GAZETTE
(Colorado Springs, CO)
May 24, 2006, n.p.

Copyright © 2006 Gazette. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services. May 24, 2006. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

Comic Books Increasingly Making Reference to Faith

By Bill Radford
The Gazette (KRT)

     

Comic Book Superheroes

In the fifth issue of "Infinite Crisis," a recent comic-book miniseries from DC Comics, DC's heroes meet in a church to gather their forces--and seek help from a higher power.

     "We ask you, Lord, to take care of those who have already fallen," says Zauriel, a fallen angel and a former member of the Justice League of America. "We ask you to watch over those that have been injured and those that are missing."

     "Lord, hear our prayer," says Blue Devil, a human turned demon and "a good Irish Catholic."

     Outside, Ragman and Mr. Terrific discuss faith. Ragman is Jewish; Mr. Terrific reveals he's an atheist.

     "Atheist?" Ragman asks. "I thought Mr. Terrific was supposed to be the smartest man in the world."

     The two-page scene is an unusual acknowledgment of religion and faith among the superheroes of the DC universe. And it's a sign of how comic-book creators have become more open in exploring religion in the colorful, action-packed world of superheroes.

     "I think you have to touch upon the aspect of religion, because it is such an important part of people's lives," says DC executive editor Dan DiDio. "We had to show that there is some level of belief that takes place with our characters."

     In the foreword to "The Gospel According to Superheroes," a book examining superheroes and religion, legendary comic-book writer and editor Stan Lee says he always scrupulously avoided any mention of specific religions in his stories. "I thought of myself as an 'equal opportunity writer,'" he says.

     But a few writers have brought religion into the mix when taking on some long-time characters. Frank Miller, for example, established Marvel's blind Daredevil as Catholic many years ago.

     "From a story point of view, a guy that dresses up like a devil but is devoutly Christian is interesting," says Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics editor in chief. "Just the same way that the fact that he is a lawyer by day and practices vigilante justice at night is interesting and makes for great storytelling."

     More recently, Ben Grimm--the Thing from the Fantastic Four--was revealed to be Jewish.

     It had long been established that Ben grew up in an eastside New York neighborhood that was, at the time the character was created, "a very Jewish area of New York City," Quesada says.

     "It just seemed to make sense for Ben," he says. "If it makes sense, we'll absolutely go there. If it's just frivolous, what's the point?"

     The growing acknowledgment of religious beliefs reflects a cultural shift, says Douglas Rushkoff, an author, media critic and writer of "Testament," a comic-book series with religious themes.

     When comic books first appeared in the late '30s, "America was supposed to be a melting pot," Rushkoff says. "That was our cultural metaphor. Religion and ethnicity were supposed to be subordinate to our role as Americans.

     "I think now we're much more in a multicultural phase where people are trying to discover their roots."

     But don't expect most superheroes to suddenly start going to church or synagogue and discussing their religious beliefs.

     Religious themes are explored freely in the growing subgenre of Christian comics, which are usually the province of small, independent publishers.

     Larger publishers such as DC and Marvel have a wider readership to worry about.

     "I don't know of any mainstream publisher who would bite that bullet too hard, not in fear, but in concern of not wanting to divide their audience," comic-book writer Fabian Nicieza says.

     With or without overt references to religion, superhero stories resonate for people of faith, says Greg Garrett, author of "Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith & Spirituality in Comic Books."

     "In the process of telling their stories of human--and superhuman--characters, comics deal with issues near and dear to our hearts: faith, hope, belief, guilt, justice, redemption, ultimate meaning, ultimate evil," he writes in the book's introduction.

     Garrett, a professor of English at Baylor University in Texas, is seeking his Master of Divinity degree at Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest.

     

Spider-Man

He says comic-book readers can find a powerful Messiah figure in Superman, who was created by two Jewish teenagers; Kal-El, Superman's name on the planet Krypton, roughly translates to "All that is God" in Hebrew. Batman can be seen as "an avatar of God's justice." Spider-Man teaches lessons about power and responsibility.

     "I think when I go to superheroes, I see there is a religious metaphor to begin with," says comic-book writer Steven T. Seagle. That metaphor is most obvious with Superman, he says.

     "He's the one who's better than us. He's more moral than us. He's more pure than us. He makes better choices than us, and therefore he is an example in a way that God or Christ is an example."

     Generally, though, comic-book characters aren't as simple or pure as they once were. Consider Marvel's Punisher, who exacts deadly vengeance, or Wolverine, who erupts in fits of animal rage.

     "Identity Crisis," a 2004 miniseries featuring DC's top heroes, revealed that Justice Leaguers had tinkered with the minds of villains, giving a sort of lobotomy to one. In a more-recent story, Wonder Woman killed a man who was controlling Superman's mind.

     "What I really like about that story line and the 'Identity Crisis' story line is that basically what both of those stories tell us is that the end and means still need to be evaluated," Garrett says.

     "Even if you're seeking to do good, even if you're pursuing justice, there are some things that make you no better than the person you're facing."

     Comic books helped Nicieza, who moved from Argentina to the United States as a child, learn to read and write English. They also helped provide a moral foundation, he says.

     "Basic moral values that these characters espouse on a regular basis month in and month out, if you're paying attention, eventually they start to sink in."

     Nicieza, who has worked on well-known superheroes such as Marvel's X-Men, is co-writer of "The 99," a comic-book series coming from Kuwait-based Teshkeel Comics.

     The superhero team is billed as the world's first based on Islamic culture and history.

     "Much as Western heroes reflect underlying Western values, and Asian heroes reflect underlying Asian values, 'The 99' will be based on underlying Islamic values, which in truth are universal," the Teshkeel Web site states.

     The characters' powers are based on the attributes of Allah, "which are really positive attributes in any culture, stuff like generosity and strength and wisdom," says Teshkeel founder Naif Al-Mutawa. But "The 99" is not a religious comic book, he stresses.

     "There was not an agenda in the least going into this in terms of religion or anything of that nature," Nicieza says. "The agenda going in was to create a new mythology of action-adventure stories that could appeal to children not just in parts of the world that have not had comics or have not been exposed to this kind of heroic-fiction storytelling, but in any part of the world."

Getting Religion

     Superman as Methodist? Batman a lapsed Catholic? A Web site, www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.html, provides a lengthy list of comic book superheroes and indications of their religious beliefs. Some are firmly established in the comics, such as the X-Men's Nightcrawler as Catholic. Others, such as the belief that Superman was raised as a Methodist, are up for debate.

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