Compare and Contrast

Muslim madmen are aflame, deliberately whipped to an anti-Western democracy, Jew-hating frenzy by the Muslim Brotherhood's Imam Ahmed Abu-Laban (who added cartoons of his own), based on a disputed Koranic dictate against iconic art. To them, press freedom and human rights are small change next to four month-old pictures they probably never saw.

Here at home, cartoons rarely cue riots. Rather, back when men were men, comic characters stood for freedom, not fascism. They embodied America--and we called them "superheroes":


(source: Right Wing News)



(source: The Daily Raider)



(source: Superdickery)

"Those Were The Days."¹

Perhaps patriotism's back. Frank Miller, author of the genre-busting The Dark Knight Returns (either the best or the worst 'graphic novel' ever), just previewed his next project:

Once again, Miller returns to the world of the Batman, this time with Holy Terror, Batman!. Though the title plays with Robin's classic catchphrase, the book deals with a serious subject. Gotham has been attacked by Al Qaeda and Batman sets out to defend the city he loves. . .

Miller proudly announced the title of his next Batman book, which he will write, draw and ink. Holy Terror, Batman! is no joke. And Miller doesn't hold back on the true purpose of the book, calling it "a piece of propaganda," where 'Batman kicks al Qaeda's ass."

The reason for this work, Miller said, was "an explosion from my gut reaction of what's happening now." He can't stand entertainers who lack the moxie of their '40s counterparts who stood up to Hitler. Holy Terror is "a reminder to people who seem to have forgotten who we're up against." . . .

"These are our folk heroes," Miller said. "It just seems silly to chase around the Riddler when you've got Al Qaeda out there."

As The Real Ugly American says, "This is about as true blue American as things can get and a stark contrast to the blatant cowardice of the American MSM." That would be a change--Miller's known as a vocal Republican-bashing liberal though, as Brainster says, maybe he's "a 9-11 Democrat . . . someone who had the scales fall from his eyes as the towers pancaked to the ground." So some worry he's too infected with the "only-certainty-is-there's-no-certainty" virus to kick terrorist butt.

I hope not. But Brainster commenter Jim Rockford probably is right:

We saw then (and again and again and again sadly) real villains and heroes who make the ones in fiction seem pale, thin, and lame. Bin Laden, Zawahari, Zarqawi, and Ahmadinejad of Iran make villains equal of Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. The people of Flight 93, firemen and ordinary people in the Towers, people who dropped everything to pull rubble off the tower sites or drag people out of the Pentagon, or did similar things in Bali, Madrid, London, New Delhi etc make the fictional anti-heroes who don't risk anything or save anyone look pathetic.

Back in the 80's when the Terror wave first hit Americans (abroad) we had lots of films where Chuck Norris or Michael Dudikoff or Van Damme kicked the hell out of evil Islamic Ninjas. Now we have films sympathizing with Hamas and suicide bombers or Munich terrorists.

The danger for an artist is that he's seen as lame, safe, boring, and simplistic. What's the risk in bashing Bush or the Pope? Taking on Islam or Ahmadnutjob is a risk.

I'd be dismayed should Miller chicken-out. But I promise not to riot.
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¹ A famous, if extreme, example here. Jared Hindman sneers, and points to this gallery collected by 25 year-old Mike Miksch, from Seattle. Miksch advocates peace at any price: "I can think of nothing more bewildering than making someone advocating peace the *bad guy* in a comic." Uh, I can: when the passivity of peace is deadlier than the casualties of combat.

(via Michelle Malkin, Right Wing News)