Holy Superheroes: Exploring Faith And Spirituality In Comic Books (Paperback)

by Greg Garrett (Author) "In one of my favorite comic books recently, something earth-shaking happened..." (more)
Key Phrases: pop fascism, comic heroes, comics heroes, Captain America, Hebrew Bible, Bruce Wayne (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group; 1 edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576835766
• ISBN-13: 978-1576835760
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,855 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars cool cover, intriguing topic, light treatment, September 29, 2005

By	C. D. Nantista (California, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is a decent light read with food for thought, examining the American phenomenon of the superhero and highlighting the religious influence on and messages of superhero comics and movies. Chapters deal with such issues as vigilantism, justice, evil, the apocalypse, etc., with reference to popular characters, comics, movies, and graphic novels. For those familiar with these points of reference and interested in morality and religion, this book can provide some enjoyment.
The author's politics comes through at times, which may be off-putting to those who don't share it (e.g. disapproving references to American foreign policy), but this does not dominate the discussions. The text repeatedly and nearly exclusively quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. and Desmond Tutu, with a few words from Karen Armstrong and Joseph Campbell. Garrett also has the annoying habbit of quoting his own other book, a similar treatment of the Matrix movies. A final quibble is that he seems to be a bit sloppy in the quotes inserted at the head of the chapters. For example, doesn't the Mighty Mouse song say "Here I come to save the day!", rather than "Here he comes..."?, and doesn't Jessica Rabbit say, "I'm not really bad; I'm just drawn that way," rather than "I'm not evil"? Pop culture buffs notice these things.
This intriguing combination of topics deserves a more in-depth treatment, but this is a start, and the price is resonable. Besides, the cover illustration is really cool

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comics... need your Bible?, July 24, 2006

By	Derek J. Jordan "The Talespinner" (Montgomery, Al) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How many times have you been told that comics are for kids? How many times have you thought that they are against God? Did you ever think to write a book about it.

God can be found in all things - as it is said in the word of God - All things work for the good.

Comics are man-made and have many mistakes and misinterpretations, but as Greg Garrett says in this book, alot of the stuff they got right, IS THE IMPORTANT STUFF.

Look at superman... all powerful, yet he never kills. He does not use his power to take over the world and make it as he sees fit. Look at wolverine.. do you only see the savagery of him, or can you see the spiritual underlining that makes this character so good.. that he is canstantly battling the wild side in him - that is afraid of losing to his BEAST. This book has them all, and many you probably have not heard of.

It does a wonderful job of letting the reader know the comic story that he is using as example and explaining the spiritual depth of the comics. That you don't always have to take things at face value, but you can see what this can be used in the service of Christ.

I would recommend this book to any comic reader - or even if you just enjoyed the X-men and other marvel movies recently.

as well this book goes into describing the change that comics went through after 911. Especially the difference in Captain Marvel. As he decided to stand up for peace on the homefront - and still looking out for others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good study, March 10, 2006

By	Delroy A. Brooks - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I appreciate the work and research displayed in this book. As a former comic book collector and now youth pastor, I found many of the conclusions in the book to be pretty on target. I thought he was going to go in a different direction, but was pleasantly surprised.