ICV2 writer opportunistically attacks Florida Republican for comparing transsexuals to X-Men
The ICV2 columnist Steve Bennett, who's also a specialty store manager in Ohio, is attacking a Florida Republican named Webster Barnaby for something I don't think was particularly well thought out and downright peculiar involving comics, but it's clear Bennett's speaking from a far-left viewpoint that isn't altruistic, and his viewpoint is entirely biased:
Since we're on the topic, Bounding into Comics told some more about the now dismissed Isaac Perlmutter, and he argued he'd tried to dissuade Disney from enmeshing themselves in political matters in a Wall Street Journal interview:
And now, Perlmutter's on his way out the door at leftist-dominated Disney. Based on his pathetic pandering, that's why my negative view of him is compounded. For somebody calling himself a "Republican supporter", that's as far as it goes alright. Perlmutter's nothing but a bizarre phony who's ensured he won't be remembered fondly for his management of Marvel, and what he told the press on his way out will only solidify the poor perception everyone now has of him. What an embarrassment indeed.
I know it’s not Pride Month yet, and I honestly try not to write about every single new comic book-adjacent outrage that hits the Internet, but when this first story was waiting for me in my newsfeed this morning, what else could I do but lean into it?Now did Barnaby, who's originally from the UK, say that? According to this news, he did, and if he was doing in a negative connotation that implied he didn't like the X-Men, that was incredibly stupid, because years before, they weren't created to serve the kind of agendas they've been exploited for since the turn of the century. But it's still very unclear if Bennett's quoting this ad verbatim, and no matter what one thinks of Barnaby's approach, Bennett's still upholding ideologies harmful to children. And given the damage still being done youth via this horrific ideology, should Barnaby have to apologize? Very sad. Bennett continued his hypocrisy by citing pretentious Judy Blume, who became an apologist for the graphic novel Gender Queer:
While discussing Florida House Bill 1521, which “criminalizes the use of public bathrooms for transgender people” in a committee hearing, Representative Webster Barnaby compared the transgender persons and parents of transgender children, who were there to speak out against the bill, "to Marvel's X-Men, characters in the comics in which bigotry, hatred, and fear of mutants are central themes."
In a rant that could have been by the character Reverend Stryker from the graphic novel God Loves, Man Kills by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson, Barnaby said: “I’m looking at society today and it’s like I’m watching an X-Men movie. When you watch the X-Men movies or Marvel comics, it’s like we have mutants living among us on planet Earth.” He also added, "The Lord rebukes you, Satan, and all of your demons and all of your imps who come parade before us. That’s right, I called you demons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world.”
Barnaby later offered an apology, as reported by WESH. “I would like to apologize to the trans community for referring to you as demons,” he said.
In an article on the recent bouts of book banning that included an interview with author Judy Blume (Tiger Eyes, Forever, etc.) in the Guardian, Blume gave an unprompted positive review for Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel memoir Gender Queer (see “‘Gender Queer’ Was The Most Frequently Challenged Book In 2021”) “which recounts Kobabe’s journey to adulthood and exploring their gender identity and sexuality.” In the interview, Blume said:In that case, I guess no child is going to become one just because schools across the USA and Canada are indoctrinating them with books and other such materials normalizing the ideology. It's very typical of these far-left disgraces to dismiss concerns, and then lo and behold, we find out later they're quite fine with something terrible happening. That's exactly why we're in the dire situation in this era. I certainly have no respect for Blume after this. And then, Bennett goes on to talk about the Marvel Swimsuit Specials of the early 1990s, and sounds pretty curiously negative about their very publication:
“It’s probably the number one. banned book in America right now. And I thought, ‘This young person is telling me how they came to be what they are today.’ I learned a lot, and became even more empathetic. That’s what books are all about.” Blume added, “No child is going to become transgender or gay or lesbian because they read a book. It’s not going to happen. They may say, ‘Oh, this is just like me. This is what I’m feeling and thinking about.’ Or, ‘I’m interested in this because I have friends who may be gay, bi, lesbian.’ They want to know!”
