Drawing on Religion
Subtitle: Reading and the Moral Imagination in Comics and Graphic Novels
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
Published: 2020
Language: eng
Number of pages: 280
ISBN-13: 9780271087757
Description: "Develops a critical reading of comic religious narratives to engage moral sources that both expand and limit our ethical worlds"--

"Comics traffic in stereotypes, which can translate into real danger, as was the case when, in 2015, two Muslim gunmen opened fire at the offices of Charlie Hebdo over depictions of Islam and Muhammad perceived by many to be blasphemous. As a response to that tragedy, Ken Koltun-Fromm calls for us to expand our moral imaginations through readings of graphic religious narratives. Utilizing a range of comic books and graphic novels, including R. Crumb's Book of Genesis Illustrated, Craig Thompson's Blankets, the Vakil brothers' 40 Sufi Comics, and Ms. Marvel, Koltun-Fromm argues that representing religion in these formats is an ethical issue. Koltun-Fromm explores what religious stereotypes do and how they function in comics in ways that might expand or diminish our imaginative worlds. The pedagogical challenge is to linger in that space and see those worlds well, with both ethical sensitivity and moral imagination."--back cover.