Justice League of America gives its opinion on Iraq.
 

Posted Oct. 9, 2003
<a target=new href="">Antiwar Critics Get Superhero Status in Comic-Book Scripts - LINK</a>

By L. Brent Bozell III It was only a matter of time, I suppose. Comic-book superheroes have gone into the liberal political-indoctrination business. The September issue of the DC Comics book Justice League of America (JLA) presents Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as U.N.-promoting paper dolls for a thinly disguised propaganda play against President George W. Bush's war against Saddam Hussein.

The story begins with a "napalmetto" attack on home soil. "President" Lex Luthor - how nice, a supervillain standing in for Bush - connects a terror attack to "Qurac" and says the "Joint Chiefs are recommending military pressure." Wonder Woman protests: "International law and the U.N. Charter forbid unprovoked action against a sovereign nation." She then lectures, "We cannot simply disregard international ethics to depose him. What message does that send to the world?"

(Ten-year-old Johnny must be on the edge of his seat reading this, don't you think?)

The scene then changes to people mobbing a supermarket for olive oil because the "Department of Defense" insists it will help in a napalmetto attack. Clark Kent tries to reason with Lois Lane that "the connection to Qurac still isn't clear," but Lois replies, "Every White House official is talking about prevention." Gotham police then use a false alarm to shut down the subway system and obstruct peace marchers, and a cop clubs a protester in the face as he says, "It's not safe for ya to risk gettin' badly hurt to attend a lousy cowardice rally!"

Superman then tells president Luthor that millions of people are protesting worldwide. "No one supports what you're doing," says super pollster.

"I hear them," says the evil president, "but I can't listen to them." When Superman says perhaps an attack could be delayed for more proof, the president retorts, "Where do you get off questioning me? ... It's unbecoming to question your president during times of international unrest." He says Batman and Wonder Woman were removed from the room because "they were confusing you with unpatriotic talk."

A subsequent picture has an enormous video image of a wide-mouthed president appearing ready to eat a shadowed Superman as he bellows, "America will bear the burden alone, if necessary."

Superman vows, "I will know the truth, and I will not feel ashamed or be called un-American for demanding it." The storyline ends with the reader discovering it's all been a nightmare Superman's been having through a Martian therapeutic device. He recalls the dream with horror: "Luthor took the U.S. to war, despite our protests ...; he killed everything we stand for." Superman laments being "paralyzed with indecision ... and the world paid the price." Superman shouldn't be so hard on himself. Being paralyzed by indecision is how the United Nations usually responds.

The Internet message boards sizzled and seethed when the JLA book hit the stores. "Maybe Clark Kent is French after all," joked one. But mostly, comic-book fans prefer traditional fantasy situations, not the action-free, didactic lectures offered by JLA writer Joe Kelly. "Someone needs to remind him that these are superheroes with outrageous powers and shouldn't be bogged down in political situations all the time," said one. In other words, can we do without Superman as Cyrus Vance and Wonder Woman as Madeleine Albright? Can they kick butt instead of lecturing on international law? Do they get to engage evil or do they have to wait for a subpoena from The Hague?

In an interview, Kelly explained his Superman as Ted Kennedy with muscles. "I believe that he believes in an idealized America - one that operates aboveboard, truly does embrace diversity and cares for its downtrodden not because he's naïve, but because it is possible." As for the supervillainous president, Kelly opined: "Luthor represents duplicity to Superman, so to keep it personal, it makes the most sense to use him." Why the blatant (or if the word fits, cartoonish) propaganda? Kelly acknowledged his agenda: "I think that comics are a much more powerful medium than people imagine and, in certain circumstances, it's appropriate to use them to discuss political issues."

Sadly, DC Comics is not alone in the liberal-revisionist, comic-book world. The other giant, Marvel Comics, also has transformed Captain America, the former Nazi-fighting hero, into a brooding listener to a series of post-Sept. 11 lectures against America's "empire of blood."

But in the real world it's not all an apocalyptic vision of rogue presidents and policemen bashing peaceniks who alone hunger for the truth. It's not a grim vision of media outlets and citizens reacting like sheep to Pentagon directives and then, illogically, at the same time, a world rising up in unanimous protest against U.S. military action. In the real world, people want a strong defense by action heroes, not just guilt-ridden lecturers waiting for universal agreement with their pacifist dreams.

