Vandaag deel 2 van mijn essay over Amerikaanse comic books.
‘I designed Buffy to be an icon, to be an emotional experience, to be loved in a way that other shows can’t be loved. Because it’s about adolescence, which is the most important thing people go through in their development, becoming an adult. And it mythologizes it in such a way, such a romantic way it basically says, “Everybody who made it through adolescence is a hero.’
– Joss Whedon, writer of Buffy, the vampireslayer.
– Joss Whedon, writer of Buffy, the vampireslayer.
What relevant themes are integrated into comic books?
So how does one sell comic books? How do we sell any product for that matter? Marketing gurus will tell you that one of the basic elements is the product itself. Is it absolutely necessary to own such a product? The case can be made for a vehicle, for a kitchen, for a house, maybe even for a closet. But for comic books, not so much. In its most depleted form it is nothing more than entertainment on a piece of paper.
In the beginning of the comic era it was a mere novelty. New things tend to attract customers, especially when they were offered free with every newspaper. Over time comic books became a medium on its own and writers quickly realized that in order to sell comic books readers had to relate to the characters and the stories.
The initial success of Spiderman lay in its ability to personify the life of the readers, which were mainly high school kids and college students. Spiderman´s alter ego Peter Parker was a nobody, a kid who tried to survive trough the rigors of high school. He always finished last (except in the science department), didn´t get noticed by the girls. He was also quite innocent and life didn´t give him anything. His parents died at a young age and his uncle and aunt tried their best to raise him (his uncle would eventually die because of Spiderman but that scar burdened him to live by the rule ´with great power comes great responsibility´).
When Peter Parker eventually got his spider powers he never gave up on his simple life. In fact, it got even better, by maintaining his humble way of life he eventually ended up with the schools hottest girl.
This is what young people (even in the long run) could relate to. Let´s try to compare this with Superman.
Superman crashed on earth as a baby. He was found and raised by simple farmers. They gave him the name Clark Kent, a typical average American name during the fifties. During his childhood he remained the boy with the superpowers. In contrary to Spiderman, who´s true identity was Peter Parker but when he put on the mask he became Spiderman, Superman´s identity was that of an alien named Superman, Clark Kent is his alter ego, Clark Kent´s face is his mask.
After making it through puberty as the popular kid in his village he moved to the big city of Metropolis. Within no time he became chief editor of a big newspaper and got a hot girlfriend. The writers really put the super in Superman. He couldn’t fail in his personal and superhero life. This worked well in the early stages of comic book history. On the long run however, his story became repetitive and sales plummeted.
There are a lot of examples of individuals in comic books who readers can relate to. From people in a wheelchair to teenagers who struggle with the ever going popularity contest at school. Let’s shine a light on the broader themes that the comic industry tries to integrate into their books.
One of the social issues of the sixties was inequality. Especially the black civil movement made waves throughout the United States. That’s when the X-Men franchise arose. When the comic surfaced it quickly became clear that it was about much more than a super powered team of mutants. The stories initially focused on the inner struggles of the team. They were training and fighting bad guys.
It later became clear that the background wasn’t just good vs. evil. The X-Men were a group of mutants feared and rejected by society. Actually, not just the X-Men but all mutants in general were feared. Magneto, the arch nemesis of the X-Men was fed up with the discrimination of Mutants and became pro-active in his violent ways. This was the writers own Malcolm X. The X-Men were led by Professor X (confusing isn’t it?). His ideals consisted of mutant acceptance with the human society by aiding mankind and fighting the bad mutants. This was more or less the comic books version of Martin Luther King.
So within the comic book and the movies of X-Men there is the struggle between different camps of mutants. Beside this battle there’s also the fight between militant humans and mutants. The conflict between mutants and normal humans is often compared to conflicts experienced by minority groups in America such as Jews, African Americans, Communists and the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). Also on an individual level, a number of X-Men serve a metaphorical function as their powers illustrate points about the nature of the outsider.
- Anti-Semitism: Explicitly referenced in recent decades is the comparison between anti-mutant sentiment and anti-Semitism. Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, sees the situation of mutants as similar to those of Jews in Nazi Germany. At one point he even utters the words "never again" in a 1992 episode of the X-Men animated series. The mutant slave labor camps on the fictional island of Genosha, in which numbers were burned into mutant's foreheads; show much in common with Nazi concentration camps, as do the internment camps of the classic "Days of Future Past" storyline. Another notable reference is in the third X-Men film, when asked: "If you're so proud of being a mutant, then where's your mark?" Magneto shows his concentration camp tattoo, while mentioning that he will never let another needle touch his skin.
