Posted on 05/11/2006 11:34:59 PM PDT by Lorianne
Marvel's new series has your favourite superheroes fighting George Bush and the Patriot Act
Captain America is about to battle his most fearsome foe yet: The government of the United States.
Today, Marvel Comics is releasing the first in its miniseries Civil War, which can only be described as a gutsy comic-book series focusing on the whole debate over homeland security and tighter government controls in the name of public safety.
The seven-issue series once again puts superheroes right back in the thick of real-world news, just as DC Comics has Batman battling al-Qaeda in a soon-to-appear comic and Marvel's X-Men continue to explore themes of public intolerance and discrimination.
It also recalls the plotline during the Watergate years when Captain America's alterego, disillusioned by White House politics, stopped donning the patriotic costume.
But with Civil War, hero is pitted against hero in the choice of whether or not to side with the government, as issues ranging from a Guantanamo-like prison camp for superheroes, embedded reporters and the power of media all play in the mix.
The Fantastic Four's elastic Mr. Fantastic has already joined Iron Man to support Washington in earlier editions of Marvel comics leading into the Civil War series. Doctor Strange isn't taking Washington's side.
But what about Spider-Man, that hero of many counterculture kids? Will he side with the Man? Or will the rest of the Fantastic Four? (There's even a rumour that Marvel's Canadian hero Alpha Flight might get into the mix.)
Civil War starts with a clever premise. A number of incidents involving Marvel's rough-and-ready heroes has turned the good guys into targets of U.S. lawmakers: There is, for instance, one accident where a group of novice superheroes gets in over its head, leading to the death of a schoolyard full of children.
The politicians are concerned about public safety. So Congress passes a bill forcing all superheroes to register with the government as human weapons of mass destruction, and to work, in effect, for Washington. Superheroes who don't comply will themselves be branded fugitives.
Washington insider Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, argues that siding with Washington is a way for the heroes to work with lawmakers, not against them, in this moment of trouble. Others see it as a way to gain recognition from the authorities, at long last, or even a way to get government funding to help fight the bad guys.
But other heroes aren't having any of it. In one comic leading up to the series, Doctor Strange gets hopping mad when he first hears about the bill (albeit in his debonair, "master of the mystic arts" kind of way). And Captain America, who couldn't be more all-American if he tried with that costume of his, finds himself leading the fugitive heroes.
In the first issue of Civil War, he brilliantly folds an entire dissertation on security into one succinct dialogue bubble by saying: "Don't play politics with me, lady. Superheroes need to stay above that stuff or Washington starts telling us who the supervillains are."
But Marvel says it isn't trying to take one side or the other.
"We need to present both sides' arguments, both sides of the coin, as fairly and as accurately as possible, and really let the readers make their own decision," said editor-in-chief Joe Quesada. "Marvel readers come in all shapes and sizes, and we speak to so many different people, different demographics. It's unfair for us to make this our bully pulpit and sit there and say, 'This bad. That good.'."
The series is also far removed from the era when DC Comics' Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were punching out the Nazis or Japanese during the Second World War.
In Civil War, there is no Iraq war, although George W. Bush is the president in the series. The story, though, focuses on the central issue of public security versus personal freedoms with two factions of superheroes battling among themselves on the question (with comic fanboys living vicariously through them).
But what does it say about us if Captain America and Iron Man start to occupy some readers' attention more than the latest real news?
"One of the best ways to broach these conversations and bring up this discussion is through entertainment and through characters that people are familiar with. And again, for us, it's communicating both sides of the argument," Quesada said.
In the end, one of the cleverest touches in Civil War may be a few panels, a momentary breather in the story, in which the giant figure of The Watcher stands silently in the corner of Doctor Strange's sanctum. As the Strange explains: "He only appears to record moments of great change and enormous upheaval. His presence now does not bode well."
Disturbingly, that could be how many of us feel, watching events unfold
Gitmo is just as bad as a Cuban gulag? Do tell. Especially to the Cubanos who have managed to escape the workers paradise. They seem to be of a somewhat... different opinion.
Didn't torture 'til Abu Ghraib? So, during WWI, WWII, Korea and Viet Nam, we never embarassed a POW (sorry, torture to me is beatings, burning slivers under the fingernails, breaking bones and such)? That's fascinating. I'd be even more interested in your take on the Civil War. As I recall, the officers in charge of both sides internment camps were... less than gentlemanly (I do believe the chap who ran Andersonville was hung afterwards).
