Comicscape - December 1, 2004

By: Kurt Amacker
Date: Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Tony's out this week, so I'm doing Comicscape in addition to my usual review. Obviously, I'm not going to answer Tony's letters and deal with the question he posed in the last two columns on the wisdom of making heroes into villains, respect (or lack thereof) for earlier creators' visions, etc. Tony will return next week to address those issues.

I wrote and rewrote this column a few times, struggling to try to find something interesting and relevant to discuss. What I've settled on is far more philosophical than my earlier attempts.

Consider this a dialectic on moral absolutism in superhero comics. I'm not sure what my conclusion will be, so as I write this, I'm just as curious as you are right now. Feel like you're in college again? Good.

While acknowledging any and all exceptions, traditionally, super villains have been portrayed as the epitome of all things evil greed, avarice, hate, destructiveness, etc. They are often the drawn embodiments of everything repugnant about humanity. Though they sometimes have justifications for their evil deeds, they are often thin ones and are still not reason enough to pursue a life of crime. Of course, superheroes are saddled with the responsibility of opposing them either by ensuring they are chased away, incarcerated, or in some cases, killed.

On one hand, this is a simple affair and supports the more cynical position that comic books are primarily escapist literature where these sorts of questions needn't even by addressed. Some readers just want Victor Von Doom to be evil, see him thwarted, and eagerly anticipate next month's issue of the same sort of affair. In this regard, comic books provide sort of a "moral security zone" in that there is a kind of comfort in knowing that every month, evil will be stopped and order restored. They want the world where the good guys always win. Perhaps there is a need for this in a world where sometimes the good guys lose, or for that matter, it's often not clear who the good guys, if any, really are.

Then again, this position poses the risk of disregarding the rich potential that comic books (or any medium for that matter) have for helping us consider and discuss real issues, albeit presenting them in an ostensibly fantastic setting. Escapism needn't be completely irrelevant. In my experience, the medium itself can provide escapism; the question really is whether one wants to escape to the world of MAUS or THE CROW, instead of one in which the villains just rob banks, run for president, or commit one of the usual bevy of super-villain mainstays (I know people have taken issue with IDENTITY CRISIS for this very reason). But, I digress. In presenting a story visually, comic books provide a kind of escape by their very nature that traditional literature cannot. Thus, while escaping, I am enthralled by reading something that makes me think. Granted, I don't like being condescended to or ranted at (BATMAN: WAY OF THE GUN I'm looking at you) and I think therein lies most readers' complaints about not wanting politics in their comic books but, I want comic books to fulfill the traditional function of literature of the fantastic: to present real issues in an otherworldly setting, thus allowing us to see them in a different context and, ultimately, clarifying them.

This brings us back to our original question of the function of moral absolutism in superhero comic books. Are comic books better served when moral absolutism is rejected in favor of a more real-world approach, in which crime and violence are perpetuated for more complex albeit not necessarily justifiable or excusable reasons? Or at least reasons more complex than the justifications historically presented? Is moral absolutism a relic to be relegated to the Silver Age and never touched upon, save for nostalgia's sake?

I don't think so.

Regardless of how valid one's justification is, people are still responsible for their own actions and "Mommy hit me when I was a kid" doesn't make a crime committed as an adult somehow excusable. The root causes of crime are often greater than the simple desire to do evil, but that doesn't negate the wrongness of certain misdeeds. Regardless of the justification any villain may offer, society and individuals (in both the real world and those fantastic ones in comic books) still suffer as a result of their misdeeds. Mr. Freeze isn't justified in robbing banks just because he's trying to save his sick, frozen wife, Nora. He's still a villain and what he does is still wrong. Innocent people and property are still injured, destroyed, etc. This brings into question of whether there even is a question at all (I bet you can't wait for Tony to come back next week, right?). What the members of the Justice League did in IDENTITY CRISIS is certainly less universally accepted as moral than stopping a purse snatcher. However, their intentions, even removed from the apparently catastrophic results, were still heroic. They were trying to attain a greater good that, while on the surface less obviously good than stopping someone from blowing up the moon, is still good, nonetheless.

