RAGGED THOTS

Truly sad day for comic book and animation fans. 

Dwayne McDuffie -- someone who I never met, but who I admired more than I realized -- died today, at the ridiculously not-old age of 49.  Many of you might not have heard of him, but the odds are that you're more aware of his work than you know.  If you -- or your kids -- ever watched the Static Shock cartoon, then you knew Dwayne McDuffie.  If you -- or your kids -- have ever watched Ben 10: Alien Force:  , then you may well know Dwayne McDuffie.  If you were a comic book fan in the early '90s and discovered a brand new line of minority-focused comics called Milestone, then you definitely know Dwayne McDuffie. He was the co-founder and  creative mastermind; Static was the line's premiere character. Milestone took hardy comic staples and turned them upside down with a diversity angle that was hardly PC. Take the "Spider-Man" origin -- nerdy kid given superpowers -- but make him a Cosby-type black youngster instead: Voila!! You get Static. 



Dwayne McDuffie, 1962-2011

 Another great McDuffie creation: Icon: Take the Superman origin of a "strange visitor from another planet," but make him a near-immortal black man who's a wealthy Republican businessman (with the Dickensian name of Augustus Freeman) and team him up with a smart-talking teenage black girl sidekick! In other words, Icon becomes a black Superman AND Batman! The DC-published line only lasted a few years, but its influence is still felt today. (Proving that the line was ahead of its time, a Milestone creation called Xombi, a techno-created zombie is being revived during these "Walking Dead" times). 

McDuffie wasn't afraid to "call out" his mainstream bosses if he saw tedious, stereotypical depictions of minority characters.  A late-80s in-house memo distributed to his then-Marvel colleagues is both hilarious and awesome to behold.. Of course, that willingness to speak truth to power is never without consequence: DC removed him from writing Justice League of America a couple years ago for telling-tales-out-of-school on his frustrations with the corporate culture interfering with some of the storylines he wanted to pursue.

Icon & Rocket's first collected appearance, "A Hero's Welcome."

That was especially a shame because, a few years before, McDuffie had been responsible for the creatively and commercially successful Justice League Unlimited animated series, which helped reintroduce the African-American Green Lantern, John Stewart to a whole new generation. Indeed, for many kids in the Uh-Oh Decade, their GL was black. For a "cartoon," JLU had a remarkably "adult" (without being smarmy or suggestive) take on superheroes, and included a relationship between Stewart and Shayera, the Hawkgirl character. Forget interracial controversy -- this was interplanetary!!

Anyway, McDuffie was talented, entrepreneurial and, from the various testimonials around the blogosphere and Twitterverse a truly special individual.  (His passing was especially poignant given today's release of the "All-Star Superman" DVD for which McDuffie provided the script adaption of Grant Morrison's graphic novel. Pick up a copy in the next few days in his honor.)

R.I.P.

UPDATE: Another long-time Marvel and DC editor, Christopher Priest, wrote several years back on his role assisting McDuffie and the creation of Milestone Media. 
Other views here, here, here, here and here.
New York Post reports. 
Los Angeles Times reports.  

UPDATE II:  A final observation on our changed media landscape:  A few years ago, I wonder how many people would have ever known about McDuffie's death today -- or the comics he wrote or cartoons he helped create.  His name was trending on Twitter almost non-stop since the news of his passing hit the 'Net around 3 PM EST. We live in an age now where fans of his work operate in a medium that allows them access to reactions of people who personally knew and collaborated with the creators of some of our favorite pieces of entertainment, past and present.  Yes, sometimes Twitter is just used as a PR device for an actor's show, movie or play; a writer's next book or article -- or a politician's next bit of spin.

But McDuffie's death shows that Twitter can on certain occasions be something else: It's a legitimate information vehicle; it brings knowledge that won't be seen on either cable or broadcast news any time soon -- and serves as a cyber version of the corner square where those already in the know can share the sadness felt on the passing of a creative mind who touched them in a unique way. Twitter isn't needed when a mega-celebrity like Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett dies. Those are names that the old media would broadcast immediately everywhere at any time. But in an increasingly niche-market and niche-interest world, Twitter is as indispensable for everyone in the manner that the old AP and UPI newswires were for the journalistic aristocracy.

