I’ve been hooked on comics and graphic novels since the Death of Superman saga, arguably the best-selling comics series of all time. The plot is simple: an alien creature called Doomsday, an apt name for an intergalactic killing machine, wakes up one day from his long hibernation in the bowels of planet Earth. He soon leaves a swath of mindless destruction and spiked body counts in his wake as he travels toward Metropolis, the adopted city of Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent. Even the collective efforts of the Justice League, a group of superheroes, fail to stop the rampaging creature. A broken and bloodied Superman makes his last stand in Metropolis. His strength dwindling, the Man of Steel, with his last remaining breath, attempts one final blow to bring down Doomsday. The antagonist, however, slips in his own lethal punch which proved disastrous to Superman. And the world saw the death of the world’s best-loved super hero. For the love of Metropolis and its people. For the love of Lois Lane and Superman’s friends, or so goes the seemingly endless cliches. In the follow-up series uninspiringly titled Funeral for a Friend, one could read how the world mourned Superman’s passing, including the mushy paeans and eulogies that were uttered: Superman the brave, the all-American hero, the greatest superhero, ad infinitum.
Despite the pedestrian plot and trite dialogues, the series rescued DC Comics from ignominy and dire financial straits. It even got extensive coverage from the mainstream media. Clearly, the death of an iconic figure like Superman captured the imagination of millions. But on another level, this “Death” saga is a hollow echo of an event that happened 2,000 years ago, not in a major city like Metropolis but in the backwater of the Roman Empire called Golgotha. And come to think of it, two thousand years ago the world never took notice of the death of its Creator and Redeemer, except maybe those that were in the immediate environs during the sixth hour of Jesus’ crucifixion when, as the Gospels record, darkness came over the whole land.
Going further back by thirty years around 4 B.C., a rescue mission was initiated from the heavens, beyond the bounds of Superman’s Planet Krypton and outside the confines of space-time, parallel universes and their infinite earths, to save helpless human beings who have become slaves to sin and to the powers of the air. The Scriptures say: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is more than a superhero. He is our “Lord and our God” (John 20:28). 2 Peter 1:1 speaks of “our God and Savior Jesus Christ while Titus 2:13 refers to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah refers to him as “Mighty God” as he foretells his rescue mission or coming: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...” (Isaiah 9:6). Surprisingly, the story of Superman’s origin −a baby in a capsule crib who cruised the cold, deep space from an advanced civilization and crashed down into a farm in Kansas − bears similarity to the incarnation of Jesus who was born in a manger at an obscure town.
Since everyone has sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are like dead men walking, so to speak, since the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Divine justice requires that the penalty due for our sins would have to be paid. God abhors sin and therefore, we could not be reconciled and have fellowship with Him unless the punishment was meted out. In fact, as dead men walking, we are not only within the throes of physical death but we are facing eternal damnation or spiritual death as well.
Without Jesus’ atoning death, we are doomed to spend eternity with our worst nightmares in the lake of fire where there is gnashing of the teeth. Think about spending just a few minutes with creepy beings more menacing than the comic books’ sociopaths and villains like Joker, Two-Face, and Scarecrow; in a place worse than asylum for the criminally insane. Surely, an eternal torment with the hordes from hell would make Freddie Kruger, Jason, Anton Chigurh, and Hannibal Lecter look like altar boys.
Jesus was arrayed against the most powerful empire at that time; against the high priests; against the devil who tempted him in a showdown at the desert; and against all the principalities and powers who probably descended to Jerusalem and incited the mob to crucify Jesus. At the hour of need, his friends and disciples abandoned him (one of them even betrayed him). At the cross, Jesus not only suffered physical pain (aside from the beatings and torture he received from the Roman sadists) and death but also the pain of bearing sin. Wayne Grudem in his book Systematic Theology wrote that “in obedience to the Father, and out of love for us, Jesus took on himself all the sins of those who would someday be saved. Taking on himself all the evil against which his soul rebelled created deep revulsion in the center of his being. All that he hated most deeply was poured out fully upon him”. Compared to what Jesus fought on behalf of us sinners, Superman’s fight with Doomsday would be like a stroll in a mall.
I realized that my continuous fascination with comic books and super heroes is borne out of growing frustration in this world and the state of humankind. This world needs a Superman to set things right and defeat evil. Superman’s exploits resonate within me and reveal a deeper yearning for the Hero (not of the comic book kind) to come again and who would one day “…preach good news to the poor… bind up the brokenhearted,…proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,…proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God…” (Isaiah 61:1-2).
The day of vengeance of God! This will be the long-awaited payback time for all the aborted babies, the martyrs of the Christian faith, the poor and the infirm who were rejected by the society, the innocent, and all victims of evil and man’s depravity. The Super Messiah is coming and we expect His arrival any moment from now. Jesus’ return will be that of a warrior in a white horse. He will be coming in full glory; as a conqueror and a king: “…His eyes are blazing fire and on his head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19: 11-16).
