#and it's not like i need a comic about religion to cater to judaism to enjoy it but it just felt so condescending and unwelcoming

[wallylinda]

i don’t think that it’s possible to separate the christian themes of the spectre (2001) from its narrative. ultimately, this is a comic that means to combat the idea that the human spirit needs to undergo punishment in order to deserve salvation, and so it targets the religion which most often preaches that message. however, i think that it is extremely telling that the narrator of the comic is a jewish man whose goal within the series is to reject god’s wrath in favor of god’s redemption. so while this is a comic that is inherently christain, it is also a comic that strongly resonates with judaism because it spends so much of its time sympathizing with hal and his faith. and like viewing it from this perspective has made the series so much more enjoyable for me because the narrative is no longer in conversation with itself about religious dogma, but is instead engaging with the differing belief systems its main character has in comparison to its world.

#background clarification i come from an ethnic jewish atheist household and my relationship with judaism def not traditional #i hated spectre when i first read it b/c its dialogue struck me as...too much of a reassurance to its audience i guess. #and it's not like i need a comic about religion to cater to judaism to enjoy it but it just felt so condescending and unwelcoming #in the end the spectre is meant to echo hal. that's the elaborate metaphor i was looking for to understand and enjoy the series. #mostly posting this as a way to get my thoughts about the series into word so hope this makes sense to other ppl lmao #.thoughts