literally) to stop Gabriel's plan.
Gabriel explains,
Gabriel explains,
"You're handed this precious gift and, right, each of you granted redemption from the Creator. Murderers, rapists and molesters, all of you, you just have to repent and God takes you into His bosom. In all the worlds, in all the universes, no other creature can make such a boast, save man. It's not fair! Your sweet, sweet God loves you so."
Monday, March 8, 2010
Super Obama
This is not, never has been, and never will be, a political blog, so this is not a political post. This is a comment by a Christian man on a situation involving another Christian brother, President Barack Obama.
On 30 August 2009, I wrote about an Obama Christ painting on http://www.jesusoftheweek.com and said that, as a Christian man, President Obama should be offended by the picture and should be trying to discourage others from doing similar paintings.
Now, on http://www.stylinonline.com/barrackobama.html there is a posting of a Super Obama T-shirt by the artist Alex Ross. The painting depicts the President tearing open his business suit (just like Superman) to expose his superhero uniform underneath. On his chest, instead of Superman's "S" is a large red "O." It is well-known that Superman is considered to be a literary Christ figure.
I am aware that most people will just find the Super Obama shirt to be funny and will think nothing further of it. I suppose that I am holding President Obama to a standard to which he does not hold himself. I just wish he would make some sort of an effort to discourage this sort of thing.
This, and other issues, is discussed on the group blog (six writers), Holy Heroes, Religion in Comics. http://holyheroes.blogspot.com/. A warning: you will not agree with every post and some of the subjects discussed may offend you.
On 30 August 2009, I wrote about an Obama Christ painting on http://www.jesusoftheweek.com and said that, as a Christian man, President Obama should be offended by the picture and should be trying to discourage others from doing similar paintings.
Now, on http://www.stylinonline.com/barrackobama.html there is a posting of a Super Obama T-shirt by the artist Alex Ross. The painting depicts the President tearing open his business suit (just like Superman) to expose his superhero uniform underneath. On his chest, instead of Superman's "S" is a large red "O." It is well-known that Superman is considered to be a literary Christ figure.
I am aware that most people will just find the Super Obama shirt to be funny and will think nothing further of it. I suppose that I am holding President Obama to a standard to which he does not hold himself. I just wish he would make some sort of an effort to discourage this sort of thing.
This, and other issues, is discussed on the group blog (six writers), Holy Heroes, Religion in Comics. http://holyheroes.blogspot.com/. A warning: you will not agree with every post and some of the subjects discussed may offend you.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Comic Book Superheroes and Supervillains Have Religious Beliefs
This post, first published on 13 November 2009, was extensively updated on 27 July 2026.
The superhero character Superman has long been recognized to have been based on the Christ/Messiah story. Kal-el is sent by his father to the Earth where he is raised by foster parents. The "el" of his name is the Hebrew root meaning "divine," or "god" and, in its plural form (more about that in a later post) occurs as elohim, one of the biblical names of God.
There are hints during his childhood and adolescence that he is "special" but the full truth is not apparent until he reaches adulthood, when he exhibits powers and abilities not available to normal humans. In one major story line Superman even rises from the dead.
During his childhood he is raised as Clark Kent by a kindly older couple named Jonathan and Martha Kent. A little known fact is that the character is a Christian, raised as a Methodist in Smallville, Kansas. The two creators of the character were Jewish.
While overt religion was historically little mentioned in comic books, it was always there, slipped in as asides and used as the basis for numerous story lines. Overtly Christian superhero comic books and television programs have begun to appear with characters such as Bibleman, Biblegirl, The Crusader, and the Crossbreeds.
The religious beliefs of many comic book superhero/supervillain characters have long been established. Many are more nominal in their religious beliefs than practicing. For most of the characters their religious beliefs are used mainly as story elements to aid in the story writing and not as any sort of real religious statement by the writers. The most obvious example is the blind Marvel Comics superhero, Daredevil. Daredevil struggles mightily with his intense catholic guilt over his very real beliefs versus his very violent methods of fighting crime and corruption.
