Destruction, Ethics, and Intergalactic Love: Exploring Y: The Last Man and Saga

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Destruction, Ethics, and Intergalactic Love: Exploring Y: The Last Man and Saga offers a creative and accessible exploration of the two comic book series, examining themes like nonviolence; issues of gender and war; heroes and moral failures; forgiveness and seeking justice; and the importance of diversity and religious pluralism. Through close interdisciplinary reading and personal narratives, the author delves into the complex worlds of Y and Saga in search of an ethics, meaning, and a path resonant with real-world struggles. Reading these works side by side, the analysis draws parallels and seeks common themes around the four central ideas of seeking and making meaning in a meaningless world; love and parenting through oppression and grief; peacefulness when surrounded by violence; and the perils and hopes of diversity and communion. This timely and thoughtful study will resonate with scholars and students of comic studies, media and cultural studies, philosophy, theology, literature, psychology, and popular culture studies. Cover Endorsements Page Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgments: Joy and Gratitude amidst Distress Introduction: Death, Decay, and Destruction: Only the Beginning Opening Salvo Structure and Thematic Rationale Chapter Summaries Terror Incognita: A Comic-Loving Theologian Embarking on Comics Studies The Backdrop and The Rationale: On Genius Collaborative Creations and Their Creators Y and Saga —Thematic Strands Y: The Last Man Summary Saga Summary (Issues 1–54) Comic Apostasy, Comic Pedigree: Autobiographical Reminisces Notes Part I: Seeking Meaning in a Meaningless World Chapter 1: Ethics (and Art) after the Plague All Is Plague What Makes Some Heal and Others Ignore or Injure? Scapegoats and the Anonymous Dead Beyond Y: Postapocalyptic Empathy The Plague in Y: Rumor and Hearsay The Enigma of Allison/Dr. Mann/Ayuko Matsumori 45 Cloning The Mad Scientist Art amidst Death Notes Chapter 2: Inky Darkness: Ethics amidst Intergalactic War (and The Narrative) Just Wars? The War on Terror and Saga The Narrative References to “The Narrative” in Saga The Narrative’s Morally Gnarled Language The Price and Profit of War Trauma of the Innocent and the Guilty Children, Trauma, and War Hazel and Trauma Phang Miscarriages and Empathy Coda: The Problem of Evil Notes Reflection on Part 1 Part 2: Love and Parenting through Oppression and Grief Chapter 3: Love and Identity: A Numeric and Heroic Journey Heroes 355 amidst Black Lives Matter A Number’s Origin and Quest A Hero’s Villain within 355 as Healer Sibling Reconciliation Ever after Interracial Love Yorick and 355’s First Scene A Relationship of Denying, Obfuscating, and Sublimating Conclusion: The Everyday Heroic Notes Chapter 4: (Intergalactic) Fatherhood: Failure and Maternal Hope Fatherhood: Reflections, Worries, Dreams Mothers Fictional Dads and Character Traits Helplessness, Fear, Anxiety, Daily Death: Fatherhood during War and Oppression Failed Fathers The Will and Sophie/Slave Girl Prince Robot IV and Squire Are Dead Fathers the Only Good Fathers? Barr—The Best Exception? Marko Notes Reflection on Part 2 Notes Part 3: Being Peace but Surrounded by Violence Chapter 5: Blessed are the Peacemakers: Gender and Violence “Milk for Gall” How Best to Reply to These (Vile) Generalizations? Gender, Ethics, and Judgment Feminists for All Where to Lay the Blame? Ethics and Violence as Usual? Alter (and Toyota): Women with Excessive Gall Amazons: Daughters of Destruction Heroes and Murderers On Sonia: Crass Wisdom and Tragic Redemption Heroes and Murders, Part Two Seeking Peace: 355 and Violence Conclusion: Milk and Gall Notes Chapter 6: On the Perils of Pacifism during War Exemplars of Active Nonviolence Seeking a Justpeace D. Oswald Heist, the Writer The Pen and the Sword The Reception of Heist’s Books Heist’s Other Novels in Saga and Potential Impact A Middle Way? Marko’s (Intermittent Vow of) Nonviolence Pacifist and Alone Violence within, Threats without Marko’s Evolving Views on Violence Conclusion: Inevitable Violence? Notes Reflection on Part 3 Notes Part 4: Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Towards Communion Chapter 7: Post-Religion: Sex, God, Women, Love Religions and Women Sporadic Godtalk in Y Post-Vatican II Catholic Sexual Ethics: Brief Overview Yorick’s Quasi-Sexual/Spiritual Healing The Intervention Theology and Y Confession Eucharist Two Feminist Theology Students in a Plague The Vatican The Dreaming: Beth and Aboriginal Australia Conclusion: Faith Endures Notes Chapter 8: Enfolding the Grotesque and the Borderless: A Politics for All Difference and Plurality The Grotesque and the Hybrid Ghüs—“The Mate and Companion of People” Petrichor: From Exclusion to Inclusion Lying Cat: A Kantian Feline Izabel: A Profane Holy Ghost Hazel: “A Glimmering Girl” A Borderless Politics? Notes Reflection on Part 4 Notes Conclusion: Love in the Throes of Destruction and Despair Love and Moving Mountains Bearing, Believing, Hoping, Enduring: Yorick and 355 Marko and Hazel: “Love Never Ends” Love Triumphant? Y ’s Ending and Saga ’s Midpoint Closing Salvo: Beginning Again Notes Bibliography Index