Labels: black, Comic Books, DC Comics, Dwayne McDuffie, Superheroes

Due to nothing but entropic anomie, an early feature at Ragged Thots -- Comic Book Fridays -- fell by the wayside sometime ago.  I'm not sure if this will lead to a more-permanent return, but a perfect moment has arisen to plunge into what was once known as the world of four-color pop culture. 
The last time that an event in a comic book garnered newspaper and cable TV headlines was the "death" of Captain America a few years back (yeah, surprise! after being lost in time, Steve Rogers has returned to the Marvel Universe). This week, the character making the headlines shares with Cap a certain propensity to donning the old red, white and blue.
Or so she did until this week!  
I speak, of course, of the Amazing Amazon, the Princess of Paradise Island, the one and only, Wonder Woman (and yeah, I know that, in fact, there's more than just "one" Wonder Woman -- don't try to out-geek me here)!. To celebrate the publication of her 600th issue -- and the debut of superstar/multi-field author J. Michael Straczinski -- DC Comics unveiled a brand new costume.  Gone is the iconic look of star-spangled hot pants and golden-eagle breast-plate/stylized yellow"WW." To say, the black-leggings/leather jacket combo, designed by artist and DC co-publisher Jim Lee, has generated some controversy would be an understatement. 
Deadline Hollywood writer Nikki Finke hates it.  Project Runway's Tim Gunn loves it.  Fox raised concerns about the cultural implications of a heroine being de-Americanized (right before Independence Day, to boot, uh, reboot)!. More knowledgeable comic fanzines wondered if we haven't seen this movie before. And, indeed, we have -- repeatedly. And, not surprisingly, the controversy has turned issue #600 into a huge hit (two days after it hit the stands).
Now, in all this, the only observation I have to make is:  Here you have two  iconic superheroes with origins stretching back to the World War II era.  Two heroes that are literally wrapped in the flag.  One is male; one is female.  To generate huge headlines, the publisher of the male character kills him off (for a couple of years).  To generate huge headlines, the publisher of the female character changes her clothes.  Maybe it's just me, but there's something vaguely, cynically sexist in this formulation.  I'm not making a judgment on the costume itself (why bother? as suggested in more than a few of the above links, a version of the original duds will return ere long, maybe with longer pants).  I'm just talking about what a publisher uses to "sell" something dramatic about a character.  Comic-wise Captain America and Wonder Woman are both supposed to be great warriors. Heck, classically, WW fought a contest among her fellow Amazons to get to be Paradise Island's ambassador to "Man's World."  She's a fighter.  
But, Cap is the one who dies in battle -- and gets the huge headlines in "the real world." WW? She gets Tim Gunn to comment on her new fashion sense.  
Somehow this just doesn't seem right.  
On the other hand, I'll be following the new storyline (Wonder Woman caught in an alternate timeline; geez, where have we heard that before?)! So, maybe DC knows what it's doing. 

Labels: Comic Books, Wonder Woman

On Tuesday, I had my favorite panel in the two years I've been attending the CWA:  "Geek Culture: Sci-Fi, Superhero Movies and Comic Books."  One attendee apparently liked what he saw.

Labels: Comic Books, Conference on World Affairs

Iron Man is easily in the Top Five of the recent superhero film explosion -- up there with the first Spider-Man, Batman Begins and either of the first two X-Men features.

Robert Downey Jr. was meant to play Tony Stark, in the same way Hugh Jackman was meant to be Wolverine and Patrick Stewart was meant to be Professor X. The casting is perfect. And that's not even referencing the substance problems the real-life Downey and the fictional Stark have experienced.

The origin is appropriately updated, but remarkably faithful to the original. Stark is wounded in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam.

Some conservatives will undoubtedly dislike the bias against weapons-makers, but overall this movie is more pro-business than most films. Stark is almost as arrogant and intense at the end of the movie as he is at the beginning.