Of course, that wasn't policy. But wait, neither was Abu Ghraib! And, doggone it if the soldiers who pulled that off didn't get busted.
Actually, an even better discussion would be that the BG in charge didn't get nailed. As I recall, the BG in charge was a female officer. Wonder if THAT came into consideration?
As a comic fan, and a bit of a WWII addict, I think its safe to say that the Greatest Generation's Hero (Captain America) is better represented by the character shown in the 'Ultimate' series. More of a soldier, less the walking, talking ACLU with a flag suit.
For crying out loud, these characters are manifestations of their creators and writers bias! It's a bloody shame their creators/writers don't seem to feel quite as much objection to Islamic Terrorists as they do toward GW Bush and crew, but that's par for the course.
IMHO, of course. Off to work, now...
Bingo.
The writers think the US is bad, so the heroes think the US is bad. When they try to write 'against type' it ends up as satire. Probably because (as with media bias) these people hang out with folks who think the same way they do and believe the same stuff they do.
Go figure.
Well, the idea of superheroes registering with the government goes back further than that. It was a featured plot point in the limited series The Golden Age (1993-94), Watchmen (1986-87), and I think in Roy Thomas' All Star Squadron (1981-87). In those stories, the "Golden Age" heroes of the 30's, 40's, and early 50's had to reveal their secret identities to HUAC (in closed sessions, of course) and in Watchmen later heroes had to register with and work for the government or face prosecution. That idea also turned up in The Dark Knight Returns (1985-86).
All of those comics were published by DC. Marvel itself had the U.S. government passing the Mutant Registration Act, which first appeared in the mid-80s, but only applied to mutants and not "ordinary" superheroes.
I thought this was the premise for X-Men
Very true!
Oh, give me a break. The NSA isn't spying on anyone's actual phone calls; they're just keeping track of what calls go to where to see if any phone calls go to al-Qaida suspects.
Been reading the New York Times? Abu Ghraib was a rare, minor incident. It was an isolated exception. It was a terrible thing, but guess what? Did you know the people responsible got...PROSECUTED???? Because that wasn't the official...POLICY????
And we haven't been torturing anyone. Abu Ghraib was NOTHING compared to Saddam Hussein's torture.
What I find disturbing is that no one is shocked any more about Cuba's gulags, or Saddam's torture chambers, or the Taliban's brutal treatment of the Afghan people. Or the secret concentration camps in North Korea. We don't care anymore. And people say that America is worse than all them! What a joke!
Well I hate to break it to you but this started long before 911, the data miners at the network interconnects were initially installed under the Clinton administration.
And when the EFF filed suit to stop the violation of OUR civil rights the government stepped in and used an english common law that was never created by our elective representatives to squash that suit. Oh and this just isn't your number, my number and how long we talked. This is every word you ever posted on the internet tagged to YOU, not your nym, YOU because everything you posted was tagged with your internet address and matched up to your billing account. The amount of data in the hawkeye database alone is staggering, the black boxes at the internet connects are next-gen super computing technology it's the dirty tricks division of google.
OK even assuming our all conservative government can handle all this power repsonsibly you realize that eventually the pendulum will swing back and if not Hillary dictating how this stuff is used, someone of her ilk. You really think it's ok for Ol Ted Kennedy to be able to flip a switch and know instantly everything you have ever done on the internet and everyone you ever talked to on the phone? (Unless you're on quest who told the feds to take a flying leap)
Anyway, People don't say America is worse than all of them. People, the good ones anyway, say America SHOULD be better them.
Right now we're not.
America doesn't run gulags, America doesn't send people to secret prisons to be tortured, our government doesn't spy on its own citizens in a scene right out of communist east germany. We have super heros to fight the evil which perpretrate these crimes.
Tell me how ANY of this fits in with the American dream or Conservative ideology.
The only true thing you have said on this thread.
You are right. We don't.
Regarding Gulags and torture: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/02/AR2006030202054.html
Regarding eavesdropping on a level the east german communists never attained but dreamed they could: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/security/0,70785-0.html
I own the first issue but haven't read it yet. I have some catching up to do before I can get to it. But, Mark Millar has said something to the effect that it does have some parallels to contemporary political events, but they are only there if you look for them. I think he also said that both sides of the debate were given a fair voice, since both sides are the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Now, it could all be spin to try to get non-Leftist readers to buy the books, but I can't know until I read it or get reports from trustworthy Freepers.
