If you’re a comic book fan then you should be reading the webcomic series Gutters. Each strip satirizes something from the world of comic books and the content often is quite topical. The results are always funny and often cause one to reexamine one’s understanding of popular culture and society. Do yourself a favor and check out Gutters.
Lately DC Comics and Marvel Comics superheroes have been fighting real world problems and not only battling comic book villains. In December, Wonder Woman, Storm, Catwoman, and She-Hulk were the focus of a Mozambique breast cancer screening advertising campaign. Continue reading
With the new Tom Hooper and Colin Firth film The King’s Speech getting so much Oscar buzz, I thought it would be a great time to post an article that I wrote about portrayals of stuttering in popular culture. Continue reading
Still looking for a last-minute gift idea for the geek in your life? Check out the five gift ideas below that would be certain to bring happiness to any fanboys/ fangirls in your life. Continue reading
Here’s an interesting video about a graduate student who supports himself by playing popular culture-related tunes on the accordian while wearing a Bobba Fett mask.
The internet has been a buzz recently with reports concerning Captain America #602. In the issue Captain America and Falcon attempt to infiltrate a group of anti-tax protesters and ultimately take down a military group known as the Watchers. In the comic book, one of the protesters is shown holding a sign that reads, “Tea Bag the Libs Before They Tea Bag You” that linked the fictional protesters to the conservative Tea Party movement. A conservative columnist took offense at the notion that Captain American would fight against Tea Party protesters and claimed that the comic book character’s actions went against the superhero’s historical roots. A Yahoo! News report quoted Tea Party Nation founder, Judson Phillips as stating, ”When I was a child in the ’60s Captain America was my favorite superhero. It’s really sad to see what has traditionally been a pro-America figure being used to advance a political agenda.” Tea Party officials and other conservatives also expressed offense that the Tea Party movement was portrayed as only including white members. Within a few hours Captain America writer Ed Brubaker and Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada both apologized for the sign linking the fictitious protestors to the Tea Party, claimed that this was not the original intent, and promised to remove the sign in future printings.
I most definitely do have opinions about the politics involved in this story but I want to keep this a politically neutral zone (at least on my part. Feel free to comment about anything that you want.) I would like to make two points about the controversy. First, can anyone really ever deny the power of popular culture and comic books? Captain America has become an American symbol so powerful that supporters of every side of an issue wish to claim him. Conservatives, liberals, and every political viewpoint in between believe they have the right to use the nation’s symbols and mythologies. Although Lincoln served as a Republican he had now became a nationalistic symbol who can be employed by any American in order to prove an argument. The Revolutionary War may have originally been a struggle against a supposed tyrannical king but now it is a Rorschach test for political, social, and cultural ideology. Captain America also has moved into this realm of symbolic importance. Although he began as “only” a comic book character he now is a national symbol and an important part of our national identity and mythology. He’s so important that when a national movement believed that he was rallying against them they protested and called foul. Imagine that, a fictitious character upsetting and influencing a real life organization. We sometimes forget the power of ideas, words, symbols, and myths.
Secondly, because Captain America has become a part of American symbolism and mythology he suffers the fate as other converted American symbols, his actual past no longer matters, just the cultural perception of who he is. Abraham Lincoln was a complex person with a multitude of virtues and flaws. He left a lifetime of letters, speeches, and other writings. Most Americans now remember him as Honest Abe who freed the slaves. It doesn’t matter to most people what else he was or how complex he life really was, most people want Lincoln to fit their image of the world. Although Captain America is a fictional character, he suffers some of the same problems. Several of the Tea Party organizers stated that Captain America used to stand for “true American” values like theirs. Do they know that Cap fought for liberal causes in the 1960s? Became so disenfranchised with the U.S. federal government in the 1970s that he gave up his superhero identity for awhile and walked the U.S. as a costumed crime fighter named Nomad? That Captain America fought Ronald Reagan when the President was transformed into a giant lizard? All of these stories would surely offend today’s Tea Party protesters but they are a documents part of Captain America’s past. (Most of these documents are sealed in plastic bags with acid-free boards and in very good condition.) Each side ignores the stories they don’t want to think about and instead concentrates on what they want Captain America to be. The symbol is far more powerful than the reality. Even when the reality is a comic book character in a red, white, and blue costume.
Here are the links to several articles about Captain America #602.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100211/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1129
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/09/tea-party-reference-captain-america-removed/
I was at the Sunset on the Beach Lost Premiere last night and had a great time. There were reportedly 15,000 people on hand to see the show’s stars and the season opener. Here are some pictures, videos, and links for those of you that were unable to attend. (If you haven’t already, check out your chance to win a Lost Season Six pin here.)
Here’s a video of what it feels like to be standing near the red carpet as the Lost actors and actresses come by. Notice the fans yelling, “I love you” to everyone and the constant pushing and shoving. The video gets shaky at times because, my wife, Monika was being josseled or was laughing at some comments being made near her.
Here are some links from Honolulu newspapers about the premiere.
The Star- Bulletin- http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20100131_Lost_fans_find_themselves_at_finale.html
Honolulu Advertiser- http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100131/NEWS01/1310369/Beach+packed+for+last+of+‘Lost’
Interesting teaser for the upcoming season of Lost. It got me excited for Season Six.
Here’s a funny Onion video about Lost fans being even more annoying this season than ever. There’s even a very funny cameo by Lost writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.
Final Season Of ‘Lost’ Promises To Make Fans More Annoying Than Ever
There was an interesting article on the NY Times website this week regarding John Layman’s choices for casting a Chew film. Me being a huge Lost and Felicia Day fan, I would be thrilled if he got his way. Check it out here.
