A World Without Comic Books

(Picture from Wikipedia article on the Justice League)

What would the world be like without comic books?

Does the world need comic book superheroes? I know what you are thinking… “Superheroes? You mean like the men and women in tights and capes?” Yes, but not all wear capes. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, X-Men, Icon & Rocket, Spiderman, Static, Captain America, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Hardware, The Hulk and all the hundreds and thousands of others. Does the world need comic book superheroes? You may be thinking that “comics are for kids.” Maybe on some level comics are for kids, but they are written by adults and often deal with very serious issues that pertain to the totality of society. Major Blockbuster movies are now based on comic book superheroes - Spiderman (1,2,3), X-Men (1,2,3), Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Fantastic Four (1,2)… and the list continues to some movies that didn’t do too well (Daredevil, Elecktra, The Punisher, Ghost Rider…)

(Picture from Wikipedia article on X-Men)
However, there seems to be a need, in the culture to see heroes in action. Just look at the Heroes television show or The Matrix Trilogy or M. Night Shamalyn’s Unbreakable - all creations heavily influenced by comic book ideology. Comic book ideology… the premise that a person can somehow become more than what they are… that a person can utilize all of their potential… that a person can do what others cannot or will not do… in order to make a difference. (Of course there is the issue of the super villain who uses their powers and abilities to oppress others and further their own selfish and evil ambitions… but this is another issue to be addressed at another time.)

The comic book superhero ideology deals with an issue of Identity: at the core of our being, who are we really? Why are we here? What are we created to do? When the Superman lore was repackaged in the comic book series, Superman: Birthright: The Origin of the Man of Steel (DC 2004), the storytellers focused on these universal questions. They focused on Clark’s struggle of becoming… of discovering not just his abilities, but his identity which was rooted in his Kryptonian heritage and in his earthly upbringing. And it is his continuous discovering of who he is that informs how he uses his abilities. We see through this story how we come to know ourselves: It is often in crises that we find out who we are underneath… and what we can do. I think this is one of the reasons why this genre works so well - because it deals with universal questions that everyone on the planet struggles to comprehend. (And of course there are the cool looking suits/uniforms/costumes and spectacular abilities!)

(Picture from Wikipedia article on Static Shock)
This also brings up another issue: If everyone on the planet questions the significance of their existence… then there must be something deep-seated in our makeup as human beings that draws us to do so. There must be something in the “genetic code” of our body, mind and spirit that calls each of us at an sub-conscious level. What could this be and where does it come from?

We all seek to make meaning of our existence and it is my belief that we see a peculiar phenomenon played out through the comic book superhero myth… I believe author, John Eldredge puts it this way - Original glory. When thinking of the Fall of humanity back in the Garden of Eden, as referenced in the book of Genesis, we often spend more time focusing on our current state - as a result of our Fall from grace - and may often miss the perspective of our intended existence before humanity’s rebellion.

I know what you might be thinking, “Genesis? God? How did we go from superheroes to God, Adam and Eve?” (There are those who don’t believe in the Genesis Orgin account, who would rather believe that all of creation is by “chance” and life sprang from a primordial ooze and humans came from monkeys. I don’t subscribe to that view… although I believe that life “adapts” to various situations and environments and certain characteristics can evolve over time: empirical scientific data supports this. But I believe that God created life with the ability to adapt and on some level to be able to evolve. To me, a merely evolutionary approach to our existence does not account for one of life’s crucial issues: the existence of evil and sinful acts. Why do we murder and rape and lie and steal…?)

(Just something to consider. We can talk more about this later if you have any comments you’d like to share.) Having said this, let me continue with my premise.

Comic book superheroes speak to a deep-seated need concerning who we are… and who we were created to be. Even many of the writers in the comic book industry utilize various biblical characters and themes in their stories… although they may run off on a tangent that is not supported by the context of the Scriptures. (ex: In late 90’s the JLA had a crossover story arc with angels and demons which took place on earth, in hell and in heaven. In this series, superheroes fought side by side with angels and fought against fallen angels as well.) Even here, we see the influence of the biblical narrative which pulls at the core of who we all are… even if we don’t understand the nature of that “pulling.”

In the Beginning of our human history, God created us in sinless perfection, most likely having full use of all of our faculties. (Humanity now, in our sinful state, only uses a small portion of our brainpower. But I’m sure you’ve heard some of the amazing stories of individuals, especially Savants, who have amazing mental capabilities. You’ve heard of child prodigies and others who can command their bodies to do amazing feats. This too demonstrates that humanity was intended for greater things. Perhaps, with the introduction of sin into the world and the corruption of humanity’s nature, God had to curtail our potential. Just look at how we mess things up with what little ability we have.)

