Comicscape - September 24, 2003

By: TONY WHITT
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2003

OPINION

My thanks again to everyone who wrote in regarding the "Nick Fury Question." Your responses were many and varied as you yourselves are, and I'm still getting letters about it. I guess that, despite how far we've come in this country, race as an issue is something that's not likely to go away anytime soon. I'm rather surprised, however, by the few people wrote in to say that they felt that COMICSCAPE isn't the place for such a discussion, particularly after the strong and sometimes overly heated response to Joseph Mudd's comments. They argued, in not so many words, that comic books are an escapist form of literature, and as such, comics (and by extension, comics columns, no doubt) should not have anything to do with real world matters such as race, politics, and religion. It surprises me how often I encounter this attitude, especially when I write comic reviews. Here's a few examples:

Not long after September 11, I did a review of CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol. 3 #48, an issue which was mediocre even by the standard set before such people as John Ney Reiber and Chuck Austen came along and upped the ante. At the time, I trounced Dan Jurgens for giving Captain America the same sort of tired old patriotic speeches on freedom and honor that he'd always been given in the past. At one point in the review, I wrote, "Sadly, with all the political rhetoric we've been hearing on the nightly news for the past month and a half, the dialogue rings even more hollow than it normally would, which is very hollow indeed." The response I received from that review was extremely vitriolic, indeed, mostly containing words I can't print here, but one person stated that I had no right bringing up the nightly news at all, particularly in a comics review.

But this was nothing compared to the response that I got from my review of CAPTAIN AMERICA Vol. 4 #5, which came out around the same time that we were debating whether or not to go to war with Iraq - or rather, when we were hearing more and more justifications why we should go, and far too little about why we maybe shouldn't. I led off that review with the following: "With all the spear-rattling and cries for war going on in the US today, it's a refreshing change of pace to find an expression of patriotism that's not a cry for blood, or a means to win an election, or an attack on those who are somehow less patriotic."

The letters I got after that review made the near-death threats I got for that silly "Superman Is Dumb" column a few months back look like love letters by comparison. In one of the kindest (and thankfully briefest), one reader quoted that exact opening phrase back to me, then followed it with "GROW UP!" as if I had said something exceedingly childish. (Yeah, dude, like telling someone to "grow up" because you don't agree with their views and then not following up with your own is dead-on mature. Nice.) And yet again, several readers attacked me for bringing politics into a comics review. Responding to other parts of the review taken out of context, one wrote, "Could you do me a big favor? Save your left-wing propaganda for a forum that is supposed to have political content. I'm trying to read about comic books, not hear how Flower Power can save the world. America's not how it 'should be?' Don't like it? Then get out and shut your hole." (Yup, you gotta love it when people get really high-fallutin' and intellectual with you. You don't agree, you tell 'em to "shut their hole." Must've been a real cracker in debating class back in high school...)

As stupid as I thought these responses were, I wasn't so much disturbed by the fact that these people disagreed with my views - hell, I get that all the time, and it's their right to express those views (just as it's my right to express mine, or to belittle theirs when they don't back them up properly. In my day job as an English instructor, I'm constantly telling my students how not to argue a point like that). What did confuse me, especially in the last response and others like it, was the idea that comics and anything having to do with them could not be a forum with political content. My question is...haven't comics always been a forum with political content?

Really, think about this. Look back at the comics published during the Second World War, when the art form as we know it today was still in its infancy. It's all too easy to find references to "Japs," "Ratzis," and "Krauts" in those Golden Age stories, and the writers never thought twice about depicting Germans, Italians, and Japanese as evil-doers in the broadest possible strokes. Surely that's the expression of a political position, even if it does occur during wartime and even if it is expressed in terms that were considered "politically correct" for that time period? For that matter, look at the few CAPTAIN AMERICA stories written during the 50s, in which Cap's main enemies were Communists and/or Russians. If that's not political content - albeit extremely simplistic content, not the sort of complex stuff we get nowadays in that same title - I don't know what is.

I'd also wonder what that reader would have to say about the classic GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW story that dealt with race, or the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN story that dealt with drugs and which had to forego its Comics Code Authority seal for that issue. How are these stories not political in their own way? And yet in the wake of comics such as the famous (or infamous) black September 11th issue of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, there's a surprising number of folks out there who feel that comics have grown too political and have gone too far away from their "roots," implying that the roots of comics are in some escapist fantasy world which has no connection with our own. When have they ever been that? Or rather, should they be that? Is there room for discussion of real-world issues in comics? Or should I just avoid reviewing CAPTAIN AMERICA from here on out?

I'd like to hear some of your responses to some of these questions for next week. I'd also like you to tell me about a moment in comics history that handled a parallel political issue in the real world, and whether you felt it was handled well or not. (I'd love to hear what you thought of that aforementioned "black issue," for instance, but I'd rather save that as a separate column - I bet the feedback for that one will be huge.) So, e-mail me your thoughts at comicscape@cinescape.com. In the meantime, here's the goodies for this week:

THIS WEEK

Bat-fans aren't

getting quite a hit to the checkbook this week, but they're not the only ones who will be buying BATMAN #619, which features the conclusion of the critically acclaimed "Hush" storyline from Loeb and Lee. Or, if they just want to stick to the usual stuff (or the stuff that probably won't be collected in under six months in trade paperback form), they can go for BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #171 and BATMAN: TENSES #2 (Of 2).

