Comic Books as Modern Mythology
Comic books and graphic novels have become significant cultural artifacts that reflect, influence, and shape modern society’s myths, values, and collective psyche. From their roots in the early 20th century to their evolution into a diverse and complex medium that addresses a broad range of themes — the mythic underpinnings of comics have evolved from being subtextual to textual.
Speaker Bio:
John Bucher is an American mythologist, historian, and award-winning public speaker specialising in comparative mythology, folklore, and the enduring power of ancient stories in the modern world. With a background in both history and education, he is particularly known for his ability to bring mythic traditions vividly to life for contemporary audiences.
John’s work explores how myths function as cultural technologies — shaping identity, morality, and collective imagination across time. His research and lectures range widely, encompassing Greek and Roman mythology, Norse and Celtic traditions, folk belief, ritual practice, and the survival of mythic archetypes in modern literature, film, and popular culture.
An engaging and highly sought-after speaker, John Bucher has lectured internationally at universities, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions, where his talks are celebrated for their clarity, humour, and narrative richness. He is also the author of several books on mythology and folklore, written with both scholarly insight and an accessible, story-driven style.
At the heart of his work is a conviction that myths are not relics of the past but living frameworks through which humans continue to understand fear, wonder, transformation, and meaning. Through teaching, writing, and public engagement, John Bucher invites audiences to rediscover mythology not as distant legend, but as a vibrant and vital force still shaping our world today.
Curated & Hosted by:
Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
