Christianity and comics : stories we tell about heaven and hell / Blair Davis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Blair, 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible--In comics.

Bible.

Comic books, strips, etc--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Comic books, strips, etc.

Comic books, strips, etc--Social aspects--United States.

Superheroes--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Superheroes.

Christianity and literature--United States.

Christianity and literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (315 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, NJ : Rutgers University Press, [2024]

Summary:

The Bible has inspired Western art and literature for centuries, so it is no surprise that Christian iconography, characters, and stories have also appeared in many comic books. Yet the sheer stylistic range of these comics is stunning. They include books from Christian publishers, as well as underground comix with religious themes and a vast array of DC, Marvel, and Dark Horse titles, from Hellboy to Preacher. Christianity and Comics presents an 80-year history of the various ways that the comics industry has drawn from biblical source material. It explores how some publishers specifically targeted Christian audiences with titles like Catholic Comics, books featuring heroic versions of Oral Roberts and Billy Graham, and special religious-themed editions of Archie. But it also considers how popular mainstream comics like Daredevil, The Sandman, Ghost Rider, and Batman are infused with Christian themes and imagery. Comics scholar Blair Davis pays special attention to how the medium’s unique use of panels, word balloons, captions, and serialized storytelling have provided vehicles for telling familiar biblical tales in new ways. Spanning the Golden Age of comics to the present day, this book charts how comics have both reflected and influenced Americans’ changing attitudes towards religion.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

1 The 1940s From Superheroes to Picture Stories from the Bible

2 The 1950s and 1960s Sunday Schools, Secularism, and Seduction of the Innocent

3 The 1970s Comix, Jack Chick, Archie, and Spire Christian Comics

4 The 1970s and 1980s Marvel, DC, Saints, and Sinners

5 The 1990s Vertigo, Hellboy, and Marvels Illuminator

6 The 2000s Genres and Auteurs

Acknowledgments

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781978828230

1978828233

9781978828247

1978828241

OCLC:

1419063312