Last week, in a special edition of The Captain’s Log, I shared some behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of The Phantom Phoenix, our newest superhero at Voyage Comics.
This week I am continuing the thread and exploring one of the primary saints behind the character “Martin Claver” aka “The Phantom Phoenix.”
When I want to look for inspiration, the first place I go to is the list of saints in the Catholic Church.
These holy men and women were real people who led extraordinary lives.
They were true “super-heroes,” people who rose above remarkable challenges to bring more truth, goodness and beauty into the world.
One saint in particular who fascinated me was St. Moses the Strong, also referred to as St. Moses the Ethiopian and St. Moses the Black.
He is recognized by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians and even some Lutheran and Anglican churches.
An ascetic monk born in Ethiopia in 330, Moses the Black is known as a “Desert Father,” but he didn’t start out as a monk, and for most of his early life lived on the wrong side of the law.
He became the leader of a gang and was notorious for violence and robbery.
Moses ended up seeking shelter in a local monastery and after witnessing the devout lives of the monks, Moses renounced his old way of violence, was baptized a Christian and joined the community.
Later his past did come in handy when a group of robbers tried to overpower him in his cell. Moses was able to fight back and dragged them to the chapel. The robbers were astounded by what happened, converted to the Christian faith and eventually joined the community of monks.
When reading his legendary life, I saw a figure who had the courage to fight against criminals, but only so that they could be brought to justice and repent of their sins.
“The Phantom Phoenix” in a similar way fights crime, using his strength and intelligence to outwit criminals and bring them to justice.
In a culture where good and evil are often blurred, we need to get back to the basics and highlight superheroes who do not waver in their battle for justice.
In the next few weeks we will share more insights and new images of the first issue!
*Photo Credit | Jim Forest | Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.