The Incredible Popeman
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The Incredible Popeman (Homopater in Latin) is the name of a Colombian comic book by Rodolfo León Sánchez being released in tribute to Pope John Paul II, reincarnating him as a superhero who uses various superpowers to battle Satan and the forces of darkness.
Late in the making of the comic, Rodolfo Leon received a Cease-and-Desist letter from DC Comics, to which he answered by changing the color schemes on all the borrowed characters that show up advising John Paul II on how to be a superhero (they retain their original colors in the "bonus" pages of the book, though). While he complied, Rodolfo to this date still claims that the legal action was unfair and illegal, and that his use of copyrighted characters is fair on the grounds of homage and artistic appropriation. He says that DC failed to realize the true nature of the book: an art book collecting a series of paintings which, when seen in a certain order, give the viewer the feeling of just having read a comic book. This definition has not helped the book's reception among Colombian comic fans, who feel that it is perpetuating the common misconception that comics can't be art and vice versa.
The comic has sparked widespread coverage in the international press, and although it is currently only scheduled for release in Colombia and Poland, publishers in Mexico, Canada, and the United States have expressed interest in the book. The first volume features a reincarnated John Paul II gaining superpowers and learning how to use them from other famous heroes such as Batman and Superman.
The artist expressed a worry that some might be offended by the transformation of the deceased Pope into a superhero, but remarked that he was receiving a favourable response to the book.
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