Jeff Bridges makes for a great mentor/foil in Obadiah Stane (fans of the comic book will realize the implications of Stane's role early on). Gwyneth Paltrow is a nice Pepper Potts, but doesn't exactly stand out in any significant way.

This movie is more like Batman Begins in that Downey (like Christian Bale in BB) really drives the movie. Unlike any of the other movies, when the major foe appears, he doesn't take over the film in the way Magneto, the Joker and the Green Goblin have done in other comic book flicks. Tony Stark is front-and-center for almos the entire picture.

The other thing I liked about this movie is that, while the special effects were excellent, director Jon Favreau (who also plays chaffeur Happy Hogan) never let the CGI overwhelm the film and turn it into a Playstation game.

Best line: "I had to do a piece for Vanity Fair." (You'll realize why the line is so good when you hear it.)

This summer may set a record for comic-book related films (The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, Hellboy, The Spirit, etc.). Iron Man has set the bar high from the start.

Oh, and for the fanboys out there -- stick around through the (very) lengthy credits. You'll be glad you did (particularly those who are readers of contemporary Marvel Comics).

Labels: Comic Books, Iron Man, movies

Julian Sanchez notes the increased political messages coming out in comic books. However, he draws exactly the opposite message from Marvel Comics' Civil War "Superhero Registration Act" and its aftermath:

But there is often a strong (if unintended) neoconservative subtext even in stories by left-leaning authors.
The "Civil War" storyline may provide the clearest illustration of this. The Superhero Registration Act is a straightforward analogue of the USA PATRIOT Act; the rhetoric of its opponents could have been cribbed from an ACLU brief. But under scrutiny, their civil libertarian arguments turn out to hold very little water in the fictional context. The "liberty" the act infringes is the right of well-meaning masked vigilantes, many wielding incredible destructive power, to operate unaccountably, outside the law -- a right no sane society recognizes. In one uneasy scene, an anti-registration hero points out that the law would subject heroes to lawsuits filed by those they apprehend. In another, registered hero Wonder Man is forced to wait several whole minutes for approval before barging into a warehouse full of armed spies from Atlantis. Protests about the law's threat to privacy ring a bit hollow coming from heroes accustomed to breaking into buildings, reading minds, or peering through walls without bothering to obtain search warrants. Captain America bristles at the thought of "Washington … telling us who the supervillains are," but his insistence that heroes must be "above" politics amounts to the claim that messy democratic deliberation can only hamper the good guys' efforts to protect America. The putative dissident suddenly sounds suspiciously like Director of National Intelligence [Michael] McConnell defending warrantless spying.

On the other hand, the leader of the "pro-registration" forces is Iron Man, AKA Tony Stark -- former secretary of defense; given that registered heroes MUST become members of the uber-CIA/NSA hybrid SHIELD, this is enforced, targeted, conscription. It's one thing for government to pass a law that either bans the use of "superpowers" (as, say, the use of arms beyond basic handguns or rifles) -- or brings back a nationwide draft. But even in the "real" world, one can understand why Americans would bristle at a draft of just some people. Thus, the "liberty" that the anti-registration forces fight for has legitimate real-world cognates.

Furthermore, in Marvel world, the pro-order/pro-registration forces "win" because Captain America chooses to stop fighting rather than endanger ordinary citizens. His "reward" for this is to be assassinated as he is being marched into court. (The post-murder storyline is still playing out in Captain America's own title -- which is arguably much better since the title character was killed off.) The registration goes forward: Most superheroes are now part of the federal security apparatus. Sanchez suggests that that is better than allowing them to be rogue free agents. Those concerned about the concentration of government power might think differently.

Unfortunately, Sanchez didn't have the time to read (or didn't know about), the current "war" storyline going on in DC Comics. He might have noted how the real-world politics are playing out in similar ways as their Marvel rivals. That involves DC's oldest standing paramilitary organization -- the Green Lantern Corps, an interstellar police force wielding energy manipulating power rings.

