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Holy Superheroes! Revised and Expanded Edition: Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film
Spider-Man. Batman. The X-Men. The Fantastic Four. Comic books and the characters they have spawned have become twenty-first-century mythology. Greg Garrett helps us see the profound depth that can be found in the glossy, fast-paced, and often violent world of comics, graphic novels, and the films they inspire. Holy Superheroes! provides extensive discussions of some of our most beloved comic heroes and concludes with an appendix of twenty-five comics and graphic novels for discussion of spirituality and comics.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
6 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Greg Garrett
48 books77 followersGreg Garrett is the Austin, Texas author of two dozen books of fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and translation. Like his literary heroes James Baldwin and Marilynne Robinson, Greg moves fluidly from fiction to nonfiction exploring the big human questions, and in his books, hoping to help his readers discover some answers of their own. Among his latest books are a book of conversation with his friend Rowan Williams, the past Archbishop of Canterbury (In Conversation), a lead trade title from Oxford University Press exploring our post-9/11 obsession with the zombie apocalypse (Living with the Living Dead, Starred Review in Library Journal), the tenth-anniversary edition of his searing yet hopeful memoir of depression and faith (Crossing Myself, featured on FOX News), and a novel retelling one of our great archetypal stories in the modern world of 24/7 news and social media (The Prodigal, Starred Review in Publishers Weekly). Greg's debut novel, Free Bird, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as a First Fiction feature, and the Denver Rocky Mountain News named it one of the best first novels of 2002. His other novels are Cycling and Shame. All have been critically acclaimed.
Greg is perhaps best known for his writing on faith, culture, race, politics, and narrative. BBC Radio has called Greg "one of America's leading voices on religion and culture," and he has written on topics ranging from spirituality and suffering to film and pop culture, written on U2, Harry Potter, American politics, and contemporary faith and practice. Greg's nonfiction work has been covered by The New Yorker, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, FOX News Radio, The Christian Science Monitor, BBC Radio, BBC Scotland, National Public Radio, CBS Radio, msnbc.com, DublinTalk Radio, The New Statesman, The National Review, Commonweal, Christianity Today, Vice, Playboy, Mens Health, and many other broadcast, print, and web media sources. Greg has written for Salon.com, The Washington Post, The Daily Mirror, Patheos, FOX News, The Huffington Post, The Spectator, Reform, The Tablet, and other print and web publications in the US and UK, and has spoken across the US and Europe, including appearances at the Edinburgh Festival of Books, the American Library in Paris, Cambridge University, Kings College London, Villanova University, Amerika Haus in Munich, the Greenbelt Festival in the UK, Google London, South by Southwest, Amerika Days in Stuttgart, and the Washington National Cathedral. Greg's current projects are a literary novel set in Paris against the backdrop of international terrorism, a book on race, film, and reconciliation for Oxford University Press, and a book on the wisdom of James Baldwin.
Greg is an award-winning Professor of English at Baylor University, Theologian in Residence at the American Cathedral in Paris, and an elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Jeanie and their daughters Lily and Sophia.
Greg is perhaps best known for his writing on faith, culture, race, politics, and narrative. BBC Radio has called Greg "one of America's leading voices on religion and culture," and he has written on topics ranging from spirituality and suffering to film and pop culture, written on U2, Harry Potter, American politics, and contemporary faith and practice. Greg's nonfiction work has been covered by The New Yorker, USA Today, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Globe and Mail, FOX News Radio, The Christian Science Monitor, BBC Radio, BBC Scotland, National Public Radio, CBS Radio, msnbc.com, DublinTalk Radio, The New Statesman, The National Review, Commonweal, Christianity Today, Vice, Playboy, Mens Health, and many other broadcast, print, and web media sources. Greg has written for Salon.com, The Washington Post, The Daily Mirror, Patheos, FOX News, The Huffington Post, The Spectator, Reform, The Tablet, and other print and web publications in the US and UK, and has spoken across the US and Europe, including appearances at the Edinburgh Festival of Books, the American Library in Paris, Cambridge University, Kings College London, Villanova University, Amerika Haus in Munich, the Greenbelt Festival in the UK, Google London, South by Southwest, Amerika Days in Stuttgart, and the Washington National Cathedral. Greg's current projects are a literary novel set in Paris against the backdrop of international terrorism, a book on race, film, and reconciliation for Oxford University Press, and a book on the wisdom of James Baldwin.
Greg is an award-winning Professor of English at Baylor University, Theologian in Residence at the American Cathedral in Paris, and an elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Jeanie and their daughters Lily and Sophia.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 21, 2020
I was hoping for more, like perhaps some theology. Most of the book was summarizing comics, which is great. But how the comics tie into faith was a bit lacking. And typos, which bother me because it seemed like it was written in a hurry and the editor didn't do the job reading it for typos properly. Overall, I was disappointed.
February 18, 2020
Une bonne lecture pour le genre. Apporte des réflexions sur la religion et les super héros qui ne sont malheureusement pas assez poussées à mon goût. Mais un bon point de départ si on se pose des questions sur le sujet.
June 8, 2017
This book is the literary equivalent of your youth pastor wearing a bandana and "rapping" to get kids in the building.
August 4, 2016
The intersection of religion/faith and popular culture is one of my favourite topics, so it should come as little surprise that Holy Superheroes! immediately intrigued me from the title. Through a series of essays, Baylor University English professor Greg Garrett explores a number of religious themes as they appear in a wide variety of comic books and movies, including justice, evil, truth, power, and violence.
