By Mary Goglia
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Storytelling has been a part of everyday life since the beginning. It shapes lives, cultures, society, and religion itself. One can see that effect through one of the many branches of storytelling — the medium of comics. Yes, comics can become a form of entertainment and escapism, but what if I said that comics can be spiritually influential? Jesus told moral lessons through storytelling called parables. Comics can be another medium to illustrate God’s Word whether directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally— a “modern” parable. However, just like the choices we make every day are varied, not all comics reveal God’s Messages.
The stories told through the comics medium sometimes portray the battle between good and evil through its characters, like the adventures of DC’s Superman to Marvel’s Spider-Man. Sometimes comics are made for humor, yet the characters can still create a lasting spiritual impact upon the reader (while providing a good healthy laugh for the reader as well). One such example is Charles Schulz‘s Peanuts comic strip as illustrated in The Atlantic article “The Spirituality of Snoopy.”
There are lots of Christian comic creators in the world. You can even find a website for Christian comic creators called www.christiancomicarts.com. Some Christian publishers have their own comics that express the words and values of the Bible such as the Florida-based comic book publisher called Kingstone Comics. There have even been graphic novel adaptions of the Bible itself, like
Some independent creators have decided to express their faith through comics with their own modern-day parables such as Jason Brubaker’s reMIND and Sithrah graphic novels, sold on www.coffeetablecomics.com. For a college project back in 2015, I had asked Jason Brubaker via email a list of questions. One of which was: What is your goal as an artist? He replied: “I just want to use my art in the way that God intended me to use it. And I think it’s intended to point to God.”
While some comics at first glance may not seem spiritual, one must sometimes look deeper. Even when the creator has no intention of creating religious symbolism, it is in human nature that we are expressive of a higher calling, of a higher being. In Christianity, that higher being is Jesus. Comics have the potential of being a bridge to Jesus for readers. As mentioned earlier, the medium of comics is as varied as we are in life choices. It is of utmost importance to be active in one’s faith and to be responsible Christians in deciding what to read and enjoy. Comics can easily be modern-day parable as long as we choose and allow them to shape our hearts, pose interesting questions, and reveal godly virtues, just like any other storytelling medium.
Mary Goglia is an artist with a BA in Visual Communications and a self-taught cartoonist. She has been working on an all-ages graphic novel series called Let’s Go Now!, which can be read on www.letsgonowcomic.com. Early versions of her comic and portfolio can be found on www.marygoglia.carbonmade.com. You can also follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