The "Sinestro Corps War" involves long-time GL archfoe Sinestro creating an evil version of the GL Corps -- all using yellow power rings. The aim -- to take control of the "multiverse" (that would be Earth and all its parallel universe counterparts). The Green Lantern mythos has always been based on whether courage can overcome fear. Sinestro powers his rings through fear. Why, because, a former Green Lantern himself, Sinestro believes that the universe can better organized than the way his former masters the Guardians of the Universe have managed: "I want that universe controlled with order. And I want all to realize that control comes not out of love, compassion or hope -- but out of fear."

A talented YouTuber creates a great "Sinestro Corps War" trailer:

The Guardians, meanwhile, to take on Sinestro, lift their long-standing ban on Green Lanterns using lethal force -- an obvious parallel to the real-world debate on how much the U.S. should abide by Geneva Convention rules on such topics as torture. The final chapter of the Sinestro War comes out in three weeks, but there are already many hints that the Green Lanterns will undergo as dynamic a moral and organizational transformation in the DC Universe as have the heroes in the Marvel Universe.

If that turns out to be the case, there will be little doubt that the bleaker real-world war-time perspective has become the dominant cultural paradigm in what used to be called the "funny book" world. (As the "Sinestro" arc plays out, DC is moving toward its next epic storyline -- beginning next spring -- "Final Crisis." With any luck, the real world won't have come to an end by then.)

Labels: "Civil War", Comic Books

The Star-Spangled Avenger returns. And this time -- he's packing.

Labels: Captain America, Comic Books

Madscribe:
To relieve the innevitable tension that arises from heated political discussion, a thread to remind RT readers of one of our gracious host's interests.

According to today's Financial Times of London, British mogul, Richard Branson is among the many content creators seeking to cash in on the next generation of polychromatic pulp fiction and endless merchandising, by presenting a new pantheon of Indo-Asiatic superheroes to the TVs and printing presses of the world:

Virgin Comics, Sir Richard Branson's Bangalore-based start-up, has entered the race to develop India's first set of modern superheroes for the big screen as global media companies look to target the country's growing youth market. The company has signed up with India's UTV Motion Pictures to create four superheroes - a move that pitches it against Walt Disney and Time Warner, which have recently launched initiatives to develop similar characters.

"India has a vast vault of mythology that spans thousands of years, so that's certainly the area from which we'll be mining a lot of ideas," said Gotham Chopra, chief creative officer of Virgin Comics. "But these new characters are meant to be more contemporary superheroes that fit a more modern age." International media companies are increasingly seeking inroads to India's entertainment market, particularly the youth segment, with nearly 70 per cent of the population under 35.

Maybe Simpsons' creator Matt Groenig was on to something when he introduced the (suitable for Burger King cups) character Apu to Springfields cast of characters.

By the way, you would think that a company named "Virgin Comics" would either appeal to Larry Flynt's or Osama Bin Laden's followers ...

Labels: Comic Books, Globalization, Multiculturalism

Spider-Man 3: Fanboy dream -- or nightmare?

On the surface, it should be the former as its packed with far more action than the first film. Given all the soldout midnight performance around New York Thursday night/Friday morning, the flick should easily hit the $120 mil Spidey 1 took in in its first weekend.

On the other hand, a young man exiting the theatre where I saw it may have delivered what could be an early epitaph. Responding to his buddy's, "So whadidya think?" the guy said, "I saw Love, Actually over the weekend. I didn't need to see it again." Ouch!

Another viewer was overheard saying, "I really wanted to like it. I guess I still do, but I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up tomorrow ticked off that I didn't get to bed until 4:30. " Ouch again.

I sympathize with these reactions: Three was the both the magic number and the unlucky number for this movie: Three super-villains (including an alien symbiote), three overlapping romantic triangles, major psycho-drama including fatherhood and parenting issues (one of the supervillians turns out to be a bad father -- don't you just hate that?) plus enough plot to fill three comic-book movies may just simply be too much. At 140 mins., it becomes something of an endurance test (consider yourself lucky -- the third Pirates of the Caribbean is supposedly nearly three hours).

