Western culture is rife with apocalyptic imagery as depicted in the Christian bible, especially from the Book of Revelation. These symbols and descriptions (brimstone and the four horsemen of the apocalypse just to name a few) have been ingrained into our “collective consciousness” and appear throughout our art. Since the conception of Revelation, apocalyptic imagery has always played a prominent role in fine art. Writers like Alan Moore or artists like Frank Miller are simply the modern equivalents of earlier apocalyptic thinkers (Dante and Bosch, respectively). This thesis is aimed at illuminating the presence of apocalyptic symbolism in Western Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Cinema and why such images are so powerful thousands of years after they were written. The concept of Armageddon resonates deeply in our society, as best said by Lee Quinby in her work Millennial Seduction: “Americans have been taught to reside in apocalyptic terror and count on millennial perfection.” While not all Americans subscribe to fundamentalist interpretation, it is important to note that “for a large majority these fears and hopes are more nebulous, a loose blend of religious symbols and secular expression” (Quinby, 5). In this way, earth’s end has become embedded in our minds.

Millennial Media is steeped in doomsday visions as well as the language characteristic of Revelation: a kind of apocalyptic vernacular. Whether Batman gallops into Gotham atop his horse (vigilante army in toe) in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns or Simon Pegg beats zombies with a cricket paddle in Shaun of the Dead, the traditional views of the apocalypse linger in the background. Revelation acts as a base upon which Graphic Apocalypse is built. The scenes aren’t new, only the style and the players. Perhaps the best example of this lies in Watchmen. Here, seemingly godlike beings (superheroes) battle it out for the fate of the world and of mankind. They are mirror images of their biblical counterparts. But why is this connection important?

In Revelation Jesus Christ leads the armies of Justice against those of evil in a war for the souls of all. Replace Jesus with Superman and the story suddenly seems more familiar. It would not be outlandish to state that Jesus was the first superhero, and Satan the supervillian. The characters of Revelations are the archetypes for those we seem to see in major blockbusters and popular graphic novels. Both millennial media and the Bible are obsessed with absolutes; absolute good and absolute evil and the apocalypse is where these two philosophies meet (often with violent consequences). Such a formula works well in a country like the United States. Often we depict ourselves as the savior of the world fighting against the unjust. In turn we occupy this role and carry it out with violent efficiency. This is partly why apocalyptic imagery is so popular in the West; it reflects our own attitudes as a nation and civilization. Judging from our media, it seems some part of us all wants to be the hero; wants to save the innocent from harm. More important, as Americans, we often see it as our job to do so. Yet, because most of us lack the ability to fly like Superman or have yet to fight a zombie, millennial media allows us identify with these archetypal characters we worship (in the case of Jesus, religiously). In this way we can live out the heroics we grew up with as children, from the safety our living rooms.

This heroism is closely linked to hope, a common yet seemingly contradictory view of Armageddon. In his work, Holy Superheroes, Greg Garrett argues that apocalypse represents rebirth and renewal; a chance to restore what is torn down. This is reflected in Watchmen, when in an attempt to save the world from war, one of the superheroes destroys New York City. In the death of millions lays the salvations of billions. In the same way, God ends the world in the Book of Revelation to begin life anew as a “shining city on the hill.” This is what Superheroes are all about, fighting desperately in hopes of creating some idealized crime free (sin free?) society. To take it even further, this is what America claims to be about; clearing the world of despotism to make room for democracy. This is where the popularity of the Graphic Apocalypse lies, the ideology surrounds us, be it secularized or straight from biblical texts. Rebirth is an immensely powerful biblical/end time concept, so too is death.

Graphic Apocalyptic narratives allow us to securely experience the threat of death and it some cases laugh at it. Batman risks his life every time he ventures out of his cave, be it from psychotic criminals or corrupt law officials. And yet every morning he returns, perhaps a bit a worse for the wear, but still alive. He regularly faces death, and in the process fends off evil. At the same time, Batman has gained control over death through his pledge to never take a life; he controls the ultimate fate his nemesis. In doing this, Bruce Wayne manages to conquer his own mortality as well those he hunts. Batman, the warrior of justice, allows for introspection of our mortality in comfortable safety (well, not for Batman). In the same way, Shaun’s comedic zombie like demeanor, as he goes about his monotonous life, pokes fun at the concept of death and of our fear of what we cannot control. Death suddenly seems much less frightening when you face it being beaten (to death?) with vinyl records. The absurdity allows for acceptance of ideas and images that are usually too hard to stomach.

I aim to uncover the influence of biblical end time ideology through careful analysis of graphic narratives and comparison to Revelation. There is a good deal of literature that explores religion in such sources, but there is little that specifically evaluates the effect that apocalyptic imagery has had or why it is there to begin with. Why should such a secularized form of art be so biblically inclined? The answer lies in the state of the West. As a civilization we are constantly bombarded with images of the end, so it makes perfect sense that the rising popularity in graphic narratives should also reflect a rising influence of Revelation.