Superhero Comics 101

[eldargal]

Yeah I've been meaning to check that one out.

[Brakkart]

*sigh* Read issue #5 of Batman Eternal today... and promptly added the series to my pull list. I'll find the money from somewhere, just too good to miss out on.

[Mr Mystery]

[url]http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2014/05/08/a-wonder-woman-movie-just-wouldnt-work-comic/#TLM1OcE9fJHvyPyy.01[/url]

Hurr!

[Psychosplodge]

[eldargal]

Everyone should read Rat Queens, such a great comic.

[CenturyChild533]

Yay comics thread! Just found it.

Anyone else reading Moon Knight by Warren Ellis? If not, do your best to find the last two issues (they've sold out, reprints are coming) and grab the third one that came out last week. Book is so good, Declan Shalvey's art alone is worth buying the book for. Probably the best Marvel book since Hawkeye.

[Brakkart]

Very much enjoyed the final issue of the DC event Forever Evil which resolves the storyline nicely while dangling a whole load of plot threads that will impact the DCU going forward. Highlight to see or don't if you don't want spoilers:

1. Lex Luthor saves the world! And is apparently a somewhat changed man for having done so. Not only does he save the world, but he saves Superman's life too and has turned over something of a new leaf with regard to hsi formerly ruthless business practices.

2. Lex Luthor now knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman! A logical fallout from the Crime Syndicate unmasking Nightwing and Batman's devotion to rescuing him from their clutches. Be interesting to see how this plays out going forward especially as Luthor is now a member of the Justice League.

3. The Crime Syndicate are defeated, but not gone, or at least the core trio are still around. Ultraman is powerless without any kryptonite to consume and being kept in a sunlight drenched cell. Superwoman is pregnant and in captivity and Owlman is on the loose still. Johnny Quick, Deathstorm, Power Ring, Atomica, Grid and Alexander Luthor are all dead, though Power ring's ring has found itself a new host and I doubt Grid will be gone forever, he's just too good a villain as Cyborg's nemesis.

4. Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II) has been introduced to the New 52 universe. This is a considerably younger Ted than we've seen before and it will be interesting to see what becomes of him.

5. The freaking Anti-Monitor is back! Revealed as the being who destroyed the Crime Syndicate's home world of Earth-3, he has drained that universe of life to power himself up, but still wants more life energy to consume ahead of a planned showdown with Darkseid!

There are a lot of great character moments in this issue and the story as a whole. I'm hopeful that in addition to the TPB of the core mini series that Dc are releasing, they will do a proper Omnibus edition of the storyline to collect together the mini series with the tie-in issues of the 3 Justice League titles. If they do I'll get it for sure.

Also loving the mini Green Lantern Corps in the JL8 strip.

[eldargal]

I've only read the Batman 28 preview, heard good things but waiting for TPB. Glad it ended well.

Nearly had a fit the other day when I saw a headline saying Worlds Finest had been cancelled, but it hasn't. Birds of Prey has sadly but it never really took off after a very shaky start. Hoping they relaunch it later with a writer who really gets the BoP.

[Gotthammer]

"What, are we taking everybody?"

- the reason that this line is significant is because Jim Morita was a japanese-american soldier. while it’s never explicitly stated, here’s what morita’s life would have been like before being captured by HYDRA:

december 7, 1942: the empire of japan attacked pearl harbor. he was probably a soldier at this time since he was considered to be elite enough for steve’s squad; unknown where he served, although there were many japanese-american soldiers who died in and who were the first responders to the attack.

december 8, 1942: the us declares a state of war with japan.

all japanese-american men disqualified from the draft via the label “4-C,” or “enemy alien,” no matter their citizenry. all japanese-american men in the service are removed from duty.

february 19, 1942: president roosevelt signed executive order 9066, authorizing the military to exclude certain groups from military zones.

the fbi searched the homes of japanese-americans for “contraband,” including correspondence with anyone in japan such as personal letters. any such contraband is confiscated.
(fun sidenote: how did they know where to find these people so that they could be harassed? well, gosh, the census bureau told them. illegally. no big deal.)
community leaders, including priests, gathered up and sent to prison camps like tule lake. this is also where several families were sent to be deported to japan since they were not deemed loyal enough.

122,000 people of japanese-american descent are told to sell or store their property as they can only bring what they can carry out of the “exclusion zones,” which meant most of the west coast. (hawaii, whose population was about a quarter japanese, was for the most part not included in this.) given only a few weeks to organize their lives, they were then sent via cattle train to concentration camps set up throughout the us.
since morita was from fresno, he would have ended up here:



charming.
sunny poston, arizona. conveniently built on an indian reservation against the wishes of the tribal council, who wanted nothing to do with the government’s white supremacist bull****. why only infringe on the rights and wishes of one minority group, right?

choice quote: ”After fifteen months at Arizona’s vast Poston Relocation Center as a social analyst, Commander Leighton concluded that many an American simply fails to remember that U.S. Japanese are human beings.”

shortly after arriving, all prisoners were asked to fill out a survey. most of the questions would be simple, like their name, city of birth, etc, but questions 27 and 28 were different.

question 27: Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?
question 28: Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attacks by foreign and domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or disobedience to the Japanese Emperor, or any other foreign government, power, or organization?

did you answer yes to both? congratulations! you’re a soldier. did you answer no to both? perhaps you’re too old or sick to serve? perhaps the general ****ery of this entire situation got you down? perhaps you were born outside of the us, so you can’t disavow your country of origin since there is a very real chance you’ll be deported? haha well congratulations hope you like prison and/or deportation

so all of this goes on

and then morita goes on to serve

and get captured

and rescued

and dumbass doogan says, “what, are we taking everybody?”

**** you

i’m from fresno

Why representation is important, so stories like this aren't forgotten.

[eldargal]

DC comics are teaming up with:

Hello Kitty! For merchandise and stuff, totes approve.