These kinds of collections can occasionally serve as superficial attempts from (primarily Evangelical) Christians to capitalize on current themes and trends in a barely-disguised bait-and-switch intended to hook readers on the initial concept and then to expose them to Jesus, but Garrett's discussions are different. Garrett succeeds at digging deeper - beyond that superficial level - and it is easy to tell that he not only has a deep understanding of the role that faith plays in one's life, but also a deep love of comics and superheroes and for their place in helping us understand ourselves and our purpose in the world.
Garrett has left little doubt that his opinion is that comics and superheroes are one of the primary ways that stories are being communicated now, and his recognition of the inherent religious themes within does not seem superimposed on the texts, but rather a natural expression of the thoughts underlying almost all meaningful expressions of art.
The resulting collection of essays is, I think, of more interest to comic fans looking into the religious aspects of the works they know and love, rather than for Christians who are looking for a way to justify their love of comics or for pastors who are trying to figure out a way to incorporate superheroes into their sermons. I really appreciated that, after the conclusion, Garrett supplies a list of graphic novels and comic collections for readers to explore; there were a few I had not yet read myself, so I have some more exploring to do. And thanks to Garrett, I feel like I have a few more tools to be able to understand how to handle those texts, both in terms of theology and cultural exegesis.
These kinds of collections can occasionally serve as superficial attempts from (primarily Evangelical) Christians to capitalize on current themes and trends in a barely-disguised bait-and-switch intended to hook readers on the initial concept and then to expose them to Jesus, but Garrett's discussions are different. Garrett succeeds at digging deeper - beyond that superficial level - and it is easy to tell that he not only has a deep understanding of the role that faith plays in one's life, but also a deep love of comics and superheroes and for their place in helping us understand ourselves and our purpose in the world.
Garrett has left little doubt that his opinion is that comics and superheroes are one of the primary ways that stories are being communicated now, and his recognition of the inherent religious themes within does not seem superimposed on the texts, but rather a natural expression of the thoughts underlying almost all meaningful expressions of art.
The resulting collection of essays is, I think, of more interest to comic fans looking into the religious aspects of the works they know and love, rather than for Christians who are looking for a way to justify their love of comics or for pastors who are trying to figure out a way to incorporate superheroes into their sermons. I really appreciated that, after the conclusion, Garrett supplies a list of graphic novels and comic collections for readers to explore; there were a few I had not yet read myself, so I have some more exploring to do. And thanks to Garrett, I feel like I have a few more tools to be able to understand how to handle those texts, both in terms of theology and cultural exegesis.
April 7, 2009
I'll admit when I was first given this book and I read the title, I immediately dismissed it as fluff. Typical judging a book by its cover attitude. However, having grown up an avid comic book collector I cracked it open and was pleasantly surprised. The author knows his comics and touches on most major graphic novels such as Maus, The Watchmen, Road to Perdition, Sandman, V for Vendetta, among many others, and also delves into mainstream DC and Marvel comics. The book's lone appendix "Essential Graphic Novels and Collections" provides a really great concise overview of some of the more recognized works that have been published over the past couple of decades.
More impressive than the books that were covered was the thought that went into the writing. Garrett is a longtime comic book fan as well as a professor of film, fiction, and American literature. As a result, he approaches many of the topics in an intelligent manner much beyond the usual "fanboy" fare.
Holy Superheroes! is categorized more as philosophical reading but is worth checking out, whether you're a fan of comics, pop culture, or philosophy.
More impressive than the books that were covered was the thought that went into the writing. Garrett is a longtime comic book fan as well as a professor of film, fiction, and American literature. As a result, he approaches many of the topics in an intelligent manner much beyond the usual "fanboy" fare.
Holy Superheroes! is categorized more as philosophical reading but is worth checking out, whether you're a fan of comics, pop culture, or philosophy.
June 24, 2009
I bought this for my brother one year for his birthday and read it before I gave it to him. It's a very interesting look at how comic books are shaped by the spirituality and faith of those involved in creating them. If you think about it, the majority of mainstream comic books revolve around the classic "good vs. evil" plot, which of course can be seen in all major religions.
I found this book very insightful and interesting, and enjoyed reading the author's views not only exploring how faith and spirituality shape our comic heroes but also our views on society as we grow up with these beloved characters. A good resource for comic book fans as well as readers interested in exploring how personal faith shapes the world in which we live.
I found this book very insightful and interesting, and enjoyed reading the author's views not only exploring how faith and spirituality shape our comic heroes but also our views on society as we grow up with these beloved characters. A good resource for comic book fans as well as readers interested in exploring how personal faith shapes the world in which we live.
June 4, 2015
Wasn't expecting to enjoy this book based on the Christian-spiritual background of the author, but Garrett does a pretty fair job at not making this a completely "Jesus-as-Superhero" event. He's obviously a fan of comics and, despite some moments that were a bit heavy handed, he does a nice job presenting this material in a simple overview.
May 16, 2014
Though there was not a whole of new information nor observations here for me, the author does have a way with words. Plus there is something to be said for simple reaffirmation. A couple of small factual errors had me squinting sideways at the pages; but overall the books states its case very well.
August 6, 2014
One of the best nonfiction books I have ever read. This book does a fantastic job in exploring the fundamental concepts of comic books and their religious influences. Garrett does an excellent job in connecting the myth of the American superhero to our everyday lives.
March 26, 2009
it was a really interesting book that was both social critique, exploration of myth and history in comics, and relating themes in scripture.
started-but-never-finished
September 5, 2011Started this, but just couldn't get into it. It had a bit more of a religious than academic lens, and just didn't hold my interest.
September 22, 2012
Read for ECC small group.
April 18, 2014
Very disappointed in his PC unitarian approach to spirituality.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews