Marvel Comics' depiction of anti-tax protesters inspires anger, apology

Yahoo News ^ | 02/11/10 | Brett Dykes

[MissesBush]

Since 1941, Captain America has been one of the most popular comic book characters around. The fictional super-patriot fought Nazis during World War II, took on those who burned the American flag during the Vietnam era, and raked in hundreds of millions of dollars for Marvel Comics along the way. Now, the appearance that he is taking on the Tea Party Movement in a storyline about investigating white supremacists has forced Marvel to apologize for the comic hero.

Issue 602 of the comic features Captain America investigating a right-wing anti-government militia group called "the Watchdogs". Hoping to infiltrate the group, Captain America and his African-American sidekick The Falcon observe an anti-tax protest from a rooftop. The protestors depicted are all white and carry signs adorned with slogans almost identical to those seen today in Tea Party rallies like "tea bag libs before they tea bag you" and "stop the socialists."

The Falcon mentions that the gathering appears to be "some kind of anti-tax protest" and notes that "this whole 'hate the government' vibe isn't limited to the Watchdogs." He then tells Captain America that he doesn't think their plan will work because "I don't exactly see a black man from Harlem fitting in with a bunch of angry white folks." Captain America then explains that his plan entails sending The Falcon in among the group posing as an IRS agent under the thinking that a black government official will most certainly spark their anger.

The clear implicit attack on the Tea Party Movement was first noticed by Publius' Forum's Warner Todd Huston. When a minor uproar ensued, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada spoke to Comic Book Resources and defended the issue while apologizing for the panel that seemed to tie real-life Tea Party protesters to the fictional group depicted...

[Doug Loss]

Sounds like a pretty good drinking game...

[Nateman]

I grew up in LA and we’d go to Disneyland a few times every year. Corporations were sponsors, not enemies. Exhibits took pride in America’s past and Tomorrowland celebrated progress. Walt would be very disappointed at what his company has become.

[GOPJ]

I’ve got lots of grandkids - and I’m NEVER going to buy any of them a Marvel Comic again.

[PallMal]

I remember back when the taxman was depicted in the cartoons as some burly, hairy brute holding some skinny guy upside down by his ankles, shaking everything out of the poor guy's pocket.

Now the taxman is the "good guy", and the skinny guy is the racist, sexist, homophobe, for wanting to keep his money.

How times have changed.

[YHAOS]

"Next time you have a long conversation with a liberal"

Long? . . . I didn't know such a thing was possible.

[Anima Mundi]

Next time you have a long conversation with a liberal, if it is possible, count the number of times the say, “I hate....”.....................AND write it on your hand! Just to tweak them.

[American Constitutionalist]

Marvel Commies

[Rastus]

---

Many years ago, there was one issue of X-men where Storm prevented to destroy the Sentinels because...there was a Prius on the street.

---

Ha! For serious? That would be tremendous in a movie. Desperate sounds of battle, and then everybody pauses and all is dead silent except for the whine of a little electric car which they watch pass by. Then, resume the carnage!

Brubaker used to write X-Men. Was it him or that lefty moron Fraction?

[max americana]

It was New X-Men’ # (I forgot) but I could confidently say the Prius’ issue was within THREE (3) YEARS from today.

Yeah, I am aware that Brubaker was lead editor of the X-Men line and close to Quesada. When I went to Comic-Con 2 years ago, the Marvel booth had a feel of evil’ I couldnt explain. The DC/VERTIGO booths were packed with fanboys who wanted to know more about the upcoming Blackest Night storyline from the Green Lantern series.

[Rastus]

How you like Spider-Man and his devil deals and sleeping around all over the place? Kind of a biased way to ask that, I guess. I’m not a fan of Blackest Night, since it touches on DC characters I just don’t know, but Geoff Johns has to have a unique perspective on terrorism since his sister was murdered on 9/11. I haven’t had a problem with him.

[max americana]

Yeah, the ‘dark’ Spider-Man LOL. Not only was Peter P making bad-end deal like a true Dem’ but he just beats everyone..and ANYONE to a pulp just by looking at Spidey in the wrong manner. After the MJ erase memory-crap, it wasn’t worth following nor reading but my lib Spider-man fan co-worker updates me though.

[Jeb21]

Geoff’s sister wasn’t murdered on 9/11, she died in the TWA Flight 800 in 1996.

Geoff has said in an interview that his Sinestro Corps War storyline was an allegory for terrorism, especially since Sinestro’s soldiers were chosen based on “their ability to instill great fear”.

[Rastus]

I’ve labored under that misconception for a while.

[americanophile]

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[Brugmansian]

his African-American sidekick The Falcon

So the white guy is "Captain America" and the black guy is a "sidekick" named after a bird that kills other birds, a bird the nobility kept in cages, put hoods on and used for hunting. Sounds racist to me.

[Brugmansian]

Ed Brubaker, the writer of the controversial Captain America story . . .

[Caipirabob]

Yep. America's "Super Heros" are well in the hands of the enemy...

[Caipirabob]

Walt would be very disappointed at what his company has become.

Sadly, yes, he would be.

OTOH, at the rate he is spinning in his grave, we could probably hook up a dynamo to him that would power both parks in LA and Orlando.

It might make him feel a little better.

[samsmom]

Problem is liberal left controls entertainment, higher education and the news. How is it possible for most Americans to consider themselves right of center with all the garbage we are fed from our first day in school, our first television experience to years in college and so on.

[jboot]

If memory serves, it wasn't that long ago that Captain America took on a thinly-disguised parody of the Minutemen to make America safe for illegal immigrants.

If I still collected comic books, I'd start rooting for the Red Skull.