Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Sorry I'm not home right now I'm walking into spiderwebs
So leave a message
And I'll call you back
A likely story, but leave a message
And I'll call you backMagneto is depicted as one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe, possessing the ability to control magnetism. He is also one of the most morally complex characters in American comic books. A Jewish Holocaust survivor, his actions are driven by the purpose of protecting the mutant race from suffering a similar fate. Characterizations of Magneto have varied through the years, from supervillain to anti-hero to even hero, but he is most often shown as an uncompromising militant and has engaged in acts of terrorism when he felt it was for the benefit of mutantkind. This puts him at odds with his best friend Charles Xavier, whose X-Men seek peaceful coexistence with the rest of humanity.

Just got back from screening "Spiderman 3." And while I'm not allowed to post my complete review now, I will say this:

Spidey is a Girlie-Man. It's a good thing I brought my Spidey-Cry-O-Meter with me to the theater. Because I counted at least FOUR--FOUR!--scenes in which Peter Parker/Spiderman cries. Might have even been five, if you count the scenes in which a tear wells up in his eye, but doesn't stream down on his face.

Must all American superheroes be wimpified and transformed into sensitive girlie-men? I can see the Arab Muslim internships at Marvel Studios are already a smashing success.

Every year, movie studios are inundated with tens of thousands of college students yearning for a scant few spots as academic interns.

Now, the chance to become an academic intern at Marvel Studios--home to the Spiderman (including the upcoming "Spiderman 3"), The Hulk, X-Men, and Fantastic Four movies--just became impossible for most Americans. . . unless they are Arabs, most likely MUSLIM Arabs, from the United Arab Emirates.

Marvel Studies announced that it will reserve several academic internship spots for Arabs (ie., Muslims) from the United Arab Emirates, in cooperation with the Young Arab Leaders and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler (Dubai is the largest of the 7 Emirates that make up the UAE).

It's the new affirmative action. Don't be surprised if you see "Super(Peaceful)Muslim" or "Captain Legitimate Resistance" at a theater (and in comic books) near you.

Remember the days when Superman (not a Marvel property) fought the Nazis? Those days are over. Today, Spiderman and the Hulk are embracing the new Nazis.

As the war began to expand in Europe, and Hitler began his conquests of Belgium and France, there were numerous stories featuring foreign spies and cruel dictators, but they were careful not to specifically cite Germany or Italy as the subject country. Siegel was also careful not to name the dictator by any identifiable name (such as Hitler, or even Adolf), either. However, the characters he utilized were little more than thinly veiled parodies of the European dictators. In Superman #10 (May-June 1941), there was a story of the Dukalia-American Sports Festival. In that story, the Dukalian leader, Karl Wolff, gave a speech saying, "You have seen them perform physical feats, which no other human can. Proof, I tell you, that we Dukalians are superior to any other race or nation. Proof that we are entitled to be the masters of America." This was quite obviously inspired by Hitler's speeches prior to the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, Germany where Hitler claimed that German athletes were superior to those of any other nation... Uber Mensch, or "Super-men". This was a claim quickly shattered by Jesse Owens.

[...]

Obviously, the first thing anyone saw at a newsstand looking for a comic book was the cover. During the early years of comics, the covers did not necessarily have anything to do with any of the stories inside and were used more to attract a person's attention than to advertise the stories inside. Beginning with the cover of Superman #12 (Sept 1941) Superman began a solid propaganda alliance with American soldiers that continued through 1945 and the end of the war. That cover showed Superman walking arm in arm with a soldier and a sailor. From that moment on, Superman was shown sinking battle ships, tying cannon barrels into knots, and riding bombs toward "Japanazi's", a term first coined in Superman #18 (Sept-Oct 1942) to define the unified threat of Japan and German armies.

[...]

Still, no matter how many patriotic covers appeared on the outside of Superman comics; it was actually rare that the action went further than the cover. By and large, the stories inside the comics remained morality plays and confrontations with villains like Luthor, The Prankster, Toyman and the Insect Master, not battles with the German army. Many stories mentioned the war in passing, but the actual number of stories that dealt directly with the war effort was rather small by comparison and initially dealt with petty dictators and terrorists. For example, in Superman #11 (July-August 1941), Superman battled Rolf Zimba, the head of the Gold Badge Organization, which was a group of terrorists determined to seize control of government beginning by blowing up a suburb of Metropolis.

So, while the covers were strong messages in support of the American troops, it may be that the stories inside intentionally avoided the subject of war as a means of escape for a weary nation.

For the record, even aside from that, I didn't like Spidey 3. Parker/Spiderman becomes a huge egomaniac--a lot like this latest generation of kids: me! me! me! Ditto for his dull girlfriend, Mary Jane. She's also all about her! her! her!

Debbie Schlussel, 37 years old, supports her pundit habit by practicing commercial law in suburban Detroit. She is among the most proactive B-list pundits. Almost daily, she emails her appearance schedule, availability or sharp-elbowed conservative commentaries to 5,000 people in media and politics.

[...]

To raise her profile, Ms. Schlussel blogs all day long, and works every other angle, too. Whenever she's asked to appear on a show, she sends out "Me On..." email blasts, with subject lines like "Me On Fox News Cavuto."

[...]

So far this year, Ms. Schlussel has appeared on more than 600 radio shows and 35 TV programs, she says. But while Ms. Coulter, America's most-famous blonde pundit, earns millions, the also-blonde Ms. Schlussel has earned well under $10,000 this year from her punditry, she says. Still, Ms. Schlussel feels momentum: Her online fan clubs have grown to 5,496 members.