Real Talk

Peace and blessings,

Given my interests in superheroes and comic books, it seems only natural that I share some thoughts on some of the comic book series' that I think are worth checking out, regardless if you're a comic book fan or not. Many of the issues addressed in these comic books that I will highlight address a host of issues that are central to our lived experience. The comic book I am highlighting in this post is Marvel Comics'

Civil War.

I'm not going to go into much detail about the storyline, but I will discuss the general plot and what I believe to be it's over-arching themes.

Although the human/superhero beef (similar to the human-mutant beef in the X-Men comics) has existed for a while, the Civil War begins with a culmination of this beef that is marked by a tragic event. During a fight between superheroes, hundreds of children are killed during an explosion, which took place near a school. As a result, the government proposes that this is the last straw, and that humans with superhuman abilities (e.g., via genetics or technological assistance) must register with the government under the Superhero Registration Act. What makes this series interesting is that the superhero community are split between whether or not those with superhero abilities should have to register.

The over-arching themes throughout the comic relate to issues of identity, rights, civil liberties, and freedom. While some, like Garrett (2008) suggest that the comic symbolizes the country's sentiment post 9-11, I would take it a step further and argue that it also relates to the national debate on immigration policy. Actually, when I first read it about a year ago, Immediately thought of the immigration debate, not post 9-11. Below are a few sources where you can learn more about the comic book:

Article on the Civil War

Review on the Political symbolism in the Civil War

Review discussing some positives and negatives of the Civil War

If you've read it, what are your thoughts on it? If not, would you consider it? Why or why not? Do you think comics have a place for addressing "real-world" issues? Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit...




* Garrett, G. (2008) Holy Superheroes!: Exploring the sacred in comics, graphic novels, and film (revised and expanded edition). KY: Westminister John Knox

Labels: 9-11, Civil War, comic book, freedom, immigration, Superheroes

Peace and blessings,

I must say that 2007 has been a great year. Not just because biblically "7" represents the year of completion and freedom (i.e. the year of Jubilee), but also because of the abundance of lyrically and musically solid Christian hip-hop that has came out this year. Although I'm sure there is a ton of good Christian hip-hop that has come out this year (check the website links in the "Holy Hip Hop Resources" section to find out for yourself), I can only speak on the albums that I have personally copped and listened to. Therefore, below are five albums that have been released in 2007, each accompanied by a lyrical quote from the album. A couple of these quotes, as well as the reviews to these albums (which can also be found in the HHH Resources section), are courtesy of

Rapzilla,

and excellent site for all things Christian Hip Hop. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of these albums that you may have. Until next time, stay blessed and speekonit...



1) "Open Book" by Da Truth



From the song "Star Struck:"

"No, He’s not common at all/ All eyes on Him/Hold your jewels, we gotta priceless gem/Who else can pay the price for sin/ Nobody, and build a whole body/Like a private gym/ Nobody, nobody but Him/He’s Superman but godly, embodied in Clark Kent/ yeah, He came to save the day/ Why would you trade Him to play/ In a crooked world that is fading away?/ Candy paint and wood grain decay, ok?"



2) "HIStory: Our Place in His Story" by Cross Movement



From the song "Spare Change:"

"We lost Truth in this period/and proof is so mysterious/losing absolutes is so serious/how we think we gon' live when everything's relative/is anybody curious?//without a standard of Truth society's deranged/that's why I'm up in your ear begging for change."



3) "13 Letters" by 116 Click



From the song "Evolution:"

"I was a slave to the night life, sex and the chronic/the unki-jerk(?), mad dog, gin and tonic/then God pulled my heart strings, yeah He's harmonic/now i'm gonna live forever I'm bionic/put death in a joke hold and slammed it like onyx/so we can slam dance in heaven it's ironic/after years of research these scientists couldn't figure/how I acted like an ape but evolved from a sinner"



4) "Our World Fallen" by Flame



From the song "Call Him:"

"Let's take a look at the fall man/the One who came down, put His foot on the raw land/gotta question 'do you know who you are man?'/or do you assume that you can do what the Lord can?/I know it's hard fam, trying to live life/lookin' to the left and nobody is livin' right/lookin' to the right everybody is livin' wrong/like we livin' in a movie and doin' it to a song/are your influences throwin' you a zone?/influencin' you to want to do what you're most prone/you Christ He left His heavenly home/not just that, He left his heavenly throne/just to bring Ebony home/or whatever your name is/He definately claims His/plus exhanges filth to anguish/guilt and pain/and makes us stainless"



5) "The Process of Illumination and Elimination" by Everyday Process



From the song "Holla at Me:"

" I guess to say that the Rock's in the building/2000 years flawless He's still rockin' His children/A monument like Plymoth Rock for His Pilgrims/In fact, the impact has got me rocked for a million/Strict life and I don't play in the streets/strict diet, I stay away from the sweets/excuse me kid if he don't eat the king's meat/I'm on my Shadrach tell them boys go 'head bring heat"

Labels: 116 Click, 2007, albums, Christian hip hop, Cross Movement, Da Truth, Everyday Process, Flame, freedom, HHH