Attention superhero aficionados: Here’s an update from ComicsAlliance.com.
Apparently DC Comics has scrapped the expected story for Superman #712, in which the Man of Steel, who is currently walking across America, winds up in Los Angeles and teams up with the Left Coast's newest super-hero, Sharif, a young Muslim. Sounds very cool. Why was it shelved? Officially here’s the statement:
DC Comics determined that the previously solicited story did not work within the 'Grounded' storyline. However, Chris Roberson, will be back for the final two issues of Superman's year long walk across America. As we near the conclusion, catch up with Superman next month as he makes stops in Portland and Newberg, OR."
Um, OK?
Be that as it may: given the current geo-political state of the planet, could there be a better time for the ultimate American icon to join forces with a super crime fighter named Sharif?
OK, who’s got the kryptonite?
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The press release they (being DC) released blamed the fact that Superman saves a cat from a tree in the canceled issue makes Superman look "wimpy" and that that was the reason they canned the story, instead re-running a Kurt Busiek story from after INFINITE CRISIS.
However it really looks like they are kowtowing to a vocal minority in America, many of which probably don't even read comics. There were complaints after a recent Batman issue because it featured a French Muslim superhero, and of course there was the outcry after Superman "renounced" his citizenship (that story was pretty much just written to get people to talk/complain and isn't really a part of the official Superman canon).
This coupled with complainants from white supremacist groups because Heimdall was portrayed in THOR by Idris Elba, a black man, is showing a sad and scary side of people in America.
Taking up your second para: I was wondering about that. Superman is certainly an undocumented alien. So how is it he was able to get citizenship w/o a birth certificate in the first place? Perhaps we should start looking into his origins, do we think we can get the Don to send a team to search for Krypton and find his long form birth certificate?
Not being up on the story line, but how does he deal with having to show his papers when requested?
The story in question was part of a series of short stories in the 600th issue of Action Comics and didn't really have any bearing on the "official" Superman story arc, so none of that is really addressed.
That's funny, I heard them Ayrabbs were comin' ta git us! I'm sure glad DC Comics scuttled their plan to indoctrinate our children with sharia and terrorism and, um, Fascism and stuff!
End of life as we know it narrowly averted.
I know it seems silly, but there seems a bit of a story here. Not a headline story, but a "maybe shining a little light will do some good" kind of story.
Any chance our impressive TRMS staff can call DC, the writers and artists and discover what is really afoot here?
I have found a word to describe the GOP the word is NIGGLE it means:
1. To be preoccupied with petty details
2. To find fault consistantly and triviallity.
AMAZING HOW ONE small word could describe the GOP!
Great Caesar's Ghost! I did not even know superheroes had religions! I am so out of it!
I'm not big on comics, but they do seem to steer clear of religion. But apparently the Thing is Jewish.
Nightcrawler was a catholic for a long time. Then depending on which continuity you want to go with, he became a priest, or left the religion because some parts of the church came out against mutants.
You know who is even more under-represented than Muslims? Secular Arabs. People forget the fact that being Arabic does not equal being Muslim. There is a huge segment of Arabic culture that has nothing to do with Islam.
The name Sharif is an Arabic Tribal title.
Some GTK (good to know) info - True DC comic book aficionados may be interested to know that an anonymous donor gave the Goodwill well packaged, perserved and cataloged 1st editions dating back 4 to 5 decades. The Goodwill is preparing to auction them off on their www.shopgoodwill.com website in singles and lots.
I just wanted to say that Chris Roberson is a fine novelist who has been tidying up a storyline that was started and abandoned by J. Michael Straczynski (who quit monthly comics to focus on graphic novels).
What's really interesting about this story is that Sharif was intended to be the grown up version of an Islamic immigrant super-hero from the mid 1980s Superman comics named Sinbad. In this case, Roberson wasn't even so much inventing an Islamic super-hero as he was looking back at one introduced and mostly forgotten 20 years ago... and then setting out to re-examine what would become of him in a post-9/11 world, taking one of the few established arabic heroes in mainstream comics from over two decades ago (one who was inspired by Superman then) and revisiting him.
That makes this story a bit different than the wave of anti-Islamophobia comics such as the recent Batman comic that garnered headlines when Batman appointed a brand new Islamic character to be the "official Batman of France." I think it's an interesting notion to take a character who was conceived of back during the Reagan administration and try to construct a history for what had become of him since.
Since when was DC ever politically correct.. Oh, my bad wrong DC.
None of this really matters, since DC announced that they are going back to "episode 1" for every DC comic and start every one anew. How all of that works out is what will comic geeks screaming. But the fact that DC did not want to risk political backlash, even for a couple of months surrounding their tent pole superhero well that is sad. So much for "Truth, Justice and the American Way" or is this what The American Way is now?
Rachael, The Taliban has established an outpost in Kansas. Women will soon be walking 3 paces behind their Masters, worshiping in separate rooms (to protect their behinds), home schooling, wearing berkas, void of woman's rights, and soon turning in their drivers licenses. Can stoning for "moral depravity" be far behind? Brownback may think he is a Christian, but his 15th Century beliefs say something else.
On Religion...Be sure and see Danziger's cartoon "GOP Prayer Circle" . It is in todays LA Times Oct. 13, 2011. It is a true Gospel hoot!
On Religion...Be sure and see Danziger's cartoon "GOP Prayer Circle". It is in today's LA Times Oct.,13,2011. It is a truke Gospel hoot!