Creatively, I have the same criticism here that I've had in other Marvel-related films: There's this annoying trend of grafting the origin of the villain onto that of the hero. That was the biggest flaw in the first Fantastic Four movie -- putting Doctor Doom on the rocketship w/the would-be FF.

That happens here with the revised origin of The Sandman -- he's now the actual triggerman who killed Peter's Uncle Ben. The resolution to his story is beyond unsatisfying; it is infuriating and borderline offensive in its moral equivalence. I'll discuss more of that after the weekend when more people have had a chance to see the film. I don't want to give too many spoilers here.

James Franco as Harry (Goblin II) Osborne is the real standout in this edition. There's a real arc to his character and you're truly made to care about him -- even when he's at his most evil -- which interestingly, occurs in a scene when he's not in his Goblin outfit. Franco also manages to carry himself in such a way that he physically looks like he is related to William Hurt DaFoe (who played Norman "Green Goblin" Osborne).

The movie could have been tighter and better without pushing Venom (played here by Topher Grace) into it. It was just too much. Indeed, without Venom, the writers might have come up with a more plausible conclusion to The Sandman arc. And, yes, it would have been possible to have introduced the black suit/symbiote without going all-Venom. Heck, they've managed to mention/use Doctor Connors in all three movies without turning him into what he becomes in the comics, The Lizard, right? Sometimes less actually is more.

Tobey Maguire looks like he's having fun when he gets to show off his dark, symbiote-influenced side. The extended scene where he is under the symbiote suit's influence is quite disturbing even as it is initially played for laughs. Kirsten Dunst is good as usual as Mary Jane Watson though she gets to offer only two emotional extremes: depressed/angry (at Peter) and threatened/endangered by the villain of the moment. The tender and sweet Mary Jane we saw in the first two films is hardly seen here. And that may reflect the main problem of the movie. The first two parts of the Spider franchise (especially the very first) had a good balance between action/adventure and emotional content that avoided being maudlin. This time around, the emotional content became unconvincing soap opera (thus the Love, Actually comment).

Bryce Dallas Howard is completely unbelievable and irrelevant as Gwen Stacy, a likely rival for Peter's attentions. The Gwen of the comics was vivacious in a completely different way from Mary Jane -- and one could see how Peter could be attracted to both. Not with this Gwen. She could just as easily been Miss Blonde X.

On the other hand, James Cromwell was born to play Stacy police chief dad (but, then again, is there a cop who James Cromwell was not born to play -- when he's not playing creepy turncoats on 24 and L.A. Confidential?).

Anyway, that's it. Alas, Spider-Man 3 comes to me as a disappointment -- too long and too convoluted, though with a couple of good performances and plentiful special effects. It should make well over $200 milliion in the first 10 days or so. Will it make back its reported $350 million? Now, that's an interesting question.

On Monday, I'll address the Sandman arc conclusion that I found so appalling.

UPDATE: Corrected to reflect the proper name of the actor William who played the Green Goblin. This will teach me not to write reviews at 4 a.m.

Labels: Comic Books, movies, Spider-Man 3, Superheroes

Yes, we all love our comic books and the fascinating discussions that they engender on contemporary real-world issues. However, the medium started out in what were once known as newspaper "funny pages."

Here then is a list of sequential art that puts the "comic" (unintentional, though it may be) in "comic book".

(Hat tip to reader Gerry).

Some similarly-themed humor can also be found at the always valuable Superdickery.com.

Labels: Comic Books, humor

On the basis of a late-evening Friday show, I helped keep 300 at the top of the box-office this weekend.

I generally liked it -- though it seems more akin in spirit to, say, The Lord of the Rings, than a true adaptation of an actual historical event. The various CGI-enhanced creatures that the Persians bring out to battle the Spartan fighter seem more cast from mythology and creator Frank Miller's comic-book roots than from reality. And, like great comics and classic films, there is a a black and white depiction of who the good guys are and who are the bad guys.