One thing I’ve learned over the nearly two decades that I’ve been writing these things is once something has been created, creators have no control over what people make of it. Like when you discover that canonically straight cartoon characters like She-Go, from Disney’s Kim Possible, have been a gay icon for nearly two decades without me knowing about it (see “Confessions Of A Comic Book Guy -- He-Man: Missing In Action).Hmm, how interesting. On the one hand, Mr. Bennett seems to be tearing down on the Swimsuit Specials, all because they could service heterosexuality. On the other hand, he apparently believes that, if they do appeal to LGBT ideology, then all of a sudden, they're okay in that regard. What an insult to the intellect. He's obviously trying to sully everybody's view of them in retrospect, and that's not helpful. It's just like when I once found a magazine writer belittling them over peanuts several years ago, and now somebody else decided to join the bandwagon, ripping on easy targets while otherwise ignoring the sorry state of modern mainstream. It's shameful ICV2 employs these kind of charlatans and ideologues, but, unfortunately, that's been common for years already.
Or take, for instance, the Marvel Swimsuit Specials. Most fans I know, myself included, considered them to have been cringy cash grabs for sweaty adolescents with no access to porn and Marvel completists who had to have everything labeled “Marvel.” But, to be fair, as Marvel itself said in a post last month, the 1990s really was, according to Marvel itself, “a time when beach culture and swimwear were at the center of pop culture” (i.e. Baywatch, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issues, etc.). And the Marvel Swimsuit Special “captured the cultural zeitgeist of the time” (a.k.a., this was another example of Marvel once again chasing a fad).
Which is as may be, but according to Cameron Scheetz in a piece for Queerty, those Marvel Swimsuit Specials apparently had a whole other audience. He writes, “On one hand, these overblown portrayals of impossible physiques no doubt contributed to harmful body image issues for Gen X-ers and Millennials who came of age at the time. On the other, the bold, bulging, overtly thirsty images provided an avenue for readers of all ages to explore desire—not to mention a safe space for burgeoning queer folks to look, admire, and… find some things out about themselves!”
To promote the upcoming Summer Of Symbiotes event, Phillip Tan and Scott Williams have crafted an image similar to Jim Lee and Scott Williams iconic “poolside pinup” from 1991’s X-Men #1. But now that the Marvel Voices: Pride anthologies are a yearly thing, they might want to further tap into its audience by doing a Marvel Voices Pride Swimsuit Special for next year’s Pride Month. Imagine the outrage!
Since we're on the topic, Bounding into Comics told some more about the now dismissed Isaac Perlmutter, and he argued he'd tried to dissuade Disney from enmeshing themselves in political matters in a Wall Street Journal interview:
On top of Perlmutter being opposed to Disney CEO Bob Iger’s overall business strategy, he was also opposed to the company’s political intervention in the state of Florida when the company opposed Florida legislation blocking the teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation to children in grades kindergarten through third grade.But while this claim, on the surface, might seem admirable, it's what follows that demolishes everything:
Perlmutter relayed a conversation he had with Florida governor Ron DeSantis, “Ron, you’re right. Disney doesn’t have the right to get involved with politics, and you know, I’m the largest individual shareholder.”
He went on to reveal he even advised Disney executives to not get involved, “Don’t get involved in politics. You’re going to get hurt. It’s a no-win situation.”
While Perlmutter noted he spoke with both Disney executives and Ron DeSantis, it wasn’t over any kind of principled moral stance on the issue. As Perlmutter revealed he would personally pay for mutilation surgery for Disney employees who think they can change their sex via surgery or chemical alterations.Wow...Perlmutter actually thinks it's okay even for adults to mutilate their bodies and turn themselves into Frankenstein-like creations? No wonder I can't respect this man. He's morally bankrupt. Even if he said that as some kind of attempt to stave off an obnoxious backlash by LGBT activists, it's still pure cowardice and won't appease them, period. No wonder he's not even fit to own the publishing arm of Marvel, which, as mentioned before, he never did anything to ensure would remain artistically fit.
He said, “I called and said, if anyone would like to change their sex, my professor is the number one in the country. They should call me, and I’ll help them to make an appointment.”
And now, Perlmutter's on his way out the door at leftist-dominated Disney. Based on his pathetic pandering, that's why my negative view of him is compounded. For somebody calling himself a "Republican supporter", that's as far as it goes alright. Perlmutter's nothing but a bizarre phony who's ensured he won't be remembered fondly for his management of Marvel, and what he told the press on his way out will only solidify the poor perception everyone now has of him. What an embarrassment indeed.
Labels: golden calf of LGBT, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, politics, X-Men
