Religion and Comics - A Critical Introduction

This summer course is designed for students interested in exploring how comics engage with religion – not as timeless truths or sacred expressions, but as cultural constructions shaped by history, politics, and power. Through a critical lens, students will examine how comics can construct, challenge, and reimagine what some of us call “religion.” The course introduces key concepts from critical religion and comics studies, encouraging students to question assumptions about both fields. Students will analyze comics from diverse contexts, including works by creators like Jack Chick, Deena Mohamed, and Kieron Gillen, to understand how religious ideas and identities are fabricated, negotiated, and contested in visual storytelling. Topics covered include the reception and production of comics and religion, identity and ideology formation, and how comics function as rhetorical artifacts in broader cultural debates. The course is taught entirely online, at half pace, with no physical meetings on campus. All lectures are pre-recorded but web-based seminars and workshops are held at fixed times.