I know what you're thinking: "Then, isn't Mr. Freeze trying to save his wife a good thing?" I would contend that it isn't if it entails hurting innocents. What the JLA did in IDENTITY CRISIS was against individuals that would have doubtless gone on to hurt others and generally be a bane to society. It's the same thing with the Punisher. Frank Castle's form of justice has caused even other heroes in the Marvel Universe to brand him as a villain on par with the worst of their own rogues' gallery. Even Garth Ennis the mainstay writer on THE PUNISHER for the past few years has touted the line that Frank Castle is just a serial killer who focuses on criminals, rather than a hero. I disagree. Except for that stupid storyline in the 1970s where he was drugged and started shooting at jaywalkers, Castle kills the worst of the worst criminals. His intentions are entirely heroic. His methods do not negate his status as a hero. By wholesale slaughtering criminals, he is protecting countless of innocents that would otherwise have died at their hands. Are mind-wiping and shooting more extreme methods for dealing with criminals than simply chasing them off or leaving them for the police? Certainly, but more dire circumstances call for more extreme solutions. Dr. Light warned the JLA that he would return and rape Sue Dibney again. He got off easy getting his mind wiped. Castle would've put two in his chest and one in his head just to be sure.

The argument against moral absolutism in comic books seems to fall by the wayside when we consider that heroes remain just that: heroes good guys. Their actions are most often intended to protect all those things that we hold to be self-evident: the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the right to own property, etc. All those are the things that super-villains undermine, regardless of their broader justifications. Their methods are what make them villains. If Batman were trying to save the life of Nora Freeze, he wouldn't rob a bank to get the money to do it (he wouldn't need to, of course, but that's irrelevant; he wouldn't, even if he weren't rich).

One could argue that the methods employed by the JLA and the Punisher make them villains (given my earlier argument that villains and heroes are distinguished by their methods), but this is countered by a very basic tenet of justice: those that seek to undermine the rights of others in turn lose some of their own. If you rob a bank, you go to prison and lose some of your rights. In this case, it is the responsibility of moral authority to act against those that would act against innocents. Superheroes are beacons of moral authority that are entitled to act as such by us, the readers. By continuing to buy his comic books, we endow Batman with a level of moral authority. We like that he fights crime, we buy the books, DC sees that, and Batman continues to fight crime (and thus, arbitrate morality) in the same manner. The fact that some of these characters have lasted as long as they have makes their status as moral authorities beacons, if you will self-evident.

Tony will still be responding to your comments to his last column next week. You can e-mail your thoughts about that column topic to him via the web site contact address here or e-mail me directly by midnight, Saturday, December 4. If you want to comment on this guest column, please e-mail me . Please use CAPS when giving the title of a series you want to mention. And as always, don't forget our discussion boards! In the meantime, here's this week's listings:

THIS WEEK:

Slim pickings and all very Japanese this week from Dark Horse, with SAMURAI HEAVEN & EARTH #1 ($2.99) and SUPER MANGA BLAST #47 ($5.99). I see Manga and Anime remain as overpriced as ever, but who cares what I think?

DC continues its trend of breathing life into B-list characters with DEADSHOT #1 ($2.95) and THE QUESTION #2 ($2.95).

In the books-I-should-read-but-haven't-yet department, there's the ARKHAM ASYLUM ANNIVERSARY EDITION hardcover ($29.95). If that's not enough Batman for you, now that the Wargames clusterfu I mean affair has wrapped, we can get back to Batman fighting drug dealers in DETECTIVE COMICS #801 ($2.95) and ruling the world alongside Superman in SUPERMAN/BATMAN #15 ($2.95).

In other

DC news, man-god George Romero has written a third issue of TOE TAGS ($2.95). Also, Vertigo is offering the greatest book in print right now, Y: THE LAST MAN #29 ($2.95). All jokes aside, this is an amazing book and you're really missing out if you aren't reading it. The trades are usually published on schedule, so you can catch up if you're behind. SWAMP THING #10 ($2.95) is out, which I should be reading, but haven't because I want to start with the Alan Moore material first (this is why God invented trade paperbacks). However, I've heard the new series is pretty good. Wildstorm also delivers the laughs with THE INTIMATES #2 ($2.95).

If that's not enough DC for you, there's HARD TIME #11 ($2.50) by Steve Gerber, whom I will always remember for HOWARD THE DUCK and absolutely nothing else. There's OUTSIDERS #18 ($2.50), which can't be all that bad, considering Judd Winick wrote it. And for books to be filed under I'm-at-a-loss-for-anything-to-say-about-them, there's FALLEN ANGEL #18 ($2.95) and FIRESTORM #8 ($2.50). And as far as children's books I don't care about and neither should you, there's JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #4 ($2.25) and LOONY TUNES #121 ($2.25).