- Diversity: Characters within the X-Men mythos hail from a wide variety of nationalities. These characters also reflect religious, ethnic or sexual minorities. Examples of Jewish characters include Shadowcat, Sabra and Magneto, whilst Dust is a devout Muslim, Nightcrawler a devout Catholic, and Thunderbird is a follower of the Hindu faith. Storm (Ororo Munroe) represents two aspects of the African diaspora as her father was African American and her mother was Kenyan. Karma was portrayed as a devout Catholic from Vietnam, who regularly attended confession groups. Different nationalities included Wolverine as a Canadian, Colossus from Russia, Banshee from Ireland, Gambit who is a Cajun, Psylocke from the U.K., Armor from Japan, Nightcrawler from Germany, etc.
- LGBT Rights: Another metaphor that has been applied to the X-Men is that of LGBT rights. Comparisons have been made between the mutants' situation, including concealment of their powers and the age they realize these powers, and homosexuality. Several scenes in the X-Men films, two of which were directed by openly gay director Bryan Singer, illustrate this theme. The first film featured a scene in which Senator Robert Kelly questioned whether mutants should be allowed to teach children in school, mirroring such debates as that over Section 28[1], in which Sir Ian McKellen (who played Magneto in the film, and who is also openly gay) was involved. Bobby Drake "comes out" as a mutant to his parents in X2. In response, Bobby's mother condescendingly asks him, "Have you tried not being a mutant?", referencing the belief that homosexuality is not inherent but rather a lifestyle choice. Also in X2, Nightcrawler has a conversation with Mystique in which he asks her why she doesn't use her shapeshifting ability to blend in among non-mutant humans all the time (an option Nightcrawler evidently wishes he had). Mystique replies simply, "Because we shouldn't have to. The comic books delved into the AIDS epidemic during the early 1990s with a long-running plot line about the Legacy Virus[2], a seemingly incurable disease similarly thought at first to attack only mutants. Ironically, while the X-Men had the Legacy Virus, they are incapable of getting AIDS due to their genetic mutation being able to combat the disease.
- Racism: Professor X has come to be compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X. The X-Men’s purpose is sometimes referred to as achieving "Xavier’s dream", perhaps a reference to King’s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. Magneto, in the first film, quotes Malcolm X with the line "By any means necessary". X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as victims of mob violence, evoking images of the lynching of African Americans in the age before the American civil rights movement. Sentinels and anti-mutant hate groups such as Friends of Humanity, Humanity's Last Stand, the Church of Humanity and Stryker's Purifiers are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments. In the 1980s, the comic featured a plot involving the fictional island nation of Genosha, where mutants were segregated and enslaved by an apartheid state. This is widely interpreted as having been a reference to the situation in South Africa at the time.
- Red Scare: Occasionally, undercurrents of the "Red Scare" are present. Senator Robert Kelly's proposal of a Mutant Registration Act is similar to the efforts of United States Congress to effectively ban Communism in the United States. In the 2000 X-Men film Kelly exclaims, 'We must know who these mutants are and what they can do,' even brandishing a "list" of known mutants (a reference to Senator Joseph McCarthy's list of Communist Party USA members who were working in the government[3]).
- Religion: Religion is an integral part of several X-Men storylines. It is presented as both a positive and negative force, sometimes in the same story. The comics explore religious fundamentalism through the person of William Stryker and his Purifiers, an anti-mutant group that emerged in the 1982 graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills. The Purifiers believe that mutants are not human beings but children of the devil, and have attempted to exterminate them several times, most recently in the "Childhood's End" storyline. By contrast, religion is also central to the lives of several X-Men, such as Nightcrawler, a devout Catholic, and Dust, a devout Sunni Muslim who observes Islamic Hijab. This recalls the religious roots of social activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, as well as their opponents such as the Ku Klux Klan or Nathuram Godse (the Hindu radical who assassinated Gandhi).