He will put an end once and for all to Satan, the sin and evil in this world. Satan would be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. Even death would be swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Julia Ward Howe must have thought Jesus as the ultimate Superhero when she penned the lyrics of The Battle Hymn of the Republic:
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel/
Since God is marching on.
Indeed, I could only repeat what the apostle John wrote in the island of Patmos: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Despite the pedestrian plot and trite dialogues, the series rescued DC Comics from ignominy and dire financial straits. It even got extensive coverage from the mainstream media. Clearly, the death of an iconic figure like Superman captured the imagination of millions. But on another level, this “Death” saga is a hollow echo of an event that happened 2,000 years ago, not in a major city like Metropolis but in the backwater of the Roman Empire called Golgotha. And come to think of it, two thousand years ago the world never took notice of the death of its Creator and Redeemer, except maybe those that were in the immediate environs during the sixth hour of Jesus’ crucifixion when, as the Gospels record, darkness came over the whole land.
Going further back by thirty years around 4 B.C., a rescue mission was initiated from the heavens, beyond the bounds of Superman’s Planet Krypton and outside the confines of space-time, parallel universes and their infinite earths, to save helpless human beings who have become slaves to sin and to the powers of the air. The Scriptures say: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is more than a superhero. He is our “Lord and our God” (John 20:28). 2 Peter 1:1 speaks of “our God and Savior Jesus Christ while Titus 2:13 refers to our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah refers to him as “Mighty God” as he foretells his rescue mission or coming: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God...” (Isaiah 9:6). Surprisingly, the story of Superman’s origin −a baby in a capsule crib who cruised the cold, deep space from an advanced civilization and crashed down into a farm in Kansas − bears similarity to the incarnation of Jesus who was born in a manger at an obscure town.
Since everyone has sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are like dead men walking, so to speak, since the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Divine justice requires that the penalty due for our sins would have to be paid. God abhors sin and therefore, we could not be reconciled and have fellowship with Him unless the punishment was meted out. In fact, as dead men walking, we are not only within the throes of physical death but we are facing eternal damnation or spiritual death as well.
Without Jesus’ atoning death, we are doomed to spend eternity with our worst nightmares in the lake of fire where there is gnashing of the teeth. Think about spending just a few minutes with creepy beings more menacing than the comic books’ sociopaths and villains like Joker, Two-Face, and Scarecrow; in a place worse than asylum for the criminally insane. Surely, an eternal torment with the hordes from hell would make Freddie Kruger, Jason, Anton Chigurh, and Hannibal Lecter look like altar boys.
Jesus was arrayed against the most powerful empire at that time; against the high priests; against the devil who tempted him in a showdown at the desert; and against all the principalities and powers who probably descended to Jerusalem and incited the mob to crucify Jesus. At the hour of need, his friends and disciples abandoned him (one of them even betrayed him). At the cross, Jesus not only suffered physical pain (aside from the beatings and torture he received from the Roman sadists) and death but also the pain of bearing sin. Wayne Grudem in his book Systematic Theology wrote that “in obedience to the Father, and out of love for us, Jesus took on himself all the sins of those who would someday be saved. Taking on himself all the evil against which his soul rebelled created deep revulsion in the center of his being. All that he hated most deeply was poured out fully upon him”. Compared to what Jesus fought on behalf of us sinners, Superman’s fight with Doomsday would be like a stroll in a mall.
I realized that my continuous fascination with comic books and super heroes is borne out of growing frustration in this world and the state of humankind. This world needs a Superman to set things right and defeat evil. Superman’s exploits resonate within me and reveal a deeper yearning for the Hero (not of the comic book kind) to come again and who would one day “…preach good news to the poor… bind up the brokenhearted,…proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,…proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God…” (Isaiah 61:1-2).
The day of vengeance of God! This will be the long-awaited payback time for all the aborted babies, the martyrs of the Christian faith, the poor and the infirm who were rejected by the society, the innocent, and all victims of evil and man’s depravity. The Super Messiah is coming and we expect His arrival any moment from now. Jesus’ return will be that of a warrior in a white horse. He will be coming in full glory; as a conqueror and a king: “…His eyes are blazing fire and on his head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood…Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19: 11-16).
He will put an end once and for all to Satan, the sin and evil in this world. Satan would be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. Even death would be swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin...But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1 Corinthians 15:55-57). Julia Ward Howe must have thought Jesus as the ultimate Superhero when she penned the lyrics of The Battle Hymn of the Republic:
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel/
Since God is marching on.
Indeed, I could only repeat what the apostle John wrote in the island of Patmos: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
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