Stories for Everyone: Mythology in Comics and the Push for More Diverse Stories

When you perceive the connection “mythology,” your thoughts whitethorn drift to stories of Greco-Roman gods seducing humans, squabbling implicit infidelities, oregon getting into epic wars. Or possibly you deliberation of the convulsive battles (and occasional cross-dressing) of the Norse gods, which are fated to extremity with the apocalypse called Ragnarok.

But the satellite of mythology is overmuch richer and broader than that. So wherefore bash our imaginations — and the imaginations of Western comic publication creators — ever look to spell that acold and nary farther? Are determination creators from different countries moving to bring their folktales, fairytales, and myths to a wider audience?

Fortunately for mythology lovers similar myself, the reply to that past question is yes. I had the pleasance of interviewing 3 Filipino creators — Arnold Arre (The Mythology Class), Paolo Chikiamco (The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, The Black Bestiary), and Eliza Victoria (After Lambana) — whose mythology-inspired works are present being brought to a wider American assemblage by Tuttle Publishing. Their answers illuminate not conscionable what inspired them to incorporated Philippine mythology into their comics, but besides what interaction their — and different — works tin person connected readers.

The astir celebrated usage of mythology successful Western comics is, of course, successful superhero comics. This usage, too, goes backmost to the earliest days of comicdom: DC present owns Wonder Woman and Shazam, some of whom stock adjacent links with the Greco-Roman gods, portion Marvel’s reinterpretation of the Norse gods (Thor and Loki successful particular) has eclipsed the archetypal versions successful the fashionable imagination.

Not each comic takes this approach, of course. Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology retells the Norse myths arsenic they were handed down to america from sources similar the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda.

So what astir komiks, anyway? How person they historically adapted mythology for their readers?

They didn’t, for the elemental crushed that Filipino comics didn’t truly beryllium connected a wide standard until recently. Local creators were often unopen retired by the popularity of American comics and Japanese manga. Chikiamco confirmed this to me, saying that komiks “were not readily available” erstwhile helium was a kid.

When did komiks truly commencement to go funny successful myths? In part, we tin convey Arre’s sprawling, 300-plus-page epic The Mythology Class. First published successful 1997, it follows an eclectic radical of young radical who are summoned by mythological heroes of aged to assistance combat enkantos, present depicted arsenic troublesome creatures who person invaded our satellite and indispensable beryllium sent backmost to their ain dimension.

“I really had doubts astir reintroducing Philippine mythology to the section country due to the fact that astir of my peers were into the superhero genre,” Arre told me. “In hindsight, I’m blessed that I took that hazard due to the fact that now, it’s large to spot the younger procreation appreciating and adjacent creating Philippine mythology stories.”

Chikiamco is 1 of those creators who were influenced by Arre’s groundbreaking work: “[The Mythology Class] was the archetypal clip I’d seen Philippine mythology and folklore depicted not arsenic objects of fearfulness oregon campy but arsenic parts of a secondary world, a parallel space, 1 which could beryllium understood alternatively than feared.”

The occurrence of The Mythology Class, on with the rising popularity of komikons that allowed readers and creators to stitchery successful 1 place, helped komiks yet summation the respect and prominence indispensable to commencement adapting myth-based stories for wider audiences.

Frankly, it’s astir apt due to the fact that they’re from white-majority societies. I’m not saying the comics creators were intentionally racist, but alternatively that they were astir acquainted with Norse and Greco-Roman mythologies due to the fact that that is what gets taught successful schools and published successful books. Greek and Roman societies successful peculiar are held up arsenic the cradle of Western civilization and quality development, and they are truthful much “worthy” of preservation and study.

Chikiamco told maine that, erstwhile helium was archetypal discovering books astir mythology arsenic a child, “those were ever books connected Western mythology, chiefly Greek with the occasional Norse postulation thrown successful for bully measure. Books connected Philippine mythology existed, but for the astir portion were not disposable successful the bookstores – galore were out-of-print and/or aimed astatine scholars alternatively than children oregon the casual enthusiast.”

Victoria confirmed this erstwhile she told maine that immoderate Philippine mythological figures unrecorded connected done stories told to children by older relatives, but galore others person go an world taxable to beryllium covered, if lone “very briefly,” successful the classroom.

“So successful my head,” she said, “Philippine mythology equals schoolhouse lessons, whereas you crook to American popular civilization and you person Hercules the Disney movie and Hercules the TV bid and Loki and Thor and truthful connected and truthful forth.”

Over the years, Marvel made a fewer token attempts astatine introducing figures from different cultures, but it often went wrong. X-Men #140 featured an Indigenous carnal that should never beryllium adapted, ever, portion fans criticized Thor #301’s usage of the Hindu gods. (To beryllium fair, Marvel took the disapproval to heart, which is simply a batch amended than their previous reaction to being called retired for racism. Note however they don’t really apologize, though.)

The aboriginal of mythology successful comics is looking overmuch brighter than it did conscionable a fewer years ago. But truthful what? Mythology is chill and all, but wherefore should we interest ourselves with however it is portrayed, oregon adjacent who is portrayed and who isn’t?

As hinted astatine by Marvel’s Shiva debacle, mythologies are not dormant stories: they are living, evolving parts of galore cultures. While I person been referring to each of these comics arsenic “mythology,” it is important to admit the assortment of meaning wrong that word.

“If you hop connected Wikipedia,” Victoria told me, “you’ll spot the Sirena and truthful connected listed nether ‘mythological races,’ but erstwhile you perceive my relatives talk astir them, they’re not successful the realm of myths, they’re inactive precise overmuch around.”

While these legends and folktales whitethorn inactive beryllium alive, they are often besides endangered. As Victoria pointed out, “So overmuch of our oral stories person been lost, and galore of our determination languages are starting to die. I’ve ever admired stories that incorporated aggregate Filipino languages due to the fact that they support these languages, and stories, alive.”

“Philippine folklore is precise affluent with stories and I consciousness that determination are truthful galore that inactive request to beryllium told and retold,” added Arre.

And that is the eventual worth of mythology-based comics: enabling stories that person been told for centuries to unrecorded connected successful the hearts and imaginations of caller generations, and the generations aft that. Chikiamco enactment it poignantly erstwhile helium said, “My privation is lone that determination beryllium much kinds of comics and much sources of myth, truthful that everyone who wants to volition beryllium capable to find a communicative that speaks to them, that represents them, that completes them and challenges them.”

The gods change, and truthful they survive.