http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.htmlhttp;//www.comicbookreligion.com
Here is a short list:
The Ancient One: Tibetan Buddhism
Angel: Episcopalian
Ant Man: atheism
Aquaman: Greco-Roman
Avengelyne: a warrior angel
Bard Wire: atheism
Batman: Episcopalian/Roman Catholic
Bibleman: Generic Christianity
Blackhawk: Communism, Atheism
Black Widow: Communist/Russian Orthodox
Blue Devil: Roman Catholic
Brother Voodoo: Voodoo
Captain America: Protestantism
Captain Britain (Brian Braddock): Anglican and Occultism
Colossus: atheism
John Constantine: occultism
Crossbreeds: Christian
The Crusader: Christianity
Cyclops: atheism
Daredevil: Roman Catholic
Deadman: Hinduism
Doctor Doom: Occultism
Dr. Druid: Druidism and Tibetan Buddhism
Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson): occultism
Doctor Strange: Magic, Sorcery
Doomguy: Roman Catholic
Dust: Muslim
Mr. Fantastic: Humanism
Firebird: Roman Catholic
Ghost Rider: powered by Satan
Green Arrow: Marxism
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan is one of the several thousand Green Lanterns): Judaism
Green Lantern (Simon Baz is one of the several thousand Green Lanterns): Muslim
Hawkeye: nominally Christian
Hawkman: Ancient Egyptian
HellBoy: Roman Catholic
Herbie the Fat Fury: Church of Herbangelism
Howard the Duck: Roman Catholic
The Hulk: atheism
The Human Torch: Episcopal
Huntress: Roman Catholic
Iron Man: atheism
Jacob Raven: Mormon
Josiah X: Muslim
Kingpin: Roman Catholic
Lightning Lad: an extraterrestrial nature religion
Loki: Norse Religion
Madman: Mormon
The Magdalena: Roman Catholic
Magneto: Judaism/Agnosticism
Major Victory: powered by a supernatural spirit
Mandrake the Magician: Buddhism
Miss America: powered by a supernatural spirit
Moon Knight: Judaism
Ms. Marvel: Muslim
Namor, the Sub-Mariner: Polytheism
Nightcrawler: Roman Catholic
Odin: Norse Religion
The Phantom Stranger: He is literally Judas Iscariot and is the Wandering Jew
PowerMark: Christian
The Punisher: Roman Catholic/Atheist
Quicksilver: Judaism
Ragman: Judaism
Red Guardian: Communism
Red Skull: Nazism
The Riddler: atheism
Rogue: Southern Baptist
Sabra: Judaism
Saturn Girl: either Roman Catholic or Anglican
Savage Dragon: Atheist
Scarlet Witch: Judaism, Occultism
Shadowcat: Judaism
Shadow Lass: an extraterrestrial Talokian ancestor worship religion
Shadowman: Voodoo
Shaman: Native American shamanism
Shazam: mixed religious origins
She-Hulk: nominal Christian
Sif: Norse Religion
Silver Surfer: alien Zenn-La religion
Spawn: powered by Satan
The Spectre: (Judeo-Christian)
Starlight: Generic Christian
Steel Fist: powered by a supernatural spirit
Sunfire: Shintoism
Superman: Methodist
Talisman: Native American shamanism
The Thing: Judaism
Thor: Norse Religion
Johnny Thunder: Mormon
Thunderbird (John Proudstar): Apache Native American religion
Timeslip: Hinduism
U.S. Agent: Protestantism
Venom/Eddie Brock: Roman Catholic
Vixen: Anglican and African indigenous religion
Warrior Nun Areala: Roman Catholic
Wiccan: Judaism
Witchblade (Sara Pezzini):Roman Catholic
Wolfsbane: Presbyterian
Wonder Woman: Greco-Roman
Professor Charles Xavier: Judaism
X-Knights: Muslim
X-O Manowar: Paganism and Arianism
Yondu: the extraterrestrial Centaurian religion
Zatanna: occultism
Zeus: ancient Greek religion
Zuariel: Christian
Monday, July 20, 2009
Book Comment: A Contract With God
Book Comment: Will Eisner is best known for his comic book, The Spirit, about a non-super
powered middle class crimefighter who seemingly returns from the dead and wears a little "Lone Ranger" style mask to obscure his true identity. The weekly Spirit comic books ran for twelve years, but Eisner never considered them to be his best work. For years, he had something else in mind; elevating the comic book format to the status of high art.
He succeeded with this goal when he became the inventor of the graphic novel format with his A Contract With God, a series of four connected short stories about the lives of the Jewish immigrant inhabitants of a 1930's tenement in the Bronx. The stories are interesting because they are so universal, as all great stories are.
Some comment that the artwork is somewhat cartoonish, but it can be seen as exhibiting an exaggerated realism such as that evidenced in the great caricatures, such as the work of Bill Mauldin, who used the form to show the spirit-dulling effects of World war II on the soldiers involved. The characters are real people but the way in which they are drawn shows that they are archetypic symbols representing many people who have found themselves in similar situations. A Contract With God is rightly considered to be a classic because of the depth of its content, and not just because it was the first graphic novel.
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