Speaking of

vigilantes (and as of JLA/AVENGERS #1, vigilantes who have been beaten up by Batman!), BORN #4, the conclusion to the Warren Ellis miniseries recounting the origin of the Punisher, ships this week. Or you could just plunk your money down for PUNISHER #32.

Vertigo gives

us a veritable cornucopia of titles this week (ever notice you can't use the word "cornucopia" without the word "veritable" anymore?). Not only do we get FABLES: THE LAST CASTLE (you guessed it - a collected edition of issues we just bought a year ago), we also get HELLBLAZER #188; THE LOSERS #4; and best of all, Y: THE LAST MAN #15, in which we discover the fate of the two male astronauts in orbit when the plague killed all their brethren. Judging by the cover, it doesn't look good for the boys in uniform... [Editor's Note: it has been brought to our attention that FABLES: THE LAST CASTLE is a new issue, not a collected edition. Additionally, Y: THE LAST MAN #15 did not ship this week.]

Image continues to bring us its biggest blast from the past with MICRONAUTS #11. Enough to make you break out those old toys and go on a campaign, eh? OK, OK, maybe it's just me.

Marvel's not

giving the male fans a lot of eye candy this week, but I guess the cover to MYSTIQUE #6 is just tantalizing enough to make it pin-up material - especially if you dig the idea of a shape-changing woman with four arms. Goodness, even I get excited at the idea of that, but only if she morphs into Hugh Jackman - or instead of Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, how about John Stamos? Yeah, yeah, I know, just me again...

Wildstorm's gone to the dogs and the cats this week, as THUNDERCATS: DOGS OF WAR #4 and WILDCATS VERSION 3.0 #14 both ship on Wednesday. (They're sending out PROMETHEA #27 and TERRA OBSCURA #4, too, but I couldn't fit those two into the cat pun. Honestly, you try making up silly jokes week after week...)

I suppose I could make a pun about "ultimatums" at this point, but I won't. Instead, I'll just inform you that both ULTIMATE SIX #2 and ULTIMATES #12 are both shipping from Marvel this week, and both are likely to be worth reading, even if only one of them is likely to have the Ultimate Nick Fury. Just so you know. [Editor's Note: ULTIMATES SIX #2 and ULTIMATES #12 did not ship this week either. Jeez, Tony, what are you doing to me here?!]

Speaking of African-American characters who did not come up in our discussion of a few weeks ago for some reason or another, SPAWN #128 is shipping out this week, too. Wow, they're still publishing that? Even after that movie?

Don't be

fooled by the look of the cover or the sound of the script - it's Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins, all right, but it's not THE FLASH or B.R.P.D.. No, it's AVENGERS #72, with a new story arc which hopefully does not feature the Red Skull. Again. Please?

Of course, THE FLASH #202 is out this week, and Geoff Johns is still writing it. Coincidence? Hmmm.

I think I'll also keep any further Monty Python references to myself, even though the arrival of the third issue of the THOR: VIKINGS miniseries is making me desperately hungry for Spam.

While the Justice League tries not to get burnt out on the "Trial by Fire" storyline in JLA #87, you can read about everyone from Amazo to Green Arrow in the first issue of the delayed JLA-Z. I don't have to show you the cover because a) DC didn't send me a copy and b) those ratzis at WIZARD already previewed it. So there.

The HULK: NIGHTMERICA miniseries continues with issue #4 this week, while Bruce Jones continues his staggering run on INCREDIBLE HULK with #61. Any chance of this one getting its original numbering back, now that Marvel has finally come to their senses on FANTASTIC FOUR? Well, come to their senses on the numbering, anyway...

Keith Giffen continues his dream series REIGN OF THE ZODIAC with issue #2, as the rulers of House Virgo and House Aries prepare to wed. Wouldn't the Aries be better off with a good Leo or a Gemini, though?

If you'd

like to remember how Superman (and his entire franchise) nearly died, then pick up the collected SUPERMAN: DAY OF DOOM, in which the anniversary of Superman's death is remembered. (Though not fondly, mind you, and certainly not by me. Superman rocks, et cetera, et cetera...) Or you can watch the present-day Superman fighting off yet another untimely death in SUPERMAN #197 - and hey, it's got Krypto, too!

Unless you're a Peter Milligan fan, the X-pickings are slim this week as WEAPON X #13, X-TREME X-MEN #31, and X-STATIX #14 all ship from Marvel. (Though you did read HUMAN TARGET #2 last week, didn't you? Wasn't that fantastic?)

JMS brings what looks like the whole damn Marvel Universe together to fight Dormammu (I am not kidding, I tell you!) in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #58. And if you're still mooning over the days when Peter had a snazzy black costume, check out VENOM #5 and remind yourself why he doesn't anymore.

Dark Horse sends out one dilly of a care package this week with GRENDEL: GOD & THE DEVIL #8 (Of 10), LONE WOLF 2100 #9, SUPER MANGA BLAST #35, and USAGI YOJIMBO #69. If that's not enough to hold you, then you're just too difficult to please.

Speaking of difficult to please, our favorite dictator Golgoth's a bit pissed off this week when the source of the drug that provides his soldiers with superpowers becomes known to some of his functionaries in EMPIRE #3.

And speaking

of Mark Waid, he's still writing FANTASTIC FOUR #504, so enjoy it while it lasts...

Oh, yeah - LOBO UNBOUND #4 is out, too. Joy and rapture.

Asta, folks!

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