[Akira]

"Superman: strange visitor from another world! Who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands.... And who, as the champion of the common worker, fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, Socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact."

[Akira]

USSR bump

[Dr Snide]

If I remember right during the build up to the Iraqi War there was a Superman issue where the President was Lex Luther and had ordered an evil pre-emptive war against an innocent middle eastern country which Superman opposed or some nonsense. It appears that the comics are becoming propaganda for the left like other media outlets.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

Glad to see the author finally emerged from the lead mine. DC's only produced about 5 zillion "Alternate Universe" stories in the past 40 years, starting with Flash # 123 in 1961.

Eventually, the DC universe became so full of alternate worlds that they consolidated the whole thing in Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986.

In the past 10 years, DC has produced numerous "Alternate Reality" stories under the "Elseworlds" imprint. One story might show Batman as Sherlock Holmes fighting Jack The Ripper. Another might have Superman as a hero in the Old West.

The reason graphic novels cost more than regular novels is that graphic novels are printed in color, on better paper, and usually have smaller print runs. Plus a lot of regular novels aren't all that cheap anymore. Paperbacks will typically run $6.99 or more cover price, and hardbacks will run $22 to $30- even lame, non-believable pieces of alternate reality fiction like Hillary Clinton's book.

[T'wit]

Stalin's buddy Adolf would have appreciated "Uebermensch."

[Future Snake Eater]

...and there is some fun to be had in cameos by Batman (now wearing a fur hat and working as an anti-socialist vigilante)...

How does Superman ending up in the USSR change Batman's past? Boy, that writer sure is willing to make some amazing changes to sound off on his political agenda. I wonder if he's been torn apart by rabid fan-boys yet?

[pawdoggie]

You'd have to have a world full of "Supermen" to make a system like communism work.

[mhking]

[Yawn].

This is tale from DC's "Elseworlds" line. A "What-If" story.

"What if baby Kal-El's rocket landed in Russia instead of Kansas?" Everyone is up in arms over this, and for no good reason.

Ah. I forget. Everyone's heads are in the sand over this, so it's "eeeeeevil."

Not only that, the three issues were issued what, a year ago? The graphic novel format is actually much better for those of us who don't want to fight the fanboys crowded around the counter at the local comic shop. $17.95 for the three-issue series? Considering the original was somewhere between $$5 & $7 bucks a pop, that ain't too much to plunk down for better paper, a decent binding and a package that fits better on my bookshelf. Add in a reasonably good story, and you'll get a sale from me and thousands of other people.

Message to the author: Take off the tin-foil. It makes you look foolish.

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[laotzu]

you always knew Batman would never stoop to kill the baddie when the cops weren't looking

Bob Kane's, & Frank Miller's, Batman would. He would playfully torture them for a while first. He wasn't a super-hero. He was a psychotic killer out for vengence. I loved that Batman.

[headsonpikes]

Superman and the others are reifications of ideal human types as sketched out in German Idealism, the bastard spawn of French Philosophy.

The totalitarian word made flesh, so to speak.

Just an opinion. ;^)

[BlueLancer]

"...British-produced, four-times-a-month Commando comics ..."

Mine were Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandos, Sergeant Rock and Easy Company, and .. the tops ..

The Haunted Tank

[Cicero]

This would be amusing if it weren't still another way in which our children's minds are being twisted. Instead of being exposed to simple but real models of heroism, they are being exposed to cynical satire or twisted role models.

It happened with children's books around the time of Judy Blume. It has happened with the movies, where very few real heroes are portrayed outside the work of Mel Gibson and a few others. Even when a character behaves heroically, he has to do it with a cynical laugh.

I think one reason (among many) why Tolkien is so popular is that he shows genuine heroism of all kinds and degrees. It's a rare commodity.

There was a theory that after 9/11 cynicism and coolness would go out of fashion. If they did, it was only for a couple of weeks.

[weegee]

There's also some terrific artwork of Superman, a hammer-and-sickle emblazoned on his chest in place of the iconic "S," wearing a Red Army uniform and encouraging his "comrades" to throw off their shackles.

Except that this change throws out that S which came from his home planet, not the Earth. Do the commies FORCE him to do this? Not bloody likely.

Q.T./David Carradine/Bill explains this clearly in Kill Bill Vol. 2. Even Jerry Seinfeld would agree.

[weegee]

and how long the Soviet Union would have existed had Gorbachev not given it an unwitting push.

The writing was on the wall. 10 years longer tops (only could have been prolonged if the Clinton Administration had been there to opt for HELPING keep the Soviet Union together).

[JenB]

Comic ping....

See, this is why I read manga.

[Jonah Hex]

"Never understood why folks get so het up over some dude wearing his underwear on the outside. Now a woman dressed like that, I understand the attraction."

"Scar? Nah, just bit my cheek on some hard candy."