Free Republic

To begin with, "socialist" and "superhero" are a contradiction in terms. To be a superhero, one needs the innovation of capitalism and the conservative values of self-reliance. Progressives argue that superheroes must be socialist because they believe in science, otherwise they wouldn't be able to develop all their gadgets and souped up vehicles, etc., e.g. Batman.

This rant has spoilers.And I don’t mean “Daredevil” is a terrible show to watch. I simply mean that Daredevil himself is very bad at his job.Now, I suppose I should be touching on Catholic guilt, redemption, gender roles, sense of place, and all the other markers of a serious superhero thinkpiece. But really, the theological and philosophical depth of Daredevil is an inch-deep façade of comic-book meditation. A church in the NYC cityscape. A troubled gaze from Matt Murdock when visiting his parish priest — whose sporadic appearances are peppered with highly un-Christian guidance. All of it masquerading as...

Longtime fans have speculated for years, but a producer of the upcoming Xena: Warrior Princess reboot has confirmed: Xena is gay in the new series. In a post on Tumblr, the reboot’s screenwriter and executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach confirmed that Xena (played in the ’90s by Lucy Lawless) would finally fully explore the not-so-subtle lesbian relationship she had with her sidekick Gabrielle (played in the original series by Renee O’Connor). “[T]here is no reason to bring back Xena if it is not there for the purpose of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown subtextually in first-run syndication...

Twenty-four years ago, Donald Trump came upon a man being beaten by a thug. Being the brave man that he is, Trump knew he had to step in to save the day… He owns a plane and a helicopter, is the head of a multi-billion dollar empire, plans to take on illegal immigration all on his own, has taken on 16 other politicians and risen to the top of the GOP polls, and even has his own alter-ego of sorts — The Donald. At times, it seems like Donald Trump is a superhero.

When I was a young boy, I and Julio—not the one from down by the school yard, but the illegal Guatemalan refugee who lived with us for a while—used to enjoy watching “Wonder Woman” together. I enjoyed seeing a superhero dish out justice. Julio’s motivations may have been a tad different. We are talking Lynda Carter’s incarnation, after all. Of course, this was problematic, and not for the reasons laid out here. Wonder Woman, while a woman, was ostensibly a straight woman. At least I think she was. Again, I was seven years old. But Julio, despite his limited understanding...

It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's not a man. It's Supergirl. In the new drama from the world of DC Comics, Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, embraces her superhuman abilities and becomes the hero she was always meant to be. This Fall on CBS. Learn more at CBS.com: http://bit.ly/1A0NsOr

Superman is as American as apple pie, in that both have their origins in the Middle East. Apples, because they are thought to have been first domesticated in Turkey, and Superman, because of his oftentimes overlooked Jewish heritage. Superman’s possible Judaism shouldn’t be a surprise. The hero’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were the children of Jewish immigrants. The comic book industry, where they spent a significant portion of their young careers, was created in New York by Jews like Max Ginsburg, Bob Kahn, and Jacob Kurtzberg, who hid their ethnicity behind names like Gaines, Kane, and Kirby. Over...

JULY 19, 2014 A Thor Subject The comics industry grapples with attracting women readers. By Jim Geraghty The surprises came in a trio: First, Marvel Comics announced that the character of Thor, based upon the Norse God of Thunder, would become a woman. The second surprise was the venue in which the switch was announced — ABC’s feminine-minded daytime talk show The View — but perhaps that was predictable, considering that Marvel and ABC Television are both owned by Disney. But the third, and biggest, surprise is that anyone thought this was a good idea. “This is not She-Thor,” senior...

Marvel is making big changes this year. In a special announcement made on the Colbert Report this evening, the comics giant will this fall have Steve Rogers pass his star-spangled shield on to Sam Wilson, making Wilson (otherwise known as the Falcon) the first black man to take on the official role of Captain America....Falcon, one of Cap's oldest allies, has been rumored for weeks as the most likely candidate to carry on Steve's legacy. After all, Wilson was there to save the former super soldier's life before the end of issue 21. Created in 1969, he was Marvel's first...

