For years, the Pieta, a sculpture made by Renaissance artist Michaelangelo, remains to be one of the most iconic Christian images in history. The statue - showing the lifeless body of Jesus Christ in the arms of her mother, Mary - is probably one of Michaelangelo's finest works, and one that is depicted countless times in all forms of media.
It has been used (or abused?) by comic book artists too as a subject to portray unbearable sorrow and death in their works - particularly when a very popular or known character is "killed" in a specific comic book issue. And due to the "holy" nature of the imagery and its origins, such graphic novels with the Pieta on or in it become commercially successful most of the time - if not all the time.
For example - the following page/cover in DC's 1992 controversial story arc titled "The Death of Superman" shows the first superhero, the "indestructible" Superman, himself, dying slowly in Lois Lane's embrace after a gruesome epic battle with the kryptonian monster-villain Doomsday. This was the first time that a major character was killed and was viewed by some as a big publicity stunt by DC. Nevertheless, the book garnered a lot of attention and sales from fans all over the world. The issue still remains to be one of the company's most popular titles.
More comics have adapted the Pieta as the perfect way to symbolize grief and helplessness in their stories, with some of them you might have seen before due to their mainstream popularity. Here are some of my favorites: (Click on the jump for more.)
