Theology, Religion, and Watchmen
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:4th Feb '27
£85.00
This title is due to be published on 4th February, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Matthew Brake and this collection’s contributors read Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ comic book series Watchmen from a religious and theological perspective.
The chapters herein excavate the religious influence, symbolism, and narratives embedded within the Watchmen graphic novel (1986-7), the prequel Before Watchmen series (2012), DC: Rebirth (2016), Doomsday Clock (2017-19), the HBO series (2019), and the Rorschach (2020-1) comic series. While religion is not necessarily a central theme of the original series, the essays herein reveal its clear impact on the Watchmen universe, traversing subjects including theodicy, monster theory, conspiracy theory, and the ethics of superhero culture. Organized chronologically by the release of its primary artifact, each chapter constructs a tapestry of evolving conceptions of faith and religion within Watchmen. Brake and the collection’s contributors affirm how Christian, Jewish, and esoteric beliefs continue to inform secular media and popular culture. Tracing these religious and theological subjects within the Watchmen series illuminates how this group of "vigilantes" open up important conversations surrounding morals, ethics, and faith.
For all its outsized influence among comic and movie fans, not to mention academics and intellectuals, publications engaging religious and theological aspects and impacts of Watchmen have been few and far between. This is one of many reasons to welcome this latest volume in the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture series. Accessible to comic fans and grad students, this book promises to advance our understanding of this groundbreaking work through a number of theoretical lenses and theological foci from an impressive collection of scholars and authors. Even Rorschach would be impressed! * Dan W. Clanton, Jr., Doane University *
Watchmen stories ask tough questions ripe for profound theological consideration and encounter with religious ideas. For the first time, this volume answers that call by bringing a wide range of religious and theological analysis to bear on every Watchmen work (graphic novel, comics, television, even the official board game). The contributors give bold and shrewd takes on topics from global war to social upheaval to damaging megalomaniacs to the most personal trauma. This sustained and serious imaginative work is a useful companion for anyone wanting to dive deeper into Watchmen with a religious lens. * Elizabeth Rae Coody, Morningside University *
ISBN: 9798216442714
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
276 pages