Still, the strong total embrace of the movie by conservatives, is mildly surprising.

Actually, in a sense it is not: Conservatives who are embracing the "values" of 300, are those who would rather elevate the "defense" and non-PC aspect of conservatism -- arguably, to the detriment of other parts of a contemporary conservative message:

Help me out here, because I’m having trouble wrapping my mind around a few things: When, early in the film, a sneering Persian emissary insults King Leonidas’s hot wife, threatens the kingdom, and rages about “blasphemy,” the king kicks him down a bottomless well. And yet nobody in Sparta asks, “Why do they hate us?” and seeks to find common ground with the Persians on their doorstep. Why not?

The Spartans mock the god-king Xerxes (whose traveling throne resembles a particularly louche Brazilian gay-pride carnival float), mow down his armored “immortal” holy warriors clad is nothing but red cloaks, loincloths, and sandals, and generally give their last full measure to defend Greek civilization against superstition and tyranny. Where are the liberal Spartan voices raised in protest against this blatant homophobia, xenophobia, and racism?

The only way this bunch of refugees from a Village People show can whup our heroes is by dangling some dubious hookers in front of a horny hunchback who makes Quasimodo look like Tom Cruise, and by bribing a corrupt legislator to tie up reinforcements with various legalistic maneuvers. When the queen finally kills the councilor, the others call him a “traitor.” Isn’t that both blaming the victim and questioning his patriotism?

You’d think 300 was a metaphor for something…

I heard the other day that one of the creators of this film is… yes, a closet conservative. And now he, whoever he is, is a rich closet conservative.

However, the very first statement heard in 300 are words that should disturb other more conventional conservatives. Forgive the SPOILERS that will come with this making this observation.

The narrator casually explains that Spartan baby boys are examined to see if they are healthy. Those that are not -- or are deemed weak or too sickly -- are, well, discarded. As in, tossed and left to die.

Call it complete post-birth abortion.

Furthermore, the film, arguably justifies this by -- another SPOILER COMING UP -- a plot point that turns one of the few survivors of this quaint cultural practice, ugly hunchback, into a traitor. Ephialtes betrays the Spartans by throwing in with Xerxes (after being told by Spartan King Leonidas that he is of too low a stature to be of help his fellow Greeks on the battlefield). So, there's a lesson for a "proper" military culture: Kill the weak and sickly -- lest they help destroy the best in your society.

That may be (in certain circumstances) an important message to be heard -- but it is by no means a conventionally "conservative", which is to say, a "pro-life" one.

Labels: Comic Books, conservatives, movies

A casual meandering around the Web might find some RT posts showing up on this group blog, Political Mavens. The site features a rather eclectic group of writers, think tankers, politicians, movie directors and other creative sorts -- including various occasional RAG collaborators as Dan Gerstein, Julia Gorin and Dave Rosner. It's the brainchild of Binyamin Jolkovsky, editor of Jewish World Review. Binyamin has been trying to get me to contribute to the Mavens for some time. However, timing constraints prevented me from doing little more than simply crossposting RAG posts to PM.

Until now! Here is my first post unique to Political Mavens. Not surprisingly, it is about THE major event of last week -- and no, I'm not referring to the U.S. attorneys hearings.

So, check that out -- and the entire site.

Labels: Captain America, Comic Books, Political Mavens

Much, much more coverage on the death of Captain America.

1) The obituary in The Times was almost like a real Times obituary. Well, except they didn't refer to him as "Mr. America."

2) Veteran comic-book watcher Heidi MacDonald has a comics blog on the Publishers Weekly here. Mucho Cap stuff there.

3) More media and retail fall-out on the EVENT.

4) Slate talks Cap and reviews 300 (which has only gotten so-so reviews). Most interesting thing I found out this week was that the director of 300, Zach Snyder, is the man bringing Watchmen to the screen. Expect Alan Moore to hate this too.

5) In addition to his many other great powers, it turns out that Stephen Colbert is a major comic book geek (he was at the Convention two weeks ago, and apparently has a title of his own coming out later this year). He weighed in on the passing of Cap in his own inimitable style (click on "Comic Justice"). His ideas on who should be the new Captain America -- and who that person's archenemy should be -- is priceless.

