Last night i had what can only be described as a religious experience with a musician. I was at a guitar “Masterclass” with a fine gentleman called Devin Townsend, in which he actually ended up talking about his life and experiences rather that his technique and playing style. For me, this was much more engaging that it ever could have been and i ended up coming out of it more inspired and ready to make things than i ever have been. It was an experience unlike no other, to have met someone that was so passionate about what they do that it actually made me want to go and experience new things, and write new pieces and generally just “live”?

I don’t think it helped either, that i’d just finished reading the first act of The Wicked + The Divine…

The Wicked + The Divine is a book by Messers Gillen and McKelvie, both of whom have been massive influences of myself through their work on Phonogram and Young Avengers, managing to put into words what i’ve never been able to. Joining them on the journey is Matt Wilson on art duties along with McKelvie and the artwork has never looked better! to give a brief summary, Gods are real, and they are multi-media stars. They are a reflection of society today, where popstars are worshiped, where the words of a few are given such power that the become true even when it’s a lie. The story follows a young girl who ends up getting close to this group of gods and becomes a part of their story.

Somewhere between both experiences i began to think about just where we are a society today, and Kieron Gillen has hit the nail on the head. Artists, Musicians and other so called celebrities really are the Gods of this era, from people literally lining up for hours just for a chance to be in their presence, to having their likeness tattooed on skin and having people use their style and become copies. The more i thought about it though, the more i don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. more and more in media we see these people being portrayed in both good light and bad, at their best and worst and from that there are many who will still derive to be like that. For every bad role model, there’s the Dave Grohl’s, the Lady Gaga’s and the Beyonce’s, all positive role models who are setting the right kinds of examples for the younger generations to adhere to.

Media is such a massive part of society today, that you can tweet, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr your favourite “God” and receive a reply! No stranger to this is Andrew W. K. who, whether you like his music or not, is a very well spoken, intellectual and articulate being. In his “Ask Andrew” Column has dealt with such subjects as depression and Suicide where, fans have reached out to him seeking help and advice and god a very well thought out reply. It’s essentially a prayer for the new generation. The full list of blogs can be found here: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/ask_andrew_wk/

Even the Gillen/McKelvie/Wilson team are guilty of this, with such a cult status among comic fans (who are notoriously socially withheld) to the level that people are dressing as their characters after only a few issues have been out because they identify with them so much. To see creators (there’s that God amalgam again) have time to chat and take pictures with fans and literally make their day because they met one of their heroes is fascinating to me.

To bring this back to comics, so as to stay relevant, Superheroes can also be seen to be the gods of our era. Here is people that can fly, do the impossible and have such a religious following that death threats are issued when a fan thinks the character is being treated “wrong”. The amount of times it can be seen in Spider-Man, where the general public rally behind him and join together to fight a greater evil is almost too high to count! It even made it into a Film! There is also a personal favourite of mine, which is that panel from Morrison and Quitely’s All Star Superman, where he stops a girl from committing suicide.

I think this could be a religion I can get behind, and if by going to church i get to sit at home, put on some of my favourite music and read one of my favourite books then i’ll hold my hand up high and say i’m a believer.

My Name is Chris, and i think i might be religious after all…

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The writer of this piece was:
Chris Bennett
Article: And Now For Something Completely Different
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