Comics and Religion

Written by
Brad Kirkegaard, Department for the Study of Religion
San Diego State University

Constructing a class and diving into a topic is always a fascinating creative endeavor – and this course has been no exception.

I always begin by thinking in terms of major topics to explore and how they connect to each of the major religious traditions. The source material dictates the shape of how the course develops. In terms of the major traditions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism there are fascinating issues that arise specific to Comics and Religion. Islam and Judaism are both strongly iconoclastic which results in a lack of comics dealing with sacred stories as well as much less in the range of biography. Both traditions completely avoid any attempt at epiphanies – which are a particularly fascinating visual element in the rendering of religion and comics and appear in such places as Krishna’s self-revelations in the Bhagavad Gita and Jesus’ epiphany in the Gospels. 

Judaism has a particularly rich history in Comics extending back to the rise of modern comics with particular emphasis on the superhero genre. There are a number of superheroes with clear Jewish identities and who explore fascinating topics within the tradition. Figures like the Golem, Ben Grim (of the Fantastic Four), Kitty Pryde, Magneto, and Sabra among many others are all distinctly Jewish and explore their religious identities in fascinating ways. A figure like Sabra is a good reminder of the constantly shifting landscape of talking about these topics and figures with Israeli Jewish identity a particularly charged and challenging subject at present. My single favorite Jewish work to engage is Eisner’s Contract with God. Eisner’s contributions and the work’s place in the development of the Graphic novel alone make this a centrally important work. Beyond that the rich visuals, depth of struggle with grief, Jewish American struggles, and religious themes throughout make this an exceptional work to engage students. Works like Contract with God are powerful reminders of the value of teaching such a class.

Islam has proven particularly rich in recent times in the Comic medium. The Ms. Marvel run is remarkable in dealing with Islamic identity in America and does so with care and depth. There is also much to be done with analyzing how the engagement of Islam and the writing of the character has shifted over time. Works like Habibi and Nayra and the Djinn also offer excellent opportunities for engagement. Persepolis is a fascinating work and worth exploring, but it brings up one of the issues I have dealt with throughout the creation of the class and thinking about Comics and Religion. There are many treatments of religion that are highly critical of the tradition and/or culture. Some of these works have considerable value as comics. I have intentionally chosen to limit their impact on the course and my thinking, privileging treatments that try to present the individual traditions in more respectful and constructive ways. A good course could likely be made solely examining negative treatments with each of these religions and it would prove fascinating in so many ways.

Hinduism is incredibly visually rich as a tradition and is well represented in the comics medium. Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) is incredibly prolific and successful. As a publisher, ACK has vividly captured stories of Hindu belief and Indian culture for a large audience of Indians eager to know about their rich heritage. The volume of offerings means that there are some exceptional overlaps with treatments from other traditions that create fascinating comparanda. So for instance ACK’s treatment of Mother Teresa and the Buddha are intriguing to hold up against other works. I also especially loved ACK’s treatment of the Bhagavad Gita – a work that many of us assign to teach the essential teachings of Hinduism but somehow loses much of its sense of setting and dialogue in a non-comic form. ACK’s biography of Vivikenanda was also extremely useful. He is an important figure for understanding Hinduism in America and the comic does an excellent job of also representing his teacher Ramakrishna. 

Buddhism is again richly present in Comics. Tezuka Osamu’s Eisner winning manga on the Buddha is another of those works that makes the whole class feel so worthwhile to teach. This manga is a massive work and highly engaging as a manga. It is not overly pious with much of the focus on surrounding fictionalized characters and settings that somehow capture suffering brilliantly and play off of the life story of the Buddha to make the whole more compelling. The visuals, storytelling, and religious themes throughout all make this work worthy of substantial study and discussion. The manga on the Dalai Lama is also exceptionally rich. The story of Tibet and of the Dalai Lama has often faded in modern awareness. This manga brings it richly to life, placing the Dalai Lama’s story and mixed religious and political identity firmly into the context of China’s aggression and the desperate need to care for the Tibetan people and to preserve their culture against oppression and erasure.

Christianity is strongly present in Comics. Many characters are clearly Christian including a range of superheroes. I am particularly fascinated by Frank Miller’s treatment of Daredevil among others. Catholic identity in America is a challenging topic and Comics offer rich insight into its long history. Marvel’s runs on overtly Christian topics are an intriguing experiment with works on Saint Francis, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and a number dealing with Jesus directly. The treatment of MLK with the Montgomery Story is brief but remains a wonderful work that is important and richly accessible for students with strong engagement of religious topics throughout. There are a large number of comics dealing with the Bible with many different approaches and different strengths. As a scholar who works a lot with the Bible (I have been teaching a survey of the Bible every semester for the last 17 years), I was particularly intrigued by the Word for Word Comics. The clarity of approach with including every single word as well as incorporating historic depictions made for a fascinating and rich comic. Careful choices of how gutters were used, layouts of pericopes, visual elements like miracles and demon possession all are worthy of thoughtful engagement. The possibilities of a comic medium for use with sacred scripture are realized in fascinating ways with this particular treatment.

The topic of social justice and the place of religion within it probably deserves to be its own separate topic and is an important one for students to reflect upon at some length. The Comics dealing with Gandhi and MLK are particularly useful for exploring this important issue. With each of their non-violent approaches, religious thought from each of their respective traditions are foundational. Comics capture these religious elements surprisingly well, while some treatments do a remarkable job of recasting these elements to try to remove the religious language. 

Many other traditions are richly present in Comics. Paganism is particularly evident and there are so many comics that address it with care and inspiration. The occult is also everywhere evident – sometimes treated in more respectful or careful ways and often presented more negatively as something to fear.

Overall, constructing a class about Comics and Religion and having the opportunity to read material that I love and think about how to use these Comics to engage students and teach about religion has been a fascinating creative enterprise. I hope this blog has been a short invitation into your own engagement with these topics and materials.