Comic books as theological texts?

This morning when I arrived at the office, I took note of six issues of Green Lantern: Rebirth sitting on my desk, and tucked them away with my purse so I won't forget to take them home later. It's not unusual for me to serve as courier between two of my favorite nerds -- my husband, John, and the Reporter's copy editor, Ken -- as they share their mutual affection for comic books by trading various items back and forth. (And just to assert my own nerd cred, I'll point out that John and Ken, like Superman, are both United Methodists.)

Then, making the rounds of United Methodist blogs, I find that Dan Dick is among the comic-book-nerd ranks, too. And he shares that a surprising number of clergy he knows share the fascination. Dan even gives us his Top 10 Reasons Pastors Like Comic Books. Here are some teasers:

5.  Secret identities — many pastors feel like they are two people; at home — normal guy, but at church?  Super-Pastor!  Robes are like costumes, stoles like capes, the Book of Discipline our equivalent of Captain America’s shield.  Many of us often think, “If people really knew who I REALLY am…”

3.  There is always hope — it does not matter how bad things look, there is always a way out.  Perseverance, patience, self-control, faith, and trust lay a foundation upon which every solution might be built.  Heroes never give up.

I'm making you click for the top two, though. Enjoy!

Comments

[Ken Lowery]

There is always hope — it does not matter how bad things look, there is always a way out. Perseverance, patience, self-control, faith, and trust lay a foundation upon which every solution might be built. Heroes never give up.

This is the awesome thing about Superman, when handled properly -- this is what he is all about as a hero. There's ALWAYS a way.

[Andrew Schleicher]

Aww, man! I would love to have the issue pictured. However, I'm trying not to get into the habit of buying comic books. I love the Green Latern, though, and would be excited to read it.

[Dan R Dick]

Hey, Amy, Thanks for the notice. There are more of us out here than I ever believed. I've had over fifty emails in one day -- of people too embarrassed to post comments directly on the blog. Secret identities are obviously really important...

[Kevin]

I love to read comic books. The authors of these stories frequently tackle themes that are difficult to discuss for many people.
I admit to being more of a Marvel fan than DC.

[John Forbus]

Hey, if you're not reading Green Lantern, you're missing out on *the* best comic book being published these days. Seriously, go pick up the trade paperback version of "Green Lantern: Rebirth" or "Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War." They're about $10 or so at you local bookstore. (I'd recommend "Rebirth" first, since it's the first chapter in a huge ongoing storyline that has been developing for the past *four* years. Jumping in anywhere else may leave you a bit lost.)

And it's not just kiddie-fied "Biff!" "Pow!" "Blammo" guys-in-tights punching each other. There's some serious looks at duty, sin, redemption, control over emotions (or emotions' control over you), and even the nature of death. Though there are some pretty good fights in there, too. :-)

Finally, before I get too far into the nerd weeds here, let me expound for a moment on the villains. In my opinion, a hero is only as interesting as the villains he faces. In "Green Lantern," the villains have what seems to be the noblest of motives: they all want to bring peace and order to the universe. Hey, that's the mission of the Green Lantern Corps, so there shouldn't be an conflict, right? Well, Sinestro seeks order through fear: fear of him and fear of his Corps. There's no murder, no robbery, no crime at all - because all criminals are quickly killed by his Corps. Is peace built on fear a peace worth sustaining?

OK, was that too nerdy? (Hi, Amy!)