6) Finally, my all-time favorite Captain America sequence is this Watergate-era story from the '70s. It's scripted by my favorite writer of that period, Steve Englehart (responsible for the "Silver St. Cloud" storyline in Detective Comics later in the decade). Anyway, in this sequence, Cap becomes a pariah to the public and is considered unpatriotic. Behind it all is a shadowy organization called The Secret Empire. Anyway, the entire story can be found in this compilation. It's Captain America (and the Falcon!) at his/their best.

UPDATE: Oh, and as we might have hoped, The Onion "reported" on Captain America's death in an appropriate manner!

Labels: Captain America, Comic Books, Stephen Colbert

Well, Marvel Comics' red-white-and-blue Boy Scout bit the dust in issue #25 of his book , released Wednesday.



The incident was partly a ramification of the "Civil War" storyline that took over Marvel since last summer, and touched upon some of the real world's war on terror/"freedom vs. security" debates .

In the final issue of that series, the anti-super hero registration superheroes led by Captain America were on the brink of defeating Iron Man's pro-registration squad. At the last moment, Cap noticed the city-wide destruction that the battle was causing, called an end to hostilities and surrendered.




On the way to arraignment in federal court (for violating the registration act), an unmasked Steve Rogers is shot down, thus setting off the latest turn of events. This being the comic book world, however, are things exactly what they seem? I have to admit, even by the standards of the medium, as death "scenes" go, this one had wiggle room large enough for a Mack truck to get through. Still, according to Marvel, it will be a while -- if ever -- before the Steve Rogers Captain America re-appears.

However, that hasn't stopped the real-world media from playing this story very big.

New York's Daily News had a big banner headline on Page 3 yesterday, "Captain America Killed." While The Washington Post takes something of a tongue-in-cheek approach, the Daily News quotes the current Cap writer in a rather serious observation:

Series writer Ed Brubaker - who grew up reading Captain America comics while his father, a naval intelligence officer, was stationed on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - said it wasn't easy to kill off the character. The 40-year-old, however, wanted to explore what the hero meant to the country in these polarized times.

"What I found is that all the really hard-core left-wing fans want Cap to be standing out on and giving speeches on the streetcorner against the Bush administration, and all the really right-wing [fans] all want him to be over in the streets of Baghdad, punching out Saddam," Brubaker said.

Captain America was created just months before the United States of America entered World War II -- a living symbol of a nation's ideals and unified vision of freedom.

The story in Captain America #25 is entitled "The Death of The Dream." Sure, it's only a comic book story, but occasionally pop culture has the power to provoke an examination of larger, real-world truths.

Labels: Captain America, Comic Books, pop culture

If there is anything close to a demi-god in the world of comic books (as opposed to a living legend like Stan Lee), it's Frank Miller. The man who resuscitated both Daredevil and Batman in the 1980s explored the limits of the graphic novel format in the 1990s.

One of those was the Sin City series which produced a very well received film two years ago (co-directed by Miller). Another such venture comes to theatres this week -- The 300.

Unlike Sin City, this one has spawned a political debate:

“Is George Bush Leonidas or Xerxes?” one of them asked.
The questioner, by [director Zack] Snyder’s recollection, insisted that Mr. Bush was Xerxes, the Persian emperor who led his force against Greek’s city states in 480 B.C., unleashing an army on a small country guarded by fanatical guerilla fighters so he could finish a job his father had left undone. More likely, another reporter chimed in, Mr. Bush was Leonidas, the Spartan king who would defend freedom at any cost.
Mr. Snyder, who said he intended neither analogy when he set out to adapt the graphic novel created by Frank Miller with Lynn Varley in 1998, suddenly knew he had the contemporary version of a water-cooler movie on his hands. And it has turned out to be one that could be construed as a thinly veiled polemic against the Bush administration, or be seen by others as slyly supporting it.