To cleanse the palate. He’s got long blonde hair, wears an elaborate costume, and is forever swinging around a large phallic totem. If it was a guitar, I’d have assumed he’s in a hair-metal band and left it at that. But a hammer? The man’s overcompensating. He’s got a secret. A big one, as it turns out. Who’s up for a 37-issue series in which Thor quietly contemplates how much harder life is as a woman? This October, Marvel Comics evolves once again in one of the most shocking and exciting changes ever to shake one of the “big three”...

Female cartoon superhero "Burka Avenger", who is set to debut on Pakistani television next month, has become a controversial figure in a country reeling from the effects of religious extremism over the past decade.

Students in a prestigious university in Thailand, recently painted a mural depicting their favorite Western superheros. These include Superman, Batman, the Hulk, Captain America....and....Hitler. Here is a link to the crazy story: http://www.3news.co.nz/Superman-Batman-Hitler/tabid/417/articleID/305117/Default.aspx A couple of year ago, the Telegraph, a British newspaper, had a story about how Hitler, Nazi clothing, and Nazi memorabilia were very fashionable among youth in Asia. The article was titled: "Nazi chic: from Mongolia to Tel Aviv, angry teenagers think Hitler is cool" http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100049486/nazi-chic-from-mongolia-to-tel-aviv-angry-teenagers-think-hitler-is-cool/ But given the Israel-bashing that goes on in American and European universities, are Western youth able to educate Asian youth on...

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s … Jesus? When Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created their iconic comic book hero Superman in 1938, their character wasn’t just a representation of “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” but for many, a metaphor for Jewish immigrants in 1930s America. Created by two young Jewish men, Superman was an allusion to the Jewish faith and history, from his baby Moses-like origins to his golem-esque invincibility, to his outcast status and his ultimate struggle to assimilate in a new land. But somewhere along his journey since 1938, Kal-El converted to Christianity, which...

s it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Jesus. Everyone knows Superman is just a thinly veiled treatise on the life of the Son of God, but by Kryptonite does new Supes movie Man of Steel hammer that message home. Well, Jesus WAS a carpenter. I caught up with director Zack Synder in Los Angeles to find out why Kal-El has so much religious baggage.

He kind of looks like the barber from 'Coming To America':

Arts, books, conspiracy, education, government, history, military, politics, religion, science, tv, ufo, weird, originality.....this ones got it all. The old Hollywood vs the new. Captain America was created by two Jewish guys back in N.Y. just before WW2. It was personal to them. They were ahead of the country and declared war on Adolph before America did. Simon and Kirby had their patriotic creation punching Hitler in the face. Two Jews punching this Nazi Bastard in the face. With their imaginations. Something they knew they couldn't do in reality but actually did. They answered no small threat with not just...

(AP) DETROIT — When DC Comics decided to blow up its fabled universe and create a brave, diverse future, Geoff Johns drew from the past for a new character: his own background as an Arab-American. The company's chief creative officer and writer of the re-launched "Green Lantern" series dreamed up Simon Baz, DC's most prominent Arab-American superhero and the first to wear a Green Lantern ring. The character and creator share Lebanese ancestry and hail from the Detroit area, which boasts one of the largest and oldest Arab communities in the United States.

MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The attorney for a New Jersey man dressed in a superhero outfit when he was arrested last Wednesday thinks police overreacted. William Ware characterized the arrest of Matthew Argintar as “a classic case of overkill.” Police said Argintar, 23, was wearing a mask, a bulletproof vest, elbow and arm pads, a cape and carrying handcuffs when he was arrested July 31 outside the Home Depot on Route 57. “I’m not aware of anything in the law that would prohibit anyone from dressing how they choose to dress,” William Ware told CBSNewYork.com. Ware is representing Argintar....

SANTA FE, N.M. — A man wearing a mask and a cape and nothing else is flashing folks in Santa Fe. Police Capt. Aric Wheeler tells KRQE-TV the last report about the super hero flasher was that he was wearing just a ski mask. Police are trying to track down the streaker who two days ago exposed himself to a teenager on a jogging trail.