Well, by now everybody's read about the latest brouhaha, where several weeks after the fact it was suddenly discovered that an issue of Captain America wasn't exactly complimentary to some political factions.
Now of course, a comic like Captain America should never ever ever get involved with politics. I mean, look at the reaction. Writer Ed Brubaker has said, "When that issue came out we got a lot of . . . threatening letters and hate mail. Some people really opposed what Cap stood for."
Oh, wait, that wasn't Ed Brubaker, that was Joe Simon. And he was talking about reaction to this:
A year before the U.S. entered the war, a sizable group of people wanted the U.S. to stay out of Europe's business, and some groups even sympathized with Hitler. Of course, in hindsight, everyone now thinks Captain America punching Hitler in the jaw is freakin' awesome (which it is). But back in December 1940 (when the issue was released...cover date March 1941), it was extremely controversial, and got the creators death threats. Lord only knows what the reaction would have been like if the internet had been around back then. Demands for apologies, declarations about how offensive it was to have a hero smack around a head of state, nobody ever reprinting the cover of Captain America Comics #1, cats and dogs living together...
Now, let's be clear. I take no sides on the "tea party" business, and I'm in no way comparing them to Nazis. My point is this: from the very moment of his creation, Captain America has been a consciously, explicitly political character. That's his raison d'etre.
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
CAP HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL:
Captain America has always been political, and it's pretty foolish to suddenly gasp in shock and complain when, for once, the comic picks on your particular group.
I should also note that this is Marvel, who during the 2008 campaign published a book that said that Obama supporters were Skrull-loving ninnies. I don't recall any apologies, and I don't recall any panels being altered in the trades to avoid offending someone. So, given the respective sales clout between Bendis and Brubaker, I think it's pretty damn hard to argue that somehow Marvel is reflexively knee-jerk towards one political side or the other.
I suppose it is kind of cute that people with real world issues to worry about can get so bent out of shape over a comic book. To those people, I suggest that they do back and read some of the political debates our Founders participated in, where seemingly no insult or calumny was considered too offensive, no insult or insinuation too unseemly for newspapers to print. If you wish to participate in the political arena and emulate the Founders, you had best grow a thicker skin.
For anybody still so offended by Captain America, I might suggest you change your reading material to Archie or Richie Rich, where your tender sensibilities run little risk of being challenged.
Now of course, a comic like Captain America should never ever ever get involved with politics. I mean, look at the reaction. Writer Ed Brubaker has said, "When that issue came out we got a lot of . . . threatening letters and hate mail. Some people really opposed what Cap stood for."
Oh, wait, that wasn't Ed Brubaker, that was Joe Simon. And he was talking about reaction to this:
A year before the U.S. entered the war, a sizable group of people wanted the U.S. to stay out of Europe's business, and some groups even sympathized with Hitler. Of course, in hindsight, everyone now thinks Captain America punching Hitler in the jaw is freakin' awesome (which it is). But back in December 1940 (when the issue was released...cover date March 1941), it was extremely controversial, and got the creators death threats. Lord only knows what the reaction would have been like if the internet had been around back then. Demands for apologies, declarations about how offensive it was to have a hero smack around a head of state, nobody ever reprinting the cover of Captain America Comics #1, cats and dogs living together...Now, let's be clear. I take no sides on the "tea party" business, and I'm in no way comparing them to Nazis. My point is this: from the very moment of his creation, Captain America has been a consciously, explicitly political character. That's his raison d'etre.
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
Cap has ALWAYS been political:
CAP HAS ALWAYS BEEN POLITICAL:
Captain America has always been political, and it's pretty foolish to suddenly gasp in shock and complain when, for once, the comic picks on your particular group.I should also note that this is Marvel, who during the 2008 campaign published a book that said that Obama supporters were Skrull-loving ninnies. I don't recall any apologies, and I don't recall any panels being altered in the trades to avoid offending someone. So, given the respective sales clout between Bendis and Brubaker, I think it's pretty damn hard to argue that somehow Marvel is reflexively knee-jerk towards one political side or the other.
I suppose it is kind of cute that people with real world issues to worry about can get so bent out of shape over a comic book. To those people, I suggest that they do back and read some of the political debates our Founders participated in, where seemingly no insult or calumny was considered too offensive, no insult or insinuation too unseemly for newspapers to print. If you wish to participate in the political arena and emulate the Founders, you had best grow a thicker skin.
For anybody still so offended by Captain America, I might suggest you change your reading material to Archie or Richie Rich, where your tender sensibilities run little risk of being challenged.
Believe me, as a conservative dude, I've long gotten over the little snide-isms sprinkled throughout modern comics...especially when it comes to such a subject that's so bafflingly misunderstood and mischaracterized by the Left as the Tea Party movement is. See, when the Left protests, it's a Beautiful Thing...something that Captain America would probably be shown looking down upon with pride and joy. However, when it's a powerful movement from the Right (though I've seen almost as many centrists and a surprising number of liberals at Tea Party rallies as well), well, then that gets the "Cap looking on with a tear in his eye" like that old pollution TV ad with the Indian chief. I've yet to read the issue is question (it's in my box at home), but from I've seen from the posted panels, I was less offended and alarmed than I was amused by the head-shaking heavy-handedness of the editorial comment. Better yet, Marvel's ham-fisted backing away from the panels by blaming a lone letterer.
