politics in comics

[H-E-D]

Everything is political. Trying to be apolitical is just a different way to be political.

[phonogram12]

Everything is political. Trying to be apolitical is just a different way to be political.

It's basically just maintaining the status quo and the privilege many aren't interested in letting go of at the detriment of others.

[Electricmastro]

That's why I've been enjoying Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk since he started tackling Roxxon and Dario Agger as the preeminent symbol of the corruption eating away at human society.



Possibly. The thing is that for a lot of people in real life, those issues really are that bad, or even worse than depicted on the comic book pages, as unlike in the comic books, they don't have a superpowered savior swooping in to save the day.

Valid point as well, as writing paper tends to vary from writer to writer after all. That said, I now feel compelled to emphasize on a point that while writers could potentially display dystopian-esque settings for as long as the writers want, life doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t work that way in the sense that writers control how people live their lives, but that the people themselves do. And in the event an injustice happens, people have the free will to be either a bystander or an activist, and when they choose to be an activist, I suppose at that point I can only enough trust, faith, and, if I’m permitted, optimism that the activists will attempt to build bridges, communicate with others in power, and do whatever else is necessary for the people to fulfill that activism to the best of their ability, as certain previous activists had done, and that more responsible, enlightened citizens respectfully come treat each other as equals in American societies.

This isn’t attempting to downplays the hardships in attempting to solve social problems, nor is it to say that all social problems are guaranteed to perfectly disappear tomorrow, but I suppose to emphasize on the point that, as long as there are capeless heroes in real life fighting for freedom, justice, and continuing to do the right thing in general on this planet we call Earth, even with the smallest ray of hope surrounded by injustice, I suppose that that could be enough for a person, no matter what race or other minority groups they belong to, to have the conviction that life is still worth living. And if that turns out that can’t honestly be enough to convince one’s self that life is worth living, they I suppose I can only curiously look on towards the best of others to help convince one’s self why life indeed is worth living after all.

[Huntsman Spider]

They've forgotten the first rule of comics: Show why reality would be different in the comic book world. Instead, they've let the real world have its say more often than not on their fantasy world. And make no mistake, Marvel's readership is vocally right leaning. No matter what we may think of the creative teams or their personal views, they are scripting for their audience's pleasure, by and large.

Yeah, that's about the size of it.

Roxxon is just the can that got kicked down the street. It's been a symbol for corporate evil since the 1970s. I don't think that will ever change. It plays too well.

Good point as well.

Valid point as well, as writing paper tends to vary from writer to writer after all. That said, I now feel compelled to emphasize on a point that while writers could potentially display dystopian-esque settings for as long as the writers want, life doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t work that way in the sense that writers control how people live their lives, but that the people themselves do. And in the event an injustice happens, people have the free will to be either a bystander or an activist, and when they choose to be an activist, I suppose at that point I can only enough trust, faith, and, if I’m permitted, optimism that the activists will attempt to build bridges, communicate with others in power, and do whatever else is necessary for the people to fulfill that activism to the best of their ability, as certain previous activists had done, and that more responsible, enlightened citizens respectfully come treat each other as equals in American societies.

This isn’t attempting to downplays the hardships in attempting to solve social problems, nor is it to say that all social problems are guaranteed to perfectly disappear tomorrow, but I suppose to emphasize on the point that, as long as there are capeless heroes in real life fighting for freedom, justice, and continuing to do the right thing in general on this planet we call Earth, even with the smallest ray of hope surrounded by injustice, I suppose that that could be enough for a person, no matter what race or other minority groups they belong to, to have the conviction that life is still worth living. And if that turns out that can’t honestly be enough to convince one’s self that life is worth living, they I suppose I can only curiously look on towards the best of others to help convince one’s self why life indeed is worth living after all.

You raise good points. I like your sentiments.

[ed2962]

After seeing Nick Spencer’s Captain America: Sam Wilson, I came to realize that, as valid as it is to talk about politics and race, perhaps superhero comics aren’t the best setting to analyze racial issues in and the possible solutions that can be actively carried out, at least with Marvel’s.

What I remember of Spenser's Sam/Cap run, you had Sam facing society's issues and seeing that they can't be solved by punching a particular bad guy. But even though there aren't easy solutions to these problems, that doesn't mean they can't be discussed in this specific genre.

