Strap yourself in, it's bitchin' time. Read the following link first, then continue on. I'm too lazy to bother recapping.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100211/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1129
Caught up? Good. Let's get this shit on.
Before you start making an ASS out of U and ME, I could give a shit about those who are complaining about this new "anti-American" Captain America. You don't agree with the point of view presented in the comic, go ahead and bitch your little heart out. It's your right and I'm sure the artists appreciate the extra attention you brought to the series. What pisses me off here is how Marvel reacted... retracting and apologizing like a little bitch.
I'll put it simply: pull up your big boy panties and act like damn adults.
Art, even of the trashiest sort, should have something to say. Even better if it pisses people off. That means that it is bringing core precepts and ideals into question. Who knows, maybe then people will be forced to think about their assumptions. That, to me, is what makes great art stand out from the merely good.
To me, this approach, in addition to the stance the writers had him take with the Civil War storyline, does not represent an Anti-American point of view. Instead, I see it throwing into sharp relief the conflict experienced by many Americans who quite truly and deeply love their country, but see its government going in a direction that runs counter to the philosophy it was founded upon. This is precisely the type of issue that only a character like Captain America can address,.
But that isn't the issue. The issue is Marvel rolling over on their back to appease a silly, childish bit of playground bullying because they have no goddamn balls. As the publisher, they should simply have stated that any implicit or explicit opinions expressed in that work, like in any work of art, are those of the artists and BACK UP THOSE ARTISTS' RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH THEIR ART. If you publish it, own up to it.
Comic fans and artists have been rightfully pushing for the elevation of Graphic Art above the level of childish entertainment in the eye of the public for decades, but this sets that movement back to square one. By essentially saying that political views and commentary have no place in their publications, they are saying that they do not trust their readers to consider these issues on their own. They are agreeing that Captain America has no place except as mindless entertainment for children. And this is coming from a company whose best output has boldly dealt with issues of race, environmental destruction, corruption and nuclear proliferation.
Hell, Random House never apologized for Primary Colors, despite the blatant personal attacks on the President. Tyndale House never retracted the Left Behind books due to the political and social agenda that takes just as much center stage as religion and action. Plume still stands behind Atlas Shrugged, an unadulterated plea for total laissez-faire governmental policy. They acted precisely like a publishing company should: they stood behind their artists.
Marvel, meanwhile, is run by wussies.
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