Beside the social issues there’s also the artist interpretation of recent events. Publisher Vertigo released the series DMZ by Bryan Wood. DMZ (demilitarized zone) is a worldwide phenomenon and its most famous representative being the zone between the two Koreas. The focus of the comic book DMZ is on Manhattan. There’s a second civil war in the United States and the nation is divided in two major camps. Except for the DMZ, the DMZ is a neutral no-man’s land. The conflict concerns two primary forces: the federal government of the United States of America and the "Free States" armies. The stories protagonist’s Matty Roth, a low ranked journalist who accidently ended up in the DMZ.
The series doesn't immediately go into any further depth regarding America's political structure, but later story arcs shed more light on the beginnings of the second Civil War. Readers learn that the Free States movement began in rural Montana and quickly spread east. Among other things, these rebels decry the government's habit of intervening in foreign affairs while ignoring crippling social problems at home. In many ways, the political reality in DMZ is different from the real world only by a matter of degrees. For example, the plummeting of the value of houses which left many Americans homeless when at the same time billions of dollars were pumped into the army for middle-eastern policies.
“Blood in the Game” which ran an as-yet unparalleled total of six parts, was an almost direct response to the historical presidential campaign run by then-Senator Barack Obama. Published co-terminus with the 2008 presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates Obama and Clinton and Republican candidate McCain, the story arc revolves around the DMZ’s first election.
The final storyarc of year three, two-part story “The Island”, chronicles in excruciating detail the traumatic events of Matty Roth’s trip to Staten Island where the US Army forces have dug in and headquartered themselves. In a surprise twist, as Roth discovers when he first lands, the soldiers on both sides of the conflict have enacted a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ resulting in a de facto truce. But no argument on ethics holds sway over the situation. The facts on the ground are simple; soldiers on both sides have long histories together stretching as far back as childhood, and both sides have something the other wants. Staten Island, the headquarters of the US Army, has become ground zero for smuggling contraband.
But an unfortunate turn of events plays out. The US Army commander responsible for Staten Island has a can of the neurotoxin ricin stolen. This bio-weapon was little more than a souvenir taken by the commander on an earlier mission. But the chance of the canister being weaponized by the insurgent Free States Army, quickly allows the situation to descend into Abu Ghraib-style interrogation. The true psychological horror lies in the ease how friend turns on friend. Americans torturing Americans is almost too much to abide. Yet this is not simply torture pornography, Wood is making a clear statement about the overarching political system that allows for such horrors to exist.
Another example is Watchmen. Before the story was brought to the big screen it was a twelve issue comic book released in 1987. The story was awarded by Time magazine, calling it ‘a superlative feat of imagination, combining sci-fi, political satire, knowing evocations of comics past and bold reworkings of current graphic formats into a dystopian mysterious story.’
The story revolves around a couple superheroes. Each and every one of them symbolizes a part of the American identity.
One of them is Dr. Manhattan. His hero powers are beyond measurement. One must note that the story took place during the turbulent 80’s when there were still nuclear treats from the Sovjets and the United States. Dr. Manhattan symbolized the treat and the safety. Manhattan's politics seem to represent the ultra-egalitarian "we are all the same" variety. He equalizes all of human endeavor to the same level.
As to subject matter, it wasn’t just a comic book. It hit all the issues from the 80’s. Homosexuality, rape, war with Russia and the bomb, crooked US politicians, corruption, murder, sexual impotency, welfare families and homicidal maniacs were all aspects of the story line. It even indulges in demonization of Nixon directly, and Ronald Reagan by inference. But its philosophy of nihilism and anarchy was the underlying message (according to me, many hold different opinions).
In the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the preceding events within the American government, America had been stood upside-down on its head as a clash of ideals began. People were scared and felt vulnerable. In just 45 days after the attacks on September 11, The USA PATRIOT Act had been passed and a majority of Americans had traded in civil liberties for safety. However, in a post-9/11 society where people in America were now subject to constant surveillance, there were still people fighting for civil liberty and freedom. Marvel Comics’ story-arc, Civil War, made a commentary on this clash of ideals. It revolves around two camps of heroes and villains. The pro-PATRIOT Act group was led by Iron Man, who valued security over freedom. The opposite group was led by Captain America, the ultimate patriot who believes in America’s ideal of freedom, even if the current government says otherwise. In the Civil War story-arc heroes are forced to identify their true selves and work for the government, or get jailed.
The story begins with a fight between some heroes and villains near a school. During the fight, one of the villains explodes and kills 600 people. The government act is reactionary and tries to instill a law where superheroes have to register. This is a direct commentary on America’s (or Bushes) reaction on the twin towers attack.
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