If there's a problem it's more the limits of the creative team than that of the superheroes.

[Ultimate Captain America]

There are three things that should not be discussed in comics: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin

[Steel Inquisitor]

That's because Marvel, along with comics in general, is a capitalist enterprise that has to appeal to the most people possible, so you're never going to get a full-throated condemnation of things like racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other bigotries from them because they're scared of alienating a (possibly significant) portion of their readership that may feel unfairly attacked. That's all it is.

They do it occasion, like whenever Red Skull raises his head he becomes a punching bag for embodying certain bigotries. Like whenever he fights Black Panther or Magneto. Red Skull and HYDRA act as embodiments for modern Nazi ideologues to be debunked. But it varies, editorial is hard to predict and they're getting more progressive over time - Hickman wouldn't have been able to do to imply Cyclops is in a poly relationship with Wolverine, Emma Frost, and Jean Grey ten years ago.

[Electricmastro]

If there's a problem it's more the limits of the creative team than that of the superheroes.

Also a valid point. I suppose I’m so used to mainstream superhero comics so often edging towards the extreme even with the most sensitive of issues that I could get desensitized after awhile. That’s not to say every political issue has to be approached subtlety in comics. There are just simple some political issues that have to be told bluntly, straightforward, and maybe even preachy. I get that, though with how writers tend to distort details anyway for the sake of raising tension and cooking all that up for the sake of raising the stakes for epic battles, I think it can understandably get hard to take seriously after awhile. So I just resort to looking at news articles and videos to help understand the reality we live in better, as well as solutions that could realistically actively be put into effect, rather than using whatever creative teams have put into comics. Not to disrespect all creative teams, and while I’ve loss much interest and have mainly gravitated away from modern comics, I suppose I care enough to look every now and then and have educated discussions about it here with you all, so that’s something worthwhile I’m sure.

[Noodle]

There are three things that should not be discussed in comics: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin

Don't penalize others because your pumpkin patch isn't the most sincere.

[CentralPower]

Writing about general principles and concepts (such as the moral hazard in "Superman: Red Son") is one thing.

But, there is no need for blatant polemicomics, which is how most politics is written in comics.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Fact is comics are about entertainment and good storytelling, and inevitably that will crossover and deal with religious stuff and political stuff.

[williamtheday]

There are three things that should not be discussed in comics: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin

Or Molly Turgis...

[JudicatorPrime]

I don't think I can ever remember a time when politics wasn't fair game for comics going all the way back to the Golden Age. And please don't make me post clips of some of Disney's early works, rife with sociopolitical undercurrents through and through. Methinks contemporary readers are far too close-minded and easily wounded, while others still are merely being hypocritical now that the writer's lens no longer favors them 24/7.

[Holt]

People dislike politics in comics when it isn't their personal politics. That's all it is.

[Huntsman Spider]

What I remember of Spenser's Sam/Cap run, you had Sam facing society's issues and seeing that they can't be solved by punching a particular bad guy. But even though there aren't easy solutions to these problems, that doesn't mean they can't be discussed in this specific genre.

If there's a problem it's more the limits of the creative team than that of the superheroes.

A very good point there.

They do it occasion, like whenever Red Skull raises his head he becomes a punching bag for embodying certain bigotries. Like whenever he fights Black Panther or Magneto. Red Skull and HYDRA act as embodiments for modern Nazi ideologues to be debunked. But it varies, editorial is hard to predict and they're getting more progressive over time - Hickman wouldn't have been able to do to imply Cyclops is in a poly relationship with Wolverine, Emma Frost, and Jean Grey ten years ago.

Hmm, also a good point. I'm personally more in favor of poly relationships over stupid love triangles that just serve to make all the characters involved look like horrible people --- one for not being able to set and assert proper boundaries, one for not being able or willing to respect those boundaries, and one for (not-so-)passively feeding off the attention regardless of the damage it does to the relationship. I'll take a poly over that mess any day.

I don't think I can ever remember a time when politics wasn't fair game for comics going all the way back to the Golden Age. And please don't make me post clips of some of Disney's early works, rife with sociopolitical undercurrents through and through. Methinks contemporary readers are far too close-minded and easily wounded, while others still are merely being hypocritical now that the writer's lens no longer favors them 24/7.

Exactly.

People dislike politics in comics when it isn't their personal politics. That's all it is.

This, more or less.