UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S.

Illinois vs. MichiganLast October, Sacred and Sequential reported that the the largest collection of Indian comics in the U.S. resides at the University of Illinois under the care of curator Mara Thacker. In December, however, we received the following e-mail from Professor Siddharth Chandra, excerpted below:

Subject: Largest collection of Indian comics in a US library
Message Body:
Dear Mr. David,

A small correction to your article titled “THE U.S.’S LARGEST INDIAN COMICS COLLECTION IN IS IN ILLINOIS.” ‘Illinois’ should read ‘Michigan.’ For more information, please see https://magic.msu.edu/search~S39?/dIndian+comic+books%2C+strips%2C+etc./dindian+comic+books+strips+etc/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dindian+comic+books+strips+etc&1%2C1763%2C .

This link leads to a partial listing of Indian comics in Michigan State University’s comic arts collection. There are hundreds of additional volumes in the process of being cataloged.

Kind regards,
Siddharth Chandra

After following the link and reading its contents, I caught the gist of his message and responded:

Actually, you’re saying that the premise of the article is incorrect — that the largest one ISN’T in Illinois, as stated by the article, but at MSU?

And his reply was polite and clear (as were his bona fides):

Yes, I believe so.

Siddharth Chandra
Director, Asian Studies Center
Professor of Economics, James Madison College and
Professor (by courtesy), Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Michigan State University

Continue reading UPDATE: Two Universities Vie for Largest Collection of Indian Comics in U.S.

Superman as Jewish Assimilation, not Exodus

The talented Noah Berlatsky recently wrote a piece for The Forward where he challenges many of the semi-religious attributes assigned to Superman — in particular, the closeness of the hero’s link to Judaism.

The truth is that Siegel and Shuster, like many Jewish Americans in the 1930s, had little investment in Jewish religion or in Jewish history. Brad Ricca wrote in “Superboys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster” that Siegel and Shuster were both disinterested in the Jewish religion and culture of their “old world parents.”

This reading of Superman aligns much more closely with scholarship produced just two years ago by Martin Lund, entitled Re-Constructing the Man of Steel, than it does the work of The Forward‘s own Larry Tye or that of Harry Brod’s 2012 book Is Superman Jewish?

In many ways, Bertlatsky’s article counters another recent piece by The Forward, that of Marcy Oster’s “Making Superman Jewish Again” in February. This increasing intensity and variety of takes on the Man of Steel strongly suggest that his religious symbolism, particularly with a Jewish lens, remains a hot site of debate.

 

 

More Than You Ever Wanted to Know on Black Panther and Religion

Black Panther rules the box office worldwide and is a cultural phenomenon. As such, it’s being viewed from every possible angle and through every available lens. And, to paraphrase Ian Malcolm, the thinkpiecers were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.

So, without comment, here is a short sampling of the various ways Black Panther, with its roots in comics, is being applied to the subject of religion, of religious intolerance, censorship, and interfaith relations. Your mileage may vary.

We’ve loosely grouped them below as Black Panther and…”

…Religion in General

What The Movie ‘Black Panther’ Teaches Us About Religion

‘Where Is Your God Now?’ 3 Religious Objects of Worship in ‘Black Panther’

http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/23/black-panther-is-a-quasi-religious-atonement-for-white-guilt/

…Judaism

Black Panther Is a Jewish Creation

Why ‘Black Panther’ might also be a milestone in black-Jewish relations

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/256186/black-panther-is-a-great-zionist-movie

The Defeat of Killmonger in ‘Black Panther’ Holds Lessons for Israel

…Spirituality

Black Panther’s Spirituality Pulls from Reality

Spiritual Reflections on the Black Panther Movie

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/17/is-the-hero-in-black-panther-secretly-spiritual/

African cosmologies: spiritual reflections on the ‘Black Panther’ movie

…Hinduism

http://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/black-panther-cbfc-muted-hanuman-reference-due-to-not-hurt-any-kind-of-religious-sentiments/1225555

CBFC Offended by ‘Hanuman’ in Black Panther Is Divine Stupidity

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/black-panther-fans-in-india-angry-over-beeping-out-hanuman-reference-twitter-reactions-5073987/

…Islam

Is the Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic?

Is Black Panther Islamophobic? A Somali Canadian Perspective

Black Panther Shows Muslims Too Can Escape Tokenism

Black Panther Makes A Nod To The Boko Haram Kidnapping in Nigeria

…Christianity

What “Black Panther” Means for Christians

Four Lessons the Church Can Learns from Black Panther

Clergy’s View on Black Panther

http://www.jesusdaily.com/inspire/black-panther-movie-review-christian-perspective/

‘Black Panther’ and the Longing for Home

At Home in Wakanda

Do it For the Diaspora?: The Moral Question Behind Black Panther

https://crtvchurch.com/why-christians-need-to-see-marvels-black-panther/

https://aleteia.org/2018/02/23/black-panther-star-boldly-proclaims-i-fell-in-love-with-jesus/

Christian actress Sope Aluko says ‘Black Panther’ set felt ‘almost like church’


In several of these cases, the charge could be levied that groups ostensibly unrelated to Black Panther are ‘making it all about them,’ but, in others, there are some legitimate linkages to be made. It says something, though, when so many religious communities want to comment on or be reflected by a cinema blockbuster — almost as if it means more than superhero popcorn entertainment…

How Does Kingstone Answer “Why Comics?”

Bringing back an old feature from the days of the By Rao! website, the following is offered for discussion and scrutiny:

Christian-based comics publisher and multimedia company Kingstone gives their answer, in video form, to “Why Comics?”

Rao want to know: What does this explanation/ad say to audiences? Moreover, why were these visuals selected to constitute their ad? Who is the intended audience?

Comics and Islam, Live at MICE 2017 – 004 Sacred & Sequential Audio

Muslim identity and practices are featured more comics than ever, from mainstream titles like Ms. Marvelto independent graphic memoirs. This panel at the 2017 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) takes stock of this important growing field — including the brand-new book Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation — and presents the perspectives of both academics and creators. Featuring discussion with Hussein Rashid (Religion Professor, Barnard College; Contributor, Muslim Superheroes), A. David Lewis (Instructor, MCPHS University; Co-Editor, Muslim Superheroes; writer, Kismet, Man of Fate), Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator, Co-Director, BOY/BYE series MIPSTERZ project), and Hillary Chute (English Professor, Northeastern Unitersity).

A. David Lewis, Hillary Chute, Hussein Rashid, Sara Alfageeh
A. David Lewis, Hillary Chute, Hussein Rashid, Sara Alfageeh

@ the intersection of religion and comics: Graphic Religion