Tag Archives: Herve St-Louis

Rao Reads the Blogs

The blogosphere frequently has a great deal to offer on comics & religion. Here’s a taste of what’s currently being covered at some other notable sites:

The Comic Book Bin‘s “Religion and Comics” section has two new offerings from two of their contributing voices. First, Hevre St-Louis examines the 14 Stations of the Cross as sequential art: “My point in arguing this simple premise about the 14 stations and comic art is of course to show how omnipresent and an important part of world culture the comic book is.” Then, Andy Frisk remains with Christianity as he looks at the character of Thor, naturally tied to pagan Nordic religions, as a “warrior Christ,” specifically highlighting the God of Thunder’s portrayal by Mark Millar in Ultimates 2 as the epitome of this vision.

The Apocalypse Plan

ComicAttack.net‘s “Comics Are My Religion” offers insights from Jeff Jackson, this month focusing on (mis)portayals of Revelation in comics. Fortunately, one new book, The Apocalypse Plan by Rafael Nieves and Dan Dougherty, seems to get it right, at least in a creative manner. “Nieves’s book is not a literal retelling of Revelation, although it does wrestle with the literal sensibilities that most interpreters give it.”

Steve Bergson’s Jewish Comics blog provides an extensive and impressive account of the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) from a Hebraic perspective. Bergson delivers details not only on the panels that relate to Judaism but also on high-profile creators with backgrounds or works pertaining to the faith.

Finally, Faith in Four Colors both gives its Swedish recommendation of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels (also covered by Jackson last month) and puts out a call for people’s personal experiences with Chick Tracts. Information on how to respond is available at the blog site.

Rao Wants to Know: Why No Zoroastrianism?

There are more hints of Zoroastrianism in U.S. culture than one might initially recognize. Brands such as Jaguar, Tetley Tea, and LandRover are all owned by a company long run by a Zoroastrian family. The haunting, familiar music from 2001: A Space Odyssey is named for the Zoroastrian prophet (as is Nietzche’s book that inspired the title); so is the music of Queen, with Zoroastrian front man Freddy Mercury (formerly Farrokh Bulsara).

So, asks Hervé St-Louis at the Comic Book Bin, where are all the Zoroastrianisms in American comics?

I’m quite amazed that the comic book world, known for its propensity to create stories based on any religion or myth has not yet plunged into the world of Zoroastrianism to add some texture to its characters.

While Indian comics may fare better at addressing the religion, St-Louis can offer a scant few examples in comics for American markets. “Zoroastrianism does not seem to have been explored in comic books to the same extent as other religions in character origins and mythologies.”

The question remains: Why not?