That would be you. Mindlessly regurgitating propaganda.
Bush administration lawyers, fighting a claim of torture by a Guantanamo Bay detainee, yesterday argued that the new law that bans cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees in U.S. custody does not apply to people held at the military prison.
Let us break it down for example you notice that the NEW law lumps "cruel, inhuman or degrading" with out defining what actually is cruel inhuman or degrading. And what the devil is degrading doing lumped in there. Degrading is not and never has been torture.
Regarding eavesdropping on a level the east German communists never attained but dreamed they could
The East Germans actually did eavesdrop on domestic phone calls without warrant. They did not dream. They did. Are you not aware of that?
On the other hand the US does not.
What the US government is doing is listening in on calls that originate OUTSIDE of the US from KNOWN AQ operatives.
First, our international activities strictly target al Qaeda and their known affiliates. Al Qaeda is our enemy, and we want to know their plans. Second, the government does not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval. Third, the intelligence activities I authorized are lawful and have been briefed to appropriate members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Fourth, the privacy of ordinary Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities.
There will be a cameo appearance by UltraHombre, El Guapo, La Jefa y the special action crossing team "Comedores Burrito Malolientes Repugnantes Gigantescos "
Huh??? Everything you or I posts on the internet is PUBLIC INFORMATION!!! ANYone can look at it if they so desire!!!
Yes, Clinton did wire tapping...he spied on the phone calls/conversations of political enemies. Under the Bush admin, we are determining where calls go that originate from Al-Quaida's phones (FOREIGN calls??? Hello???).
The amount of data in the hawkeye database alone is staggering, the black boxes at the internet connects are next-gen super computing technology it's the dirty tricks division of google.
Wanna' loosen up that tin foil hat there, Mr. Clark?
Ted Kennedy or Hillary won't be able to "flip a switch" and know everything we do. All he will be able to do is flip a switch and know how who Al-Quaida is talking to in the U.S., and guess what? He won't do that because he wants al-Quaida to win! The liberals, if they can, will kill every bit of domestic and foreign intelligence they can, because they are for the terrorists and against us.
People don't say America is worse than all of them.Yes, they do. Get your head out of the sand and go visit Europe some time. Practically everyone there thinks Americans are Nazis.
America doesn't run gulags
That's right. We don't. We never did. We have been absolute PANSIES when it comes to running Guantanamo. We don't torture the captured terrorists; we feed them, we clothe them, we give them places to sleep, and we even give them Korans and their own prayer mats, for crying out loud!
Our government doesn't spy on its own citizens in a scene right out of communist east germany.
That's right. We sure don't. We HAVE been spying on Al-Quaida phone calls, which is the SAME THING we did during the Cold War.
We have super heros to fight the evil which perpretrate these crimes.
Right again. They're called "The Marines", "The Air Force", "The National Guard," "The Navy", etc.
Tell me how ANY of this fits in with the American dream or Conservative ideology.
I guess I'm stumped. I can't figure out how LIES and EXAGGERATIONS designed to VILLIFY AMERICA fit in AT ALL with the American dream or conservative ideology.
Stan Lee is a hillary clinton worshipper/donator/escort.
Well, that blows my theory.
To your point, yeah, they're both gonna be PC. But call me crazy, I like the ultimate solution better: Cap beats the crap out of him.
For that matter, maybe it reinforces the idea of bias reflection. Cap 'prime' is cap as the author actually thinks he should be: the Fighting Democrat. The Ultimate line may be showing the authors view of our world as 'spoiled'; thus everyone is more violent, generally more 'bad.'
It probably depends on your particular faves. I never cared one way or the other for Ant-Man/Giant-Man, so if the writer wants to make him a whipping boy, c'est le vie.
On the other hand, they finally upped cap to where (I guess) I've always wanted him to be: a kick ass fighter and tactician. C'mon, the guy kicks the Hulk in the stones, for cryin' out loud.
I'm not saying the Ultimate line isn't PC. Ye cats, if you like comic books, is there any venue that ISN'T PC? I just get the impression the writer is trying to pull a Norman Lear: I'm supposed to dislike the new Cap, 'cause he'll go out a kick somebody's ass for beating on his wife. Me, I'm disturbed enough to like it.
Hey, I read Matt Helm novels in my younger days. They've scarred me for life!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.