-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: November 15, 2006 9:23:22 AM PST
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Marvel Comics vs the Patriot Act
Captain America
vs. the Patriot Act?
Marvel's 'Civil War' has heroes
tackling politics and each other
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/books/story/
410815p-347554c.html
Marvel Entertainment is hoping its 'Civil War' mini-series, with
art by Steve McNiven, is a case of addition by subtraction.
The publisher has tackled current events before, as in 'The Amazing
Spider-Man' #36, drawn by John Romita Jr., in the aftermath of the
September 11 attacks.
The division between red and blue states has now spread to those
wearing red and blue tights.
Hitting stores next Wednesday is the first issue of Marvel
Entertainment's "Civil War," a mini-series that pits the
publisher's biggest superheroes against each other -- divided over
a government plan to have all costumed do-gooders divulge their
secret identities in the interest of homeland security. In other
words, a metaphor for the current debate in the American political
landscape between civil liberties and fighting terrorism with
methods such as wiretapping citizens.
"It's a split that relates to what we're living in now," said Mark
Millar, the writer of the seven-issue series.
In the opening pages of the first issue - illustrated by artist
Steve McNiven - a band of poorly trained, lesser-known superheroes
try to drum up ratings for their reality television series by
taking on several fugitive super villains at once in Stamford, Ct.
Hundreds of innocent civilians, however, are killed in the melee.
The government, under public pressure, reacts by trying to rein in
the hundreds of unlicensed heroes into an officially sanctioned
system.
Longtime friends like Iron Man and Captain America disagree on
whether this Superhero Registration Act should be obeyed - which in
the high testosterone world of capes and cowls, can only end in
fisticuffs.
"We're telling a story without a villain," said Marvel editor in
chief Joe Quesada. "There is no Doctor Doom that's behind the
scenes twisting his evil mustache. This is really a story of
Marvel's greatest heroes on opposing sides."
It's not the first foray into politicized story telling for the 36-
year-old Millar, a Glasgow, Scotland native who started selling
comic book stories to earn money after having to drop out of his
university's political science program for financial reasons. In
Marvel's "The Ultimates," for example, Millar has assembled a
superhero team that is drafted by the military to further American
foreign policy.
It's also not new territory for a medium that has had trouble
shaking its label as kids' fare. In the 1980s, a number of comic
books dealt with Cold War themes. Art Spiegleman's "Maus," a memoir
of his father's experiences during the Holocaust, earned a special
Pulitzer prize in 1992.
"Comic books have been socially relevant for many years," said Paul
Jenkins, 40, writer of the spin-off, 10-issue mini-series, "Civil
War: Frontline," which follows two embedded journalists on opposite
sides of the political spectrum covering the battles between the
heroes.
"After the World Trade Center, I have to say that one of the pieces
of fiction that probably appeared the quickest on the heels of 9/11
was a comic book that [writer] Joe Straczynski had done in Spider-
Man," said Jenkins.
That issue, published just two months after the terrorist attacks,
featured Marvel's signature super-powered character feeling
helpless in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Five years later,
Hollywood is still struggling with how to depict the events of
September 11, said Jenkins, as exemplified with the controversy
over the upcoming film, "United 93."
Cynics on Internet message boards dismiss "Civil War" - just as
other cynics dismiss rival D.C. Comics' summer blockbuster "52"
series - as another excuse to get fans to shell out for extra comic
books.
In order to get the "Civil War" experience, fans need to buy a
total of 74 issues, counting all of the tie-ins, although Quesada
insists the main narrative is self-contained in the seven-issue
Millar-McNiven series, and the extra titles are supplemental.
There is no denying the economic benefits of publishing these sort
of big blockbuster series. According to Diamond Comics, the largest
distributor in the business, five of the top 10 selling issues of
2005 were installments of Marvel's "House of M" and D.C.'s
"Infinite Crisis," the companies' two big events last year. It's
been a summer tradition for the two publishers that dominate the
industry, dating back to D.C's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" series
in 1985.
"It's certainly overkill," said Mark Friedman, owner of Cosmic
Comics, a store in midtown Manhattan, referring to the glut of big,
annual crossover events in the industry. "But I have to admit the
last three months of sales have been phenomenal."
But what really sets "Civil War" apart isn't just politics or
economics - it's also a great excuse for heroes to pummel other
heroes; harkening back to childhood debates about who would win in
a fight between, say, the Fantastic Four's Thing and The Hulk.
(This reporter's money would be on The Thing.) Millar counts
himself amoung the fanboys salivating over the chance to see such
high-powered throwdowns.
"Anyone who does this job is incredibly immature, so you really can
plug back into your seven year old geek self," said Millar.
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