Tag Archives: podcasts

academic, contributors, controversy, interviews, online

Returning to the Religious Studies Project’s Comics Warning

A year or two ago, S&S Founding Members David McConeghy and A. David Lewis sat down to discuss the latter’s new book, American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion: The Superhero Afterlife for The Religious Studies Project. Since that time, The Superhero Afterlife went on to be nominated for an Eisner Award, and McConeghy has switched American coasts, moving from West to East.

However, at around the same time, RSP’s own David G. Robertson penned this incisive response to the subject of their conversation, which, in light of 2017 politics and recent criticism of mainstream superhero storylines, now feels remarkably prescient.

Therefore it is vitally important for a non-essentialist and non-elitist study of religion that we consider comics in their cultural and historical context. Without that, structural analyses may be merely repeating hegemonic categories and structures of power.

Robertson is a Co-founding Editor of the Religious Studies Project and a committee member of the British Association for the Study of Religion. For his full CV, see his Academia page or personal blog here.

academic, online

Washington University Podcast Covers Religion and Comics

WUSTL's WUSTL’s “Hold That Thought” podcast featured an episode this week on “Religion and Comic Books: A Tangled Web.” Based at Washington University in St. Lewis, “Hold That Thought” spoke with Assistant Professor of Classics and Religious Studies Roshan Abraham on what they initially considered the odd pairing of topic and medium. Abraham assured them that the linkages are numerous, from mythology to canonicity to Christology.

After the podcast, Abraham was kind enough to give a shout out to some of S&S’s own contributors:

academic, contributors, online

Comics Alternative Podcast Features Roundtable Discussion on Religion and Comics

Religion-PanelistsOn Monday, the Comics Alternative podcast hosted a “special roundtable” discussion featuring S&S’s own A. David Lewis, Elizabeth Coody, and Jeff Brackett on the subject of religion and comics. One-half of the show’s “2 Guys with PhDs,” Derek Royal, led the animated conversation, spanning all manner of engaging topics:

The subjects that come up during the discussion range from superheroes and myths, manifestations of the afterlife, adaptations of religious texts, biographies of religious leaders, expressions of heaven and hell, the crossroads of faith and ethnicity, and parodic (even heretical) representations of religious figures, doctrines, and practices.

At times on the panel the discussants clash or come at books from different angles — for example, Jeff and David disagree on the usefulness of Craig Thompson’s Habibi and Derek pushes back on the “religiousness” of such comics as Maus, A Contract with God, and Persepolis — but the talk is always lively and insightful. Among the many texts they reference are Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, Mike Carey’s Lucifer, Justin Green’s Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, Robert Crumb’s The Book of Genesis Illustrated, Sean Murphy’s Punk Rock Jesus, Mark Waid’s Kingdom Come, Mark Millar’s American Jesus, and Craig Thompson’s Blankets. They even discuss comics as religious propaganda, such as what you’ll find in the Spire comics published by Archie during the 1970s and the ever-present Chick tracts.

A panel from Spire Comics’s Christian-themed ARCHIE.

As Royal noted, there was plenty more to be said, so, based on their audience’s response, a follow-up discussion could well be in the works!

Listen to the episode either on the Comics Alternative website, downloaded to your personal device, or via iTunes.

academic, raowantstoknow

The Hero Worship of Professor Robert M. Price

American theologian Robert M. Price has written, among others, The Case against the Case for Christ, The Reason-Driven Life: What Am I Here on Earth For?, and Paperback Apocalypse: How the Christian Church Was Left Behind. But what that last title might only hint at is the religion and philosophy professor’s abiding interest in popular culture, namely comics.

Over at his personal website, people can read the full, free collection of Price’s thoughts on religion and comics with the complete archive of his “Hero Worship” columns. The host of The Human Bible and The Bible Geek podcasts also tackles topics like Kingdom Come, Marvel Man, and “The Death of Superman” storyline, all from his religious skeptic perspective.

The Human Bible with Robert M. Price

Certainly, Price has his detractors (e.g. Reverend John Rankin, William Lane Craig, Bart Ehrman), little has been said about his reflections on comics — far little than, say, his writing on H.P. Lovecraft.

Rao Wants to Know:  Is Price a true comics scholar or a scholar who dabbles with comics?

academic

Religion in Comics on Fanboy Radio

Talking Religion in Comics on Fanboy RadioEpisode #578 of Fanboy Radio features a discussion on “Religion in Comics“ with A. David Lewis and G. Willow Wilson.

The two were contributors to the book Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books & Graphic Novels for which Lewis was also a co-editor. Wilson had spoken at the conference of the same name back in 2008 and has since gone on to author Air from Vertigo Comics and her own prose novel The Butterfly Mosque. Lewis, an independent comics writer, is a Ph.D. candidate in Religion & Literature at Boston University.

Fanboy Radio is hosted by Scott Hinze with David Hopkins, Oliver Tulls, and Sean Jackson. It broadcasts live weekly on KTCU FM 88.7 and is available as a podcast free from iTunes.