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Tuesday, April 30, 2024 

What's been promoted for National Superhero Day

NDTV is listing some superhero comics they say are must-reads for National Superhero Day on April 28, and some troubling propaganda turns up in what's decidedly more a puff piece than a serious recommendation list. First:
“We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be,” said Grant Morrison, a comic book writer. And just like that Morrison reinforced the belief of every child and many adults in superheroes saving the world.
Wow, isn't that rich, coming from a writer who made one of his first steps writing X-Men to wipe out the Genosha population, as though that sort of cliche solves anything. Not so. And lest we forget Morrison exploited X-Men for propagandizing his liberal pacifist viewpoint all over the place, in example, and later putting Jean Grey into death limbo for several years. Not exactly "saving the world", if at all. What makes overrated scriptwriters like Morrison so worthy of quotation?
Every year April 28 marks National Superhero Day in the United States. The day is commemorated to honour reel and real superheroes for contributing to society, including the brave heroes of 9/11 and the Covid-19 pandemic. This interesting tradition traces its roots back to 1995 when Marvel, a bestselling comic book publisher, took to the streets to survey children about what superpowers they would want to have if possible. Surprisingly, the results revealed that the children talked about real-life superheroes in their lives and they are equivalent to superheroes narrated in comic books. This revelation by children prompted Marvel and other publishers to commemorate a day tribute to such superheroes who save the world from adversities in actuality and fiction.

This National Superhero Day is a fitting time to reflect on the evolution of superhero narratives and their enduring impact on popular culture. From the early days of comic books to the present-day metaverse, the world of superheroes has evolved drastically, captivating audiences of all age groups with idealistic characters and narratives.
Unsurprisingly, they refuse to consider that, when wokeness takes hold, you can't say the narratives and themes have withstood the test of time well. Certainly not when reprehensible ideologues like the following are in charge of the writing:
Alternatively, other modern superheroes offer a diverse array of narratives that push the boundaries of storytelling. Take, for example, Black Panther, this Marvel Comics series debuted in 2016 and immediately caught the attention of the town. Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze, ‘Black Panther' redefined the superhero genre by exploring themes of identity, politics, and social justice within the fictional African nation of Wakanda. With its rich world-building and nuanced characters, "Black Panther" elevated the superhero genre to new heights, garnering critical acclaim and inspiring a global audience. If you haven't read this masterpiece from the popular days of comic book culture, you are missing something. Grab your copy today of Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet on Amazon.
They sure went out of their way to fluff-coat Coates' far-left resume, didn't they? This alone can pretty much confirm something's wrong, but what else appears on the list - mostly pamphlets sold in special packs - is almost entirely newer stuff from the past decade or so, far past the point where anything could matter. What kind of rip-off are they promoting here? And the 2010s was really a "popular" era for comics culture? Far from it, based on how bad mainstream superhero fare was becoming.

When a mainstream press source is unwilling to differentiate eras, and recommend any of the older storytelling, if at all, that says all one needs to know about what the MSM really thinks of the medium. And encouraging readers to buy even packs of pamphlets? That's pathetic too. Paperbacks and hardcovers are what to encourage buying, not an outmoded format that actually costs more (nearly 5 dollars) by today's standards.

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About me

  • I'm Avi Green
  • From Jerusalem, Israel
  • I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.
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