Comics: a tillichian perspective on religion and culture

Abstract

This work aims to understand how comics, are able to manifest religiosity, taking Paul Tillich’s theology of culture as a perspective. The main delimiter of the proposed subject is in the attitude of marginalization and infantilization of the comics, which places them in a place of irrelevance for the theological look. Thus, the question arises: what are comics? Are they art? What is its origin and development? Is there a possible relationship between theology and comics? How does Paul Tillich’s perspective understand this? In order for this understanding to be achieved, the bibliographic review methodology was used, which first sought to narrate the history of the comics; and, subsequently, related Tillichi’s understanding of religion and culture, in an attempt to demonstrate whether this element is capable of providing a religious discourse worthy of the theology’s gaze and analysis. During this investigation, it was verified, from a brief discussion about its artistic aspects, that comics can be considered as art, and, therefore, as part of culture. Secondly, it was found that for Tillich, religion has a deep meaning of relationship with the direction of our conscience to what he calls “Unconditional”, and the Unconditional, in turn, can come to be manifested both in what we call concrete religions, as in what we call culture. In this way, culture demonstrated itself as a stage for religious discourses that are manifested, especially, through the ultimate concern. This concern is what Tillich will describe as being taken by what touches us unconditionally, and it was revealed, in this research, as a completely possible reality for comics, making them apt to be the target of the gaze and theological studies. Thus, both culture as a whole and comics – as a cultural element – can be identified as entities conducive to theology, and relevant to this field of study.