ReplyDeleteThing is, every protest movement has its crazies...so yeah, you're bound to see some crazy-ass signs at a Tea Party Rally....just as you're likely to see some crazy-ass stuff at, say, an anti-war protest...which can attract all kinds of radical elements sporting signs that would cause your jaw to drop....or Captain America to shed a single tear.
As far as the charge of Marvel being knee-jerk political....I don't think it's that cut and dry...but at the same time, a case can be made that since most of the creative community is unambiguously (and sometimes vociferously) liberal (I've been around creative types my entire career, after all), that worldview naturally finds its way into their work. A big case in point was Marvel's "Civil War" event, which was a very thinly disguised allegory to the supposed Constitution-burning "you're either with us or agin' us" Dark Ages of the Bush years.
So, yeah...Marvel doesn't get its marching orders from Rahm Emmanuel...but at the same time, it never really surprising to see the right side of the political spectrum either caricatured or comically misunderstood.
Oh, and who knows...maybe reading "Richie Rich" deeply offends the anti-Capitalism sentiments of Lefties. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMe again.
ReplyDelete"I think it's pretty damn hard to argue that somehow Marvel is reflexively knee-jerk towards one political side or the other."
Wasn't there a sequence in the "American Son" Spider-Man story where Spidey and Wolverine are talking about deposing Norman Osborn, and one of 'em makes a comment like "Remember, it took us 8 years to get the last guy out of office"...which was followed by...no lie...a FIST BUMP between the two characters.
Also: Remember when Ronald Reagan turned into a snake-villain waaaayyy back in Captain America #344?
ReplyDeleteOr when a disgraced Nixon shot himself in front of Cap in Cap #175?
Or when an alternate-earth Norman Rockefeller was a Serpent Crown-wearing supervillain in Avengers #148?
Or the President (Bush at the time) ignoring Cable's warning that the Registration Act will destroy the world, stating "you're talking about something that is fifty years away. Those aren't votes that we have to worry about this November."
Or President Bush forced to strip naked and lick Magneto's boots on live TV in Ultimate X-Men #6?
Or Bush escaping to a stronghold titled "Leaders in Need Christian-Only Lockdown Network" in Ultimate War #3?
Or this?
Seeing a trend?
Geez, Mark, any more comments and you're going to officially qualify as my stalker... :-p
ReplyDeleteLet me just say that I have a much different reading of Civil War than you do. When the "everyman character" Sally Floyd (a liberal reporter for an "alternative" left-wing paper) starts out vehemently opposing the registration act and ends up just as vehemently supporting it; when she lectures Cap that his actions have "broken" the country; and when she literally applauds Stark for staging assassinations and detaining refuseniks indefinitely without due process...I have a tough time seeing Millar and Jenkins working any kind of liberal viewpoint in there. Admittedly, authors of various spin-offs and follow-ups may not have hewed to that line...but Civil War and CW Frontlines were extremely pro-Bush allegories, in my view.
As for the trend, forgive me if I submit that a little bit of cherry-picking going on in your examples, as I could find plenty of examples of lampooning or non-flattering portrayals of Carter or Clinton. (Plus, of course, since the GOP has held high office for a much longer period of time during our comic-reading lifetimes, they have more opportunity to be put into comics). Hell, Obama was shown signing off on Norman Osborn being put in charge of everything, which is a little more substantial than a fist-bump. Would Marvel be better off if they just went with fictional presidents, like DC has recently?
[Plus, let me quibble over Cap #344, because Reagan wasn't a villain, he was a victim, along with thousands of others, of a drug put into the water supply. And he was shown fighting off the drugs effects.]
But enough digressions. What really got my ire were blog postings calling Brubaker some foul names, and calling for a boycott of Marvel's advertisers to punish them (no, not my Spider-Man underwear!!), the implication being that comics should never have political opinions, especially ones that differ from their own. And that kind of attitude might very well have killed Captain America in the cradle back in 1940...
I see your point, Snell, but on the other hand if I felt like Marvel was doing something that painted me as horrible as possible, it would be in my right to protest. Did Hitler protest his getting punched in the face? He had more right to than the naysayers who weren't even German.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with them being "political", if that's what they want to do. However, they have to be prepared for a backlash from the group they're characterizing if they feel insulted.
I know I plan to stay as apolitical as I can when it comes to my future writings, but if the story requires me to do otherwise, I do hope I can at least portray the group with which I disagree with respect and let my readers decide.
Geez, next thing you know, people will be outraged at WONDER WOMAN for covering womens' issues.
ReplyDeleteOH, please tell me you read the Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Chabon relives the threats against Simon/Kirby in a fascinating fictional way I've never forgotten.
ReplyDeleteAt least we'll always have Robert Smeigel's X-Presidents...
Yes, I have read K & C, cease ill. Most excellent.
ReplyDelete