c. 2005 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) When he was growing up, Mike Mignola had two great loves _ monster movies and superheroes. So when Dark Horse Comics offered him the chance to write and illustrate his own comic book, Mignola decided to combine the two.

The result is Hellboy, a wisecracking, good-hearted, old-fashioned superhero with one small problem: He’s a red-skinned, cloven-hoofed demon summoned by the Nazis to bring about the end of the world. When the Nazis’ plans are foiled, the then-infant Hellboy is taken in and raised by human beings. He forsakes his demon heritage and pledges to fight for good.

But can he really escape his destiny? Mignola, who has been writing Hellboy comics since 1993, isn’t sure. “It’s the ultimate question of predestination versus free will,” said Mignola from his home in New York City. “It really is a quandary.”

Mignola has discovered one of the untold secrets of the comic book world _ it’s the characters, not the costumes and secret identities _ that matter most. From Superman to the recent Pixar film “The Incredibles,” comics have served as social parables, with superhuman characters revealing insights about the human condition.

In “The Incredibles,” superheroes are forced into hiding when public opinion turns against them. Mr. Incredible turns in his costume and “Incredible-mobile” for a Yugo-sized commuter car and a desk job at an insurance company. But he can’t give up the desire to save people, no matter what it costs his family.

“It’s not about super powers,” says H. Michael Brewer, lifelong comics fan and author of “Who Needs a Superhero?”, a new book about “finding virtue, vice and what’s holy” in comics. “It’s about finding your place in the world and, dare I say, family values.”

Brewer, pastor of Crescent Springs (Ky.) Presbyterian Church, has been weaving comic book stories into his sermons for 25 years. He says that “The Incredibles,” like classic comics Batman and Superman, shows characters who find meaning in suffering.

“Batman has a choice when his parents are killed,” Brewer said. “He can be crippled for life or deal with tragedy in a way that makes the world a better place. Superman loses everything _ his world, his family, his home. Instead of remaining a stranger, he decides to adopt these people of Earth as his own.”

Another example can be found in the pages of the Green Arrow comic. Green Arrow has recently taken on a sidekick named Mia, who was once a teenage runaway. During her days on the street, she contracted HIV.

“Having faced the trouble in her life,” Brewer said, “she wants to make a difference in the world. I can’t think of a more heroic thing to do.”

Brewer, whose comic book collection tops 10,000 issues, argues that comics often showcase Christian virtues like humility and being a servant. In one of his favorite storylines, super villain Lex Luthor programs a computer to discover the connection between Superman and Clark Kent. When the computer concludes that Kent is Superman, Luther cannot believe it _ how would a being with Superman’s powers be content as a lowly newspaper reporter?

Superman is content as Clark Kent, “because he is genuinely good,” said Brewer. “He has superhuman power and he has chosen to use it responsibly and not for his own benefit. That’s not a far cry from Jesus, who could have summoned legions of angels to save himself from the cross and didn’t.”

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Chris Yambar, who writes for a comic book series based on “The Simpsons,” says there’s a fine line between telling a story with a message and becoming preachy. Yambar, who also publishes an independent comic called “Mr. Beat,” is an expert on the “preachy” part. Besides working in comics, he’s been a minister for 23 years.

“I never sit down and write a comic and say, `Here is the message I want to push,”’ Yambar said. “I say, `Here is a story I want to tell.”’

Yambar co-wrote two stories in the latest “Treehouse of Horror” comic book, which stars Bart Simpson with rock stars Alice Cooper and KISS’ Gene Simmons. In one story, Bart is transformed into “Bart Simmons, God of Thunder” when he plays a magic bass guitar. At first, Bart uses his powers for his own benefit. That leads to a showdown with his sister Lisa, which Yambar uses to slip in a point about what it takes to be a hero.

“Greatness comes from within, Bart,” Lisa says in the comic. “Not from a freak accident with a radioactive spider, a gamma bomb, or from finding a magic lantern.”

“What are you talking about?” Bart asks. “I can make people do whatever I want them to now that I’ve got all the control. That makes me great.”

Lisa replies: “That makes you powerful. Being great comes from doing great things at your own risk.”

When aliens invade the Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield, Bart listens to his sister’s advice and uses his powers to come to the town’s rescue.

At their best, Yambar adds, comics relay stories about important virtues: duty, compassion, courage.

“The real hero,” he said, “is the one who will risk everything to save one kid trapped in a building, regardless of the cost.”

There is another important lesson that people can learn from comics, Yambar adds: Sometimes you need to save yourself.

“You don’t just stand around when a building is falling down and wait for Spiderman to save you,” he said. “He might be busy or across town.”

Brewer’s fascination with comics has won over one segment of his congregation. His youngest members often stop by his office to play with his action figures. One of them recently gave him a Jesus action figure for his collection.

“The problem with this Jesus is that he doesn’t do much,” Brewer said. “He lifts his arms in benediction but that’s about it. I’m afraid that’s how some people see Jesus.”

MO/PH END SMIETANA