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Sacrificial Love (Of Cyborgs, Saviors, and Driller, a Real Robot Killer) in the Comics Descender and Ascender

Admirand, Peter orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-6169-9263 (2025) Sacrificial Love (Of Cyborgs, Saviors, and Driller, a Real Robot Killer) in the Comics Descender and Ascender. Humanities, 14 (4). p. 91. ISSN 2076-0787

Abstract
Seeking to examine cases of sacrificial love for another that is empathetic, unconditional, and morally redemptive, I focus on writer Jeff Lemire’s and artist Dustin Nguyen’s heralded comic series, Descender and Ascender (published by Image Comics starting in 2015 and 2018, respectively). In the first main subsection, I argue how illustrative fictional cases (some involving robots) can mirror inter-human ethical struggles in our own world and examine what I call the “The R2-D2 and Wall-E Syndrome”. Next, I look at some representative theoretical, literary, and biblical examples of sacrifice, especially regarding morally problematic theories about Jesus’ death on the cross, a classic Western example of sacrificial love. I then provide a brief context for why I chose Descender and Ascender and highlight some of the main themes and characters in the comics. In doing so, I draw from three main examples: the cyborg and mother Effie (Queen Between), the companion robot TIM-21, and the robot Driller (“a real killer”), where I gleam key traits of sacrificial love as empathetic, unconditional, and morally redemptive. I close with how to distinguish unholy and holy forms of sacrificial love and reflect on how the examples of sacrificial love in the comics ultimately complement my reading of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross while adding some stipulations to his oft-quoted saying: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Descender; Ascender; Dustin Nguyen; Jeff Lemire; sacrifice; love; sacrificial love; atonement; comics studies; empathy; redemption
Subjects:Humanities > Literature
Humanities > Culture
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Theology, Philosophy, & Music
Publisher:MDPI
Official URL:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/14/4/91
Copyright Information:Author
ID Code:31000
Deposited On:24 Apr 2025 10:36 by Vidatum Academic . Last Modified 24 Apr 2025 10:36
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