The comic industry can lay claim to being part of the left-leaning mainstream media.
Once a bastion of patriotism, personified by Marvel’s Captain America, comics now reveal a leftist agenda by having the Tea Party as villains worthy of Captain America’s hurled shield. So it is refreshing when one of their own breaks ranks.
Frank Miller, the writer/artist most responsible for returning Batman to his dark roots, lambasted the Occupy Wall Street movement on his blog over the weekend. His opening sentence was a barn-burner:
His description of the OCW movement–“a pack of louts, thieves and rapists, an unruly mob”–could have applied to one of his supervillains.
The response from his industry has been instantaneous and true to the groupthink of the Left. The unifying theme, apart from the standard fascist labeling, is that Miller has lost his way, both from his creative roots, and reality (“I think Miller saw them filming the giant fight scene for Dark Knight rises in NY and confused it for OCW,” writes comic book writer Cully Hammer). All of them point to Miller’s groundbreaking Batman comics as proof of Miller’s former leftism.
Before turning to their citation, it should not come as recent surprise that Miller is a supporter of the War On Terror. His recent graphic novel, “Holy Terror,” depicts a vigilante (originally to be the Batman) taking on Al-Queda.
Miller clearly and overtly intended his hero to be political and patriotic:
“Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That’s one of the things they’re there for.”Again, Miller was portrayed as having lost his way from the alleged progressivism aired in “The Dark Knight Returns.”
But in this graphic novel, Miller has a mob scene brought about by a nuclear exchange with the Soviets. They take to the streets, looting, raping and partying.
Sound familiar?
Miller’s response was not to see their side of the story, or morally equate their actions with any right-wing street groups (there are none in the comic), but to have his ailing Batman mount up and stop the madness. He quells the revolt, leading one police officer who vowed to arrest him to holster her weapon and realize that the vigilante is the only thing between safety and anarchy.
Miller’s most trenchant criticism, though, is reserved for a government peopled by liberals who, even after the mayor has his throat ripped out by one of the criminals, still want to negotiate.
For those who cite this comic as proof that he has lost his way should re-read this comic.