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This is the deeper appeal of the comic book universe—where good and evil are named, and where mighty beings battle with us, side by side, to free a world enslaved by darkness. It's the world of the superhero and the supervillain: Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, the Fantastic Four battling Galactus, Superman laying down his life in a desperate stand to save Metropolis. It paints for us a picture of heroism and grandeur that is, more and more often, conspicuously absent from other literary and cinema offerings. So it should come as no wonder when people are drawn to it in any form.

So, as believers, what are we to make of this phenomenon? Is this popularity harmless, even understandable? Should we be concerned that Spider-Man 2 is merely a vehicle for the sinister machinations of the enemy?

As Christians we know these films only tell part of the story. While we long to join the comic book characters to fight the good fight against evil, we must first admit that its lair lies within ourselves: "We have met the enemy and he is us," as Pogo once said. Only the one true Captain in the cosmic battle, Jesus Christ, can vanquish the enemy, leading us out of illusion and into the day.

I'm often reminded of George MacDonald's dictum on "playing the hero": "What have creatures like us to do with heroism, who are not yet barely honest? (from "Life," Unspoken Sermons)"

And yet, as Lewis and Tolkien often reminded their readers, the world of the fantastic can often say things best. In a New York Times Book Review essay, Lewis wrote: "Supposing by casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained glass and Sunday-school associations, one could make them appear in their real potency? Could not one thus steal past those watchful dragons … that paralyze so much (discussion of) religion?" The astounding success, on every level, of the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings answers his question. If all fiction might be described as "telling the truth with lies," surely the truths that moviegoers walk away with can lead them to deeper investigation and discussion … and, perhaps, ultimately to their Savior.

I should know. My first year in college, I struggled with despair, wondering if there really was a God, wondering if all the professors were right when they scoffed at the reality of good and evil. Then God used Star Wars—in essence, a comic book movie—to prepare my heart and lead me first to his Word and then to himself. Who's to say he can't work similarly through the comic book movies of today?

Frank Smith is old enough to remember those classic 1960s races between Superman and the Flash, to determine the title of "World's Fastest Mortal"! He lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with wife Judy and children Mary Lynne and Sam, where he is preparing for ordination in the Presbyterian Church of America.

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