Page - 32 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

32 | Christian Wessely www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 17–44 devotes a section of his Wahrheit und Methode.36 The subject, he writes, is the work of art itself, not the subjectivity of the individual who experiences that work of art. for Gadamer the game has its own being, independent of those who play the game.37 Just as the game masters its players, so too the work of art masters those who create and observe it. Gadamer assumes that the work of art wants to be taken seriously. But does this interpretation stand for a comic? What if the image does not want to be taken seriously, if its form already makes evident that it is humorous, utopian, dystopian, or somehow remote? Gadamer’s game analogy allows that even in its apparent not-wanting-to-be-taken-seriously, the comic does want to be taken seriously. It is a subject, not an object, and a partner in the hermeneutic process. this proposal leads us back to Dreschel’s claim that a comic unseen by producers, market, and consumers cannot be. in other words, “the comic” as an abstract does not exist; it must be considered a dynamic product of the reception process that is, in turn, determined by its basic functions. eNtertAiNMeNt fUNCtiON A comic lives decisively from its ability to entertain. the drawings delight in de- tailed and skilful imagery of what is unusual; the stories are designed for brev- ity and tension. some comics are reduced to these aspects alone, but in most cases the entertainment factor serves as a medium for other functions. yet the relegation of their entertainment function in favour of apparently more impor- tant factors can lead to the complete failure of the medium. A telling example of such failure is found in the ambitious experiment that seeks to portray scrip- ture according to the popular comics genre. the Deutsche Bibelstiftung made several attempts to this end in the early 1980s, but the unskilled and, as a result, loveless product ensured the series failed, despite a good story line with high moral standards (see fig. 12 and 13).38 36 Gadamer 1990, vol. i, 107–174. 37 Gadamer 1990, vol. i, 108. 38 Every translation of the Bible is a sensitive subject, and both successful and failed attempts abound. the following examples demonstrate how a comic can miss its target audience completely. Fig. 12 (r.): André Leblanc, Der König kommt [The King comes], unpaginated. The important pericope John 2:1–11 is summarised on just one page.