Oh Boy, A Religious Post

It's in this season that diverse beliefs of our fellow men and women show themselves. Now, this is a comic book blog first and foremost, so the topic of religion is simply here to show how comic books are more personal than people think. Today I'll be presenting you readers with three comic book characters who are of different religious backgrounds, but they all share an outstanding upholding for justice, compassion and humanity.

In 1961, four individuals took part in an unauthorized flight into space. Among the four was a pilot named Ben Grimm. As these four traveled into the space they became pelted with cosmic radiation. Their spaceship crashed into the Earth and they emerged will amazing powers, they decided to become the superhero team known as The Fantastic Four. Ben, however, wasn't so fantastic as the radiation turned him into a stone-skinned monster AKA The Thing. Despite his physical appearance, The Thing became a successful hero both on teams like The FF and The Avengers and also as a solo hero. What most don't know is that Ben Grimm is Jewish. In a 2002 story "Remembrance of Things Past", Ben visits his old neighborhood and reunites with a fellow Jewish pawn shop owner he had known in his youth. In this story he recites The Kaddish and holds a poker tournament for his "second life" Bar Mitzvah. 1964 spawned the vigilante Daredevil, an New York-based lawyer named Matt Murdock who's blindness doesn't stop him from fighting crime. While Matt's father was a boxer, his mother-who had left his father when he was a child-became a nun. You see, Matt was raised Catholic. Matt is often racked with religious guilt over his actions as a vigilante and often visits a confession booth to ease the stress. Defending the sinful, taking the law into own own hands and dressing up like a devil can be quite naughty in the house of God. As an adult, Matt was found almost dead by his mother Sister Maggie, who took Matt in and healed him in her church. She never directly revealed her identity as Matt's mother, but Matt knew by the cross hanging around her neck. The most recent example of religious diversity in comic books is the 2013 Muslim superhero Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. Kamala is a teenage Pakistani living in New Jersey. Her family is very committed to their religion while Kamala tries to fit in with American society. Her peers constantly treat her differently because they do not understand her background, and her family sets guidelines and rules based on their upbringing. Her only connection to American society is through superheroes, as Kamala is as much of a fan of The Avengers as the people reading her book. Her favorite superhero Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel. Kamala gains shapeshifting powers and decides to help people with them. Out of her respect and admiration for Captain Marvel, Kamala becomes Ms. Marvel and lives out her superhero dreams, while also abiding to her family and religion.
The idea of comic books dealing with religion instead of shying away from it is something I greatly admire. When I was in high school, I saw dozens of people from foreign backgrounds and how divided they were from people like me. I believe through things like comic books, people can connect without having different beliefs. Comic Books are for everyone of different races, different religions and different backgrounds. Because with comics, we all share the same story. Thanks for reading!