American Comics, Literary Theory, and Religion

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 1-15

3. The Six Elements of the Superhero Afterlife Subgenre

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 17-44

4. The Comic Book Medium’s Glimpse of Eternity

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 45-72

5. Complexities of Character in Fantastic Four: Hereafter

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 73-105

6. Planetary, Promethea, and the Multiplicity of Selfhood

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 107-134

7. Conclusion

   • A. David Lewis

   Pages 135-143

8. Back Matter

   Pages 145-192

   PDF

Unlocking a new and overdue model for reading comic books, this unique volume explores religious interpretations of popular comic book superheroes such as the Green Lantern and the Hulk. This superhero subgenre offers a hermeneutic for those interested in integrating mutiplicity into religious practices and considerations of the afterlife.

• America
• Comic
• literary theory
• religion

"Don't be fooled by the academic tone of the title. This book is captivating, insightful, and incredibly thought-provoking. Whether you're fairly new to the comics medium or have (like me) studied it all your life, you'll find that Lewis illuminates the subject in a light you've never before seen or considered, and it's delightfully revelatory." - Mark Waid, writer for Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Superman: Birthright, Kingdom Come, and Thrillbent's Empire

"A unique and fascinating look into the metaphysics of the comic book world." - J.M. DeMatteis, writer of Moonshadow and Brooklyn Dreams

"This is a beautiful and sophisticated analysis of the multiplex self in the mirror of the afterlives portrayed in the narratives and visual art of superhero comics. The positive message is clear. We are not who we think we are. Like the superheroes themselves, we each have a secret identity (or identities). The conscious ego or unitary self is a useful construction, but also an illusion. Lewis then goes further. He suggests that these multiplex selves imagined in fantastic fiction can help us with the real-world work of interreligious understanding and, indeed, of self-understanding. As such, these super-selves can become an important part of a new soul-making practice that will result in future selves and future stories in which to live and flourish. Our afterlives, it turns out, are not determined or decided. They are constantly being rewritten, redrawn, and seen anew. By us, as super." - Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religion, Rice University, USA and author of Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal

A. David Lewis is Adjunct Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University University, USA.

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