And trades? We got trades! There's the DC COMICS RARITIES ARCHIVES VOL. 1 hardcover for a mere $75.00. JLA: ANOTHER NAIL ($12.95) (no minds wiped in this one...I think) is out. There's also a reprint of Warren Ellis's TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 10: ONE MORE TIME ($14.95) a book very near and dear to my heart. And DC continues to assimilate smaller comic companies like the Borg with a reprint of the 2000 A.D. (of Judge Dredd fame) title ROBO HUNTER: VERDUS ($14.95). Anyone see another CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS coming where Judge Dredd from 2000 A.D., the Metabaron from Humanoids, and the Wolfriders from Warp Graphics' ELFQUEST have to battle it out? It's coming. Don't say I didn't warn you.

As for

Marvel, the long anticipated/dreaded NEW AVENGERS #1 ($2.25) arrives this week, along with a McNiven variant for $2.25 that will no doubt end up on E-Bay for $225 in a week. Raise your hand if you think there will be a huge crossover event that reinstates the old Avengers in a couple of years. And the force that initiates the fiasco will be...BUCKY BARNES! Seriously, I could rant about this book solely for its inclusion of Spider-Man and Wolverine in the team (because both of them have so much time on their hands these days, it seems).

And in the way-too-many-X-books section, we have UNCANNY X-MEN #453 ($2.25), in which they go to Paris; EXILES #55 ($2.99), in which the team does the swords and sorcery thing (too bad Marvel doesn't have the Conan license any more; can you imagine the possibilities?); NEW X-MEN #7 ($2.99), which is really late; ROGUE #5 ($2.99), in which Marvel's website fails to even list anything; JUBILEE #4 ($2.99), in which Marvel's website doesn't bother to summarize the issue, but reassures me that I shouldn't "miss a single explosion"; and SABRETOOTH #4 ($2.99), in which we finally find out who killed all the people on Isle Dupree. Screw IDENTITY CRISIS! That's what I've been waiting to find out!

Marvel's

also got ALPHA FLIGHT #10 ($2.99)...something to do with time jumping...eh. If you like team-up books, there's CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON #10 ($2.99), which I keep hearing good things about (surprisingly enough) and HULK & THING: HARD KNOCKS #4 ($3.50), which I keep hearing abjectly awful things about. Also coming out this month is SPIDER-GIRL #81 ($2.99), in which she fights Electro's daughter (it has a cute cover, anyway); ULTIMATES 2 #1 ($2.99), which I hope has some reread value, because this is probably the last time you'll see an issue of this for a while; finally (except for trades), there's TOMB OF DRACULA #3 ($2.99). This title isn't bad by a long shot, but it's not nearly as good as it could be. You're breaking my heart, Marvel.

For Marvel trades, there's ALPHA FLIGHT VOL. 1: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME ($14.99). Watch me jump for joy. There's AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED: THOR ($16.99). See my earlier comments about this fiasco. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN VOL. 4: DISASSEMBLED ($14.99). No comment. You can also pick up Chris Claremont's recent run on UNCANNY X-MEN in UNCANNY X-MEN - THE NEW AGE VOL. 1: THE END OF HISTORY ($12.99). I'm all out of nasty things to say about the X-Men and I liked Claremont's run on Wolverine in the '80s, so I'll leave this one alone.

Wait! I almost forgot MARVEL AGE SPIDER-MAN #17 ($2.25), MARVEL AGE SPIDER-GIRL VOL. 2: LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER ($7.99), and the MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL trade collection ($15.99). I want to see Frank Castle working at Toys for Tots! Daredevil dressed like Santa Claus! The Green Goblin chucking presents instead of pumpkin bombs! It could all happen!

And I'd love to write about THE DARKNESS #17 ($2.99), NOBLE CAUSES #4 ($3.50), PvP #12 ($2.95), and SAVAGE DRAGON: GOD WAR #1 ($2.95), but Image hasn't updated their shipping list for this week! So, I'm just going to play it safe and say that they're all the greatest thing ever written. Ever. They're better than WATCHMEN, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, MAUS, and Y: THE LAST MAN all rolled into one. Speaking of great, Image is reprinting the MIDNIGHT NATION trade ($24.99), which really is one of the best things ever. Honestly.

That's all for this week. Tony'll be back next week and Comicscape will resume as usual. If you got this far, thanks for reading and let me know what you think at the e-mail address above.

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Comicscape is our weekly Comics column.