BELOW: The Punisher finds his long-time informant Mickey Fondozzi praying in St. Anscom's Catholic Church, a place the man has lately been spending considerable time at. The Punisher initially believes that former criminal Mickey Fondozzi has come to the church seeking sanctuary, a place to be safe from the Punisher himself. The Punisher is mistaken. Fondozzi is there to pray. Note Mickey Fondozzi's words: "...lead us not into temptation..." He is reciting the Lord's Prayer.
Source: Marvel Knights (vol. 1) #11 (May 2001): "Hero for Hire", pg. 14. Written by Chuck Dixon. Art by Eduardo Barreto, Nelson DeCastro. See also: prayer; church (interior); Lord's Prayer; cross; sanctuary; temptation; kneeling; Catholic; The Punisher (Frank Castle); Mickey Fondozzi
BELOW: Since experiencing Dagger's soul-cleansing light daggers, the Punisher's informant Mickey Fondozzi has sincerely repented of his criminal ways: Interestingly enough, the Punisher finds that Mickey Fondozzi's change of heart frustrates his own mission. Fondozzi was one of the Punisher's principal informants (or "snitches"). But now that Fondozzi has "found religion" (as the Punisher puts it), the man is no longer useful to the vigilante.
Source: Marvel Knights (vol. 1) #11 (May 2001): "Hero for Hire", pg. 16. Written by Chuck Dixon. Art by Eduardo Barreto, Nelson DeCastro. See also: repentance; prayer; church (interior); soul; angel; novena; religion (the word "religion"); Catholic; The Punisher (Frank Castle); Dagger (Tandy Bowen); Mickey Fondozzi
BELOW: Ethan Edwards asks Peter Parker if he has prayed today: New star reporter Ethan Edwards is a direct Superman parody who J. Jonah Jameson has partnered with Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man). Edwards is a deeply, sincerely religious Protestant Christian. Seeing that Peter Parker looks a little down, he asks his co-worker if he has prayed. Ethan adds, "I don't know if you're religious, or what your faith is, but you'd be surprised what a little faith would do."
Source: Marvel Knights Spider-Man #14 (July 2005): "Wild Blue Yonder, Part Two", pg. 10, panels 4-6. Written by Reginald Hudlin. Art by Billy Tan, Jon Sibal. See also: faith; prayer; religious (the word "religious"); Protestant; Spider-Man (Peter Parker); Ethan Edwards
BELOW: Spider-Man prays with Superman: Well, almost. The new star reporter at the Daily Bugle is a direct Superman parody. Deeply religious, he pulls his co-worker Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) into a closet in order to pray to the Lord. Ethan is secretly arranging an opportunity to use his healing powers on Peter, but his deep religiosity and his sentiments about prayer are sincere, as seen in the following issues. Ethan tells Peter, "Open your heard to the Lord." Ethan also advises, "Don't underestimate the power of prayer, Peter." A fascinating reveal comes at the end of Marvel Knights Spider-Man #18: Reed Richards researched Ethan Edwards extensively and found that the ability to heal others was NOT among the powers he had been imbued with by his father. The last page of issue #18 reveals that Ethan's power to heal really did come from prayer.
Source: Marvel Knights Spider-Man #14 (July 2005): "Wild Blue Yonder, Part Two", pg. 11, panels 1-7. Written by Reginald Hudlin. Art by Billy Tan, Jon Sibal. See also: God; prayer; Protestant; Spider-Man (Peter Parker); Ethan Edwards
BELOW: Elise Erickson writes to Thor: "Every night I say a prayer to you...": As demonstrated by her prayers to him, Elise Erickson's relationship to Thor at this point must certainly be characterized as sincere worship. Elise is an unusual character because she was definitely not raised to worship Thor or have Norse/Teutonic pagan beliefs. (In fact, her father actively discouraged this.) Elise appears to have become a Thor worshiper completely on her own, acting counter to cultural and family expectations. In her letter, the now-adult Elise alludes to a tormented childhood, but she tells Thor: "You gave me hope." Elise later states that finding some of the letters she wrote as a child "give [her] hope for a brighter future. Elise promises Thor that she will raise her own son "believing in" him.
Source: Marvel Double-Shot #1 (Jan. 2003): "Dear Thor...", pg. 4. Written by Marlan Harris. Art by Kia Asamiya. See also: prayer; superhero worship; belief; hope; Norse/Teutonic paganism; Thor (Donald Blake); Elise Erickson
BELOW: Hershel Greene suggests that Rick should pray for his son:
Rick: Thanks, Mister, I really--
Hershel: Name's Hershel Greene. Don't thank me just yet. Your time would be better put to use praying for the boy. I ain't had a prayer answered in a good solid few months... So I figure we're about due for something good.
Source: The Walking Dead #10 (July 2004): "Miles Behind Us, Part 4", pg. 7, panel 6. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Charlie Adlard. See also: prayer; Protestant; Rick Grimes; Hershel Greene
BELOW: Rick Grimes' prayer for strength? After being shot and gravely wounded, Rick Grimes was in coma, lying in a hospital bed for a month. He wakes up to find himself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. After nine pages of encountering no living people - only horrific zombies - Rick drops to his knees while whispering "Oh God..." He buries his face in his hands and remains silently on his knees for some time. He then stands back up and seems to have the resolve to carry on. He mounts a bicycle he found and heads to his family home intent on finding his wife and son. "The Walking Dead" comic book series does not use thought balloons or internal first-person narrative captions. Readers are not privy to exactly what is going through Rick's mind while he is on his knees, although he was clearly in despair and clearly found the strength to carry on. It is up to the individual reader to decide if Rick's expression "Oh God..." was the beginning of a prayer, a semi-prayer, or merely a profane utterance. Similarly, it is up to the individual reader to decide if Rick's prayer (or non-prayer) was answered.
Source: The Walking Dead #1 (Oct. 2003): "Days Gone Bye, Part 1", pg. 11. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Tony Moore. See also: prayer; kneeling; God; Rick Grimes