The Four Color Media Monitor

A writer on Reaxxion is making the case for why comics need to be rescued from ultra-leftist influence. He cites the recent change of Catwoman to bisexual, including the writer Genivieve Valentine's defense of her steps, and notes how it doesn't make a character more interesting, let alone the writing. And how:

This particularly flagrant abuse of common sense and human decency was brought to my attention by a reader of my own work, who commented that Ms. Valentine’s qualifications for writing a story arc for such a prestigious character really amount to little more than her ability to write fan fiction.

Yes, I know, she’s also won a Nebula Award. But given that the Sad/Rabid Puppies campaigns proved beyond any shadow of doubt that sci-fi and fantasy awards are now given out based on ideology rather than merit, the fact that Ms. Valentine won a Nebula Award for her work makes her about as well qualified to write comic books as the fry cook at your local greasy spoon is qualified to be the head chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Yes, and it's not just Nebula that's been ruined. Even the Eisner awards have been devastated by this kind of mindset penetrating into comicdom and its reps. The given description of Valentine brings to mind Brad Meltzer, because his approach when he wrote Identity Crisis, JLA and a Buffy comic are more like repellent fanfiction.

However, while there's a good point made that homosexual relationships have their share of abuse, and how these stories don't reflect that kind of reality, I have to take issue with the following:

...if Ms. Valentine had really claimed to know how bisexuality works, as she claims to in her blog post, she would have depicted Selina Kyle beating the ever-loving snot out of Eiko, then kissing and making up. That, at least, would have been “accurate.” Might even have made for an interesting story, too, instead of the patently absurd and transparently stupid arc that she has tried to pass off as a “canonical” Catwoman saga.

Oh good grief. I do think that, if realism matters, people like Valentine should show they're willing to focus on abusive relations and how they exist. But does that mean fans of Catwoman want to see Selina crossing the lines into becoming an assaulter? I think not. Maybe the other way around would work better, with Eiko as the violator and Selina the target? Or maybe he should say Valentine should create a different pair of lesbian characters to serve those roles? Just because Selina's been depicted as a professional thief before doesn't mean they should turn her into somebody less honorable than she's usually been depicted in the past.

So let’s discard this ridiculous myth that SJWs are trying to make comics more “realistic” or “inclusive.” In reality, they are trying to legitimise violence and sexual deviancy in a blatant and transparent attempt to make right out of wrong.

If that is not evil and twisted, I don’t know what is.

At least there he's getting someplace. This is exactly what DC was doing when they published Identity Crisis and even Nightwing 93 in 2004.

If SJWs have their way, someday we will be confronted with the appalling reality of a comic in which Batman—the greatest comic book character of all time, as far as I’m concerned—is not morally any different from the Joker or Black Mask.

I think they've already passed that point. The Batbooks have definitely lost direction long ago.

So we fight with the one weapon that they cannot resist: our wallets.

Do not spend any more money buying their filth. Not one more cent of your money should go to comics by hack writers like Ms. Valentine. Spend your hard-earned cash instead on the true titans of the industry.

I agree with that part. Unfortunately, he dampens the edge when he recommends people buy the following:

Buy the classic works of legends like Jeph Loeb, who wrote the Hush graphic novels as well as The Long Halloween and Dark Victory; Alan Moore, whose works V for Vendetta, Batman: The Killing Joke, and the magnificent Watchmen define to this day what a powerful medium comics can be; and of course the monumental The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

For crying out loud, this guy has no idea what a joke he's making now. Loeb was one of the most overrated writers, and the Hush story in Batman was an all style-no substance farce. Even the cited works of Moore and Miller have to undergo scrutiny, because in a way, they're indirectly responsible for the downfall of Batbooks along with many other superhero comics, after successive editors started mandating darkness. Does this guy realize he's damaging his argument? For all we know, some of those books above might've influenced the current direction with Catwoman! Oddly enough though, Watchmen did feature an abusive lesbian truck driver beating up on her partner towards the end of the miniseries, something that might not sit well with today's PC advocates.

Above all, never forget that the SJWs managed to pervert comic books and graphic novels because, once again, the rest of us let them get away with it.

Yes, but depending on one's view, those same SJWs exploited the works of Moore and Miller (who was more of a leftist at the time he wrote Dark Knight Returns), to serve as the templates for their twisted visions. Whatever the merits those books have on their own, we can't support them if they end up serving as a bad influence on superhero continuity proper. In fact, one of the commentors said:

I tried reading Watchmen and frankly it feels like a precursor to what's going on right now in comics. [...]

And another said:

That's because comic book artists, being devoid of creativity, all decided to copy Watchmen, resulting on the 2edgy4me comic books that we know. [...]

See, that's just it. How that eluded the writer of this article is beyond me. If we're to effectively challenge the bleak viewpoints now espoused ad nauseum in superhero comics, we can't just jump to recommending these kind of tales.

And how did we let the SJWs get away with all this? We kept buying specific products despite the poor quality of the writing, and wouldn't drop the books when it would've been the proper time to do so. By the time we did, it was too late. If we stumble on a story that's built on bad components, we have to abandon ship as quickly as possible upon realizing what the problem is, or risk encouraging the publishers to continue perverting superhero comics to the point where optimism and meaty storytelling are destroyed. We can't let that happen anymore.

Labels: Batman, dc comics, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, politics, violence