While the Times story ultimately dismisses the "debate" as a false one -- a marketing ploy for the movie -- one counsel not sought is Miller's. While it is true that the graphic novel was originally created in 1998, the movie has been brought into reality in a decidedly post-9/11 world.

At last year's New York Comic Con, Miller was one of the star attractions. In addition to discussing the making of The 300, he declared that his next project would be "Batman vs. Al Qaeda." He made no bones about the fact that he saw al Qaeda as pure evil and that a la the comics of the 1940s, today's popular culture had a duty to "take sides" against the threat to the American way of life. He noted how, in World War II, many super-heroes (not just Captain America) battled the Nazis as much as they did common criminals.

After Bush's annual address in January, Miller was one of several creative individuals asked by NPR to assess the state of the union through their unique lens (Miller's segment begins around the 30:50 mark). He decried the failure of Bush to get the entire country (not just the military) to buy into the reality that our civilization is at war with an enemy wanting to destroy us. This wasn't a simple recitation of neoconservative talking points. Miller, politically, is probably more liberal in his basic beliefs.

Frank Miller of 1998 might not have seen The 300 through a political lens, but the one of 2007 certainly does. That doesn't mean he sees Bush as Leonidas; but he sure as hell doesn't see him as Xerxes either.

Miller is a Manichean: He believes that democracy -- whether that of the Greek city-states or that of the United States is a good, in and of itself -- and it is responsible for much more good in the world than evil.

Labels: Comic Books, Frank Miller, The 300, war on terror

UPDATE: I don't remember who it was, but someone recently told me that the comic-book related posts had been somewhat infrequent of late -- particularly given that "comic books" is part of the mission statement of this blog. And they are quite correct. I have been slacking on the comic book stuff.

Well that stops this week. In addition to the Con coverage (of which there will be more later tonight and ongoing this week), we will get back to regular snapshots of what I consider to be important single issues or trade paperbacks -- and perhaps a profile or two of significant creator (probably of the Silver Age variety, since that is what I grew up with). Comics have been an important part of my life, so I think it fair that they be restored to their spot here!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these shots here. I took quite a few during my truncated two days at the Second Annual New York Comic Con. More to come.


The Star Wars "Empire" was in full effect at Comic Con!



Keith Giffen, primary artistic "auteur" on DC's weekly juggernaut, 52.




What would a convention be without fanboys drooling over Wonder Woman?



Joe Kelly, writer of the great revamped Space Ghost DC mini-series(among other projects).



Two Mistresses of Magic are better than one! Yup, double Zatannas (or perhaps I should say, "sannataZ elboud, puY!")



Great Silver Age artist (and former DC publisher) Carmine Infantino. Most famous for his work on the Barry Allen Flash's early years.

Labels: Comic Books, New York Comic Con

I'll be wasting precious time and money here this weekend:




If you're in town, feel free to walk up and say hello.

Labels: Comic Books, New York Comic Con

Since I have the week off from work, and Ragged Thots hasn't seen a good post on comic books in quite a few moons, I thought I'd saunter over to Barnes and Noble and check out the selection.

Now, admittedly, I haven't read comic books on a regular basis since about 1981. I lost track of the Marvel Universe after the Hellfire Club storyline in X-Men. My favorite comic book at the time was Daredevil. I have, on RAG's recommendation, checked out Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. I'm also happy to find out that Neal Adams is still alive and kicking. As a kid, I always enjoyed more esoteric comics like T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and the Creeper (I won't ask how Steve Ditko came up with the idea for a superhero whose costume is comprised of fashion brief underwear and a red feather boa).

So, God Willing, later I'll post something about a mans re-acquaintance with the polychromatic effulgence of his youth. Any recommendations? Also, any thoughts out there on the lameness of Made-For-TV superheroes (Space Ghost, Blue Falcon, etc.) vs. Originated-in-Print ones? Ralph Bakshi's answer to that question here (any Marine Corps readers out there, feel free to laugh at the Boatswains Mate with super powers).

Labels: Animation, Comic Books, Marvel, Superheroes