L. Brent Bozell III is founder and president of the Parents Television Council and is a nationally syndicated columnist.

<a target=new href="http://www.mediaresearchcenter.com/">The Leader in Documenting, Exposing and Neutralizing Liberal Media Bias - LINK for Bozell</a>

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Wonder Twins powers, activate! "Form of a Bleeding heart liberal!" - "Form of steam!"

I hope this is a joke. Not because its so liberal-revisionist but because its so pathetically done according to those quotes. Otherwise, its pretty funny. I guess its pretty funny either way. Now that I think of it I'm laughing my ass off! :D

It sounds really, really poorly written, cheesy and unrealistic. Almost like it was written by a psychotic baboon. A drunk, dishevelled person could write better.

Lex Luthor would not be the president anyway. Lex would be the vice president (Cheney) who is using a brainwashed Jimmy Olson (Bush) as a front for his scheme. Lex leaks info to Morgan Edge (Fox News) that Maggie Sawyer (Valerie Plame) has been working for the CIA. She is subsequently kidnapped my a mysterious new villan. This leads to a dramatic two issue rescue effort in South East Asia. Meanwhile weapons inspector Emil Hamilton (Dr David Kelly) commits suicide after whistleblowing over Nigerian Kryptonite claims.

Meanwhile Doomsday campaigns for Governor of California pledging 'I can't be bargained with. I can't be reasoned with. I don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until I roll back the tripling of California's car tax.'

This sentiment goes down well until movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to sue Doomsday for plagarising the Terminator movie. Ignoring conventional legal advice, Doomsday himself rebutts the claim by leaping 1000 feet into the air and punching Arnold down into the earth's core. Judge rules mistrial. Internet critic from alternate reality rules worst.crossover.ever.

uh, tune in next week?...

What, is this guy ned flander's bitter cousin?
He could be a superhero himself. He is, after all, The Leader in Documenting, Exposing and Neutralizing Liberal Media Bias.
Wow, i'm glad he is just neutralizing liberal bias, because where would any of us be if we didn't have our teat of conservative bias from whence to form all of our opinions?
The comic sounds cheesy, but i bet L. Brent Bozell III, founder and president of the Parents Television Council (a nationally syndicated columnist) has no problem with the ultra-patriotic versions of these super-heroes. Comics have been doing stuff like this for a long time. Usually it is of higher quality. Pray that this fella never reads a frank miller batman story or the watchmen.

They've been doing this for a while, with Green Lantern for example.

Who reads comic books anyways?

hahhaahha
This is one of the best replys - EVER hahahahaha:lol: :lol: :lol:

Lex Luthor has been president in DC concurrent with our 2000 presidential elections. They were planning on making him president regardless of our real outcome.

Qurac has been a fictional country in the DC universe since the 1970's. Long before we had any beef with Iraq.

Perhaps the moronic reviewer could have pointed out both of those facts before implying that this is all a vast liberal conspiracy against Bush.

Anyway, it's freedom of speech, if you don't like it don't buy it.

My only problem with the comic was that it was poorly written and very contrived.

LOL, after reading this post I went straight out and bought myself this comic! I don't know WHAT everyone is complaining about, it's great! Apparently none of you read comics when you were a child. Either that or you forgot what they were like and sold them. If not, I encourage you to go dig out these forgotten treasures and reread some of your old Uncanny X-Men and Captain America comic books and take a gander. There have always be poorly written propoganda works. Sometimes supporting the government and sometimes not, but always have a poorly disguised political message that actually did keep kids on the edge of their seats.

I have over 20,000 comics, and I have been reading them for over 30 years. I worked in four comic stores. And I still say this comic was poorly written and contrived. The writer, Kelly, has written some of my favorite Superman comics, but this one was just a preachy mess.

Oh god, thats funny. A drunken womanizer superman who can't drive and leaves women to drown in his car :)

hehe, that's funny, i want to go out and buy it. Seriously, though, i doubt this'll be any kid's favorite issue ever, it IS a bit wordy and didactic, and it makes its point, but it's not exactly entertaining. However, it does stand to reason, as filtherton said, that if this comic had been conservative and pro-Iraq, L. Brent Bozell would probably be pissing himself with praise for it.