You Gotta Have Faith

We knew about beatification and canonization–but when did animation become one of the stages en route to sainthood? Last week the Vatican released John Paul II: Friend of All Humanity, an earnest if weirdly drawn educational cartoon for children about the adored Pontiff. The Pope isn’t the only one getting a pop-cultural makeover. Religious figures from various faiths are everywhere–on the big screen, prancing across the stage, even in comic books. Here’s a look.

GOD’S FACE It’s impossible to say what Allah looks like, but the Koran is said to reveal his 99 attributes (often referred to as his 99 names, such as “the Majestic” and “the Timeless”). Each is embodied in a different superhero in a new comic-book series called The 99, created by a Kuwaiti-born entrepreneur.

HOLY MOSES! Charlton Heston we get. But Val Kilmer as the leader of the Israelites? The ex-Batman portrays Moses in the musical version of The Ten Commandments, which comes out on DVD next month.

BIG-SCREEN SAVIOUR Prepare for a slew of biblical biopics, including The Nativity Story, with Keisha Castle-Hughes as Mary. First up, though, is the controversial Color of the Cross, in which Jesus is depicted as a black man, out this week.

ENLIGHTENED READING If the typical graphic novel is too action packed for you, here’s something a bit more Zen: the fourth volume of Buddha–a 10-part series–tells the story of the epic figure’s life and journey toward Nirvana.