Posted in: Comics, Editor's Picks Comic News | Tagged: Comics, entertainment
Now Marvel Comics Runs Politically Partisan Comic Book Covers
Yesterday we looked at the considerable fuss made by some comic stores about Faith #5, the upcoming comic from Valiant, putting Hillary Clinton on the cover, as apparently, a feminist body-positive superhero comic has no business supporting such a candidate for President.
Which gave me a reason to look back through the archives to find the comments for a story we ran in Bleeding Cool's earliest days of 1940.
Now, the internet looked a bit shoddier then but I think you'll get the gist.
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THE BLEEDING COOL WEBSITE
December 20th 1940
As compiled by Mr Richard James Johnston Esquire
It emerged yesterday that Timely Comics, publishers of comic books to the masses, had commissioned a political message for the release of their new picture book, the titular Captain America.
The chap book by the young Joe Simon and even younger Jack Kirby, features Herr Hitler, Chancellor of Germany, being knocked about by their character, while the story inside the comic sees this Captain America (SPOILERS) invade Germany, defeat the soldiers of the nation state, capture Herr Hitler and see him brought to an international court for crimes against humanity.
Newsstand operators across the country have been contacting Bleeding Cool to express their dismay. Dennis McGee told us "This is blatant political propaganda designed to push my customers towards an interventionist rather than an isolationist position, as well as showing disrespect for the sovereign territory of other nations. What's next, getting Superman to slap a jap?" He continued "I have customers in both camps, isolationist and interventionist and the are equally vociferous in their views, especially the ones in white hoods. If I stocked this comic, I would be seen as taking a side and lose their custom. The comic is only 10c. If I could sell it for millions of dollars, that would be a different matter. But I can't. Also, if we do go to conscription, where will I get my customers from?"
Captain America #1 goes on sale today.
COMMENTS:
herrtoday: This is racist against all Germans. I for one will not be sending my copy back to the Fatherland, with notes about security arrangements in the margins.
malignantrumor: Jack Kirby isn't even his real name. It's Kurtzberg! You know what that means! And Joe Simon as well. This kind of move to diversity is killing comics.
bourneville: Oh sure, make the white man the villain again.
herrtoday: I don't think these guys will be happy until we have another World War. Didn't we learn our lesson?
chamberpot: I have in my hand a piece of paper. I tore it from the comic and am now burning it.
fontfancy: Does he think that A on his forehead stands for America?
malignantrumor: No, it stands for asshole.
bourneville: It's not "slap a jap" it's "slap a chap" – anyone you see reading this filth.
conspiracyfairy: Everyone knows the footage of the Polish invasion was faked in an Ealing studio.
DR SAMUEL BECKETT: This kind of reaction only leads to people voting for Trump.
chamberpot: Who?
DR SAMUEL BECKETT: You'll see.
fontfancy: Oh boy.
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Well now isn't that fun? And for those who think this is a straw man… it wasn't.