Once again, back to my premise.

(Picture from Wikipedia article on Spiderman)
The thoughts and dreams of being able to fly and bend steal with our bare hands, being invulnerable and able to communicate with one another telepathically, while moving objects telekinetically - like Jean Grey from X-Men- and a host of other superheroic abilities… all of these reveal our desire, both as individuals and collectively to live out a greater reality than we are currently capable of doing. This is the Story we have been immersed into (like Eldredge loves to say).

(Picture from Wikipedia article on Icon from Milestone Comics)
Our comic book stories help to shed light on the Story that is actually taking place. If the truth be told, then I would have to say, “As fantastic as our superhero stories are - and as much as I would love to have amazing abilities - those stories pale in comparison to the truth of our situation.”

We were created to have intimate communion with the Creator of the Universe.

We were created to rule and reign as God’s representatives in this physical realm.

We were created with a glory all our own, which reflected the overwhelming glory of God.

We were created with great capacity and ability.

We were created to live forever.

And now all of that has been stifled through our “weakness… our Kryptonite,” so to speak - sin and the knowledge of good and evil which was transmitted to us, like a virus, through the eating from the forbidden tree. (Gen 3) The end result of our rebellion is death. (Romans 6:23) However, there is more to our story.

God still loves us and desires to be in relationship with us - and so the Story continues down through human history where God desires to set us free. The battle between Good and Evil rages on as it does in the comic books and on the movie screens. God has His warriors and Satan has his. The bible is full of true accounts of individuals who were empowered by God to do amazing works; and epic battles from which many comic book characters and stories would seem to draw their inspiration:

Moses spends 40 days on the top of Mt. Sinai with God and returns to his people literally radiating light. Being in the very glory of God Presence has caused his face (and perhaps every cell in his body) to radiate illumination. This frightened the Hebrew people, forcing Moses to veil his face when around them until the glowing stopped. (Ex 34:29-35) (Sounds kind of like The Ray or Jubilee).

The prophet Elijah is surrounded by soldiers who want to subdue him and he calls down lightning from the sky and they are electrocuted and burned alive. (2 Kings 1:10) (Sounds kind of like Storm, doesn’t it?)

Before the fictional baby Kal-El picked up his first car in Superman: The Motion Picture, the real person, Sampson was ripping huge city wall gates from their hinges and killed a ferocious lion with his bare hands. (Judges 16; 14)

As the universe of comic book superheroes reflects on our own universe, we see that there will be casualties and collateral damage along the way towards freedom. Evil geniuses and individuals empowered by darkness, rather than light have risen and will continue to rise to attempt to accomplish their oppressive plans. (Lex Luther, Hitler, The Joker, Stalin, The Hobgoblin, The Antichrist.) Who will fight for us? In the words of the character Morpheus, from Matrix: Revolutions, “Neo… He fights for us.” We know that Neo is character with some Christic characterists. So in our real world I could say, “Jesus… He fights for us.”

God does what no one else can do and sends His only Begotten Son, to fight against and destroy the tyranny of the evil dictator, Satan - to bring freedom to humanity. For those who accept and receive this freedom - there comes a reinstatement back into humanity’s original heritage as Children of God with the culmination of the true nature of our existence being brought about at the Return of the King - Jesus the Christ.

We see this in the book of Revelation, towards the end where the Glorified and All-Powerful CHRIST - our CHAMPION - comes and absolutely vanquishes the enemy and all of his dark influence that has spread through the entirety of creation.

Good triumphs over Evil.

Do you know what happens next? Those of us from humanity who have chosen to pledge their existence to Christ… we are glorified as never before, while the earth and universe are recreated! (Rev 20-21)

Then all glorified sons and daughters of God will rule and reign with Him and there will be no limits as we explore the farthest regions of earth, sky, universe and heaven!

(Picture taken by myself, 2006)
This is a snapshot of the deep-seated desire that lives within each of us… the desire from which we create fantastic stories where members of humanity do amazing and awesome things. It is this deep-seated desire… this long-distant memory that can never be fully understood nor forgotten which drives us to seek for what is unattainable on our own. Comic book superheroes delve into the who we are… and who we were created to be.Once again, if I can use a line from the first Matrix movie, “Amazingly, this is not far from the truth.”

(Picture taken by Ijnanya Shipman, 2007)
What do you think?

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If you liked this post, then check out these:

What Would God Say To Batman

The Last Son of Krypton

Tagged with: Batman • comic book ideology • Heroes • Icon • Identity • Iron Man • Parables • Static • Superman • The Matrix Trilogy • Unbreakable

Filed under: Creativity • Sociology • Spirituality

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