Unfortunately, in this day in age, there just aren’t many mainstream superheroes that are truly geared towards a faith-based crowd. Sure, we have a “Christian” superhero in Daredevil, whose Catholic faith creates interesting plot points. And we have “moral” superheroes in pre-Secret Empire Captain America and DC Rebirth’s version of Superman (who really is just a return to the classic Superman). But genuine, Scripture-quoting, “In Jesus Name” praying, Holy Spirit filled superheroes are a sad absence in most if not all major comic book companies.
Thankfully, the Indy Comics circuit more than makes up for that. Comic creators who want to merge their talents and their faith together have stepped forward and produced genuine superhero stories that are entertaining, give glory to God, and work to advance His kingdom. Today, I want to take some time to focus on one of those works: Melchizedek: King of Justice by Andrew Roland of XP Comics.
The story follows a young, homeless boy who is chosen by God “to battle the great evils of this world, to become a worldly guardian of all creation, all in the Lord’s name.” After taking a God-commanded bath, he is endowed with superpowers and sent to a mountain range where he meets other superpowered individuals that train and teach him to be a superhero.
What sets this story apart from other Christian comics that I’ve read is the story world the main character is set in. Rather than simply being angels fighting demons, superpowered beings are the “Nephilim” referred to in Genesis, the result of intermarrying between the “Sons of God and Daughters of Men.” Roland’s take is that the “sons of God” are angels and the “daughters of men” are human beings. Regardless of where you land theologically on that point, it serves as a great backdrop for superpowers, as these beings can be either good or evil.
This makes the main hero, Melchizedek, all the more interesting, as he is NOT a Nephilim. Rather than being born with superpowers, his powers are given by God for a specific purpose, complete with an angelic message and everything. What also makes Melchizedek interesting is that he does not know what his superpowers actually are. The angel instructs him to “trust in the Lord” for answers. This means that there are potentially no limits to what Melchizedek can do, so long as he can have faith and trust God to provide him with the superpower he needs for any situation. The hero is thus infinitely powerful and at the same time limited by his own humanity.
The action sequences are very entertaining, and the art style reminds me of the animes I enjoyed watching in my younger years, such as Rurouni Kenshin. There is also a slight comedic element to parts of the story as well that brought me a chuckle every once in a while. (I mean, seriously, taking a bath really isn’t that cool of a way to get superpowers.) 😀
All in all, Melchizedek: King of Justice is a fun, faith-centered dive into the world of superpowers. Visit the XP-Comics website to learn more about this series by clicking the XP Comics logo below. Stay connected with XP-Comics via their Facebook. Also if you’d like to support this comic check out his Patreon.
Stay Devoted!!
B
