Marvel Comics apologizes for equating Teabaggers with white supremacists

[NewJeffCT]

Personally, I think the teabaggers are upset because it hit a bit too close to home...

Marvel Comics' depiction of anti-tax protesters inspires anger, apology

Since 1941, Captain America has been one of the most popular comic book characters around. The fictional super-patriot fought Nazis during World War II, took on those who burned the American flag during the Vietnam era, and raked in hundreds of millions of dollars for Marvel Comics along the way. Now, the appearance that he is taking on the Tea Party Movement in a storyline about investigating white supremacists has forced Marvel to apologize for the comic hero.

Issue 602 of the comic features Captain America investigating a right-wing anti-government militia group called "the Watchdogs". Hoping to infiltrate the group, Captain America and his African-American sidekick The Falcon observe an anti-tax protest from a rooftop. The protestors depicted are all white and carry signs adorned with slogans almost identical to those seen today in Tea Party rallies like "tea bag libs before they tea bag you" and "stop the socialists."

<snip>

The clear implicit attack on the Tea Party Movement was first noticed by Publius' Forum's Warner Todd Huston. When a minor uproar ensued, Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada spoke to Comic Book Resources and defended the issue while apologizing for the panel that seemed to tie real-life Tea Party protesters to the fictional group depicted in the book.

Saying that he could "absolutely see how some people are upset about this," Quesada said that there was "zero discussion to include a group that looked like a Tea Party demonstration," adding, "There was no thought that it represented a particular group."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100211/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1129

[sarge43]

1. Never apologize for speaking the truth. n/t

[NewJeffCT]

4. Democrats have been doing that for years

at least since 9/11

[sarge43]

7. Yes unfortunately and it's shameful.

Harry Truman would kick the collective ass.

[divvy]

24. Google Pat Robertson NEAR Larry Pratt sometime.

You will find out that Robertsons vice-presidental candidate on the reform party ticket spoke at "Christian Identity" (radical racist christian sect) meetings. In fact, at one such gathering / public address at Waco during the seige, Timothy McViegh was photographed in the front row of the crowd that gathered to hear Pratt speak.

Ooops, Sara Palin contributed heavily to the Pratt / Buchanan campaign and went door to door for them. In one of his editorial bloviations, Buchannan called Palin "One of us" and Obama "One of them".

All three are VERY popular in the fundamentaist/survivalist/neo-milita/vigilantist movement that makes up much of the Tea Bag demographic. They hate their country which is what makes them so patriotic. Go figure that one out.

[Deep13]

5. +1

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. This didn't really sound like a job for Captain America, anyway. More like Orkin.

[nolabear]

3. As Quick-Draw McGraw used to say, "I resemble that remark!"

Or was that El Ka-Bong?

[geardaddy]

22. "I'll do the thinnin' around here Babalou"

[geardaddy]

23. dupe

[HopeHoops]

6. Um, why? That's what the teabaggers are.

The truth hurts, sure. Why apologize for it?

[arcadian]

8. Oh yeah, gonna have to get that one.

I collect politically themed comics. One that breaches the real world is a especially exciting, thanks NewJeff.

[NewJeffCT]

9. No problem

and, it's a pretty current topic.

[DFW]

10. My favorite comment was this one on Raw Story:

"The Taliban is upset by a recent Muslim cartoon...OOPS! I mean, the teabaggers are upset by a Marvel comic!"

[NewJeffCT]

13. great comment

and, I wonder if anybody at Marvel got death threats from the teabaggers?

[slay]

19. Here's a good article about it: "Why Marvel Owes No Apologies for Captain America's 'Tea Party'"

Why Marvel Owes No Apologies for Captain America's 'Tea Party'
Feb 11th 2010 By: Brendan McGuirk

It was so much easier when Captain America could just punch prominent Nazis.

Ed Brubaker and Marvel Comics recently came under fire by Fox News due to the characterization of a small town protest group in Captain America #602. In the issue, Bucky and the Falcon, tracking down the faux 1950's Captain America, find themselves in rural Idaho at the center of a gathering anti-government storm. And here Brubaker's troubles begin.

Due to what's been deemed both a lettering error and an editorial oversight, a sign that read "Tea Bag the Liberals Before They Tea Bag You" appeared at an anti-tax rally within the story, and a controversy erupted when a conservative blogger supportive of the Tea Party caught wind of it several weeks later and accused Marvel of "making patriotic Americans into your newest super villains."

Marvel responded in an interview with CBR, where Joe Quesada insisted the sign was an accident, and promised that the offending image would be stripped from all future reprints of the story. The controversy and subsequent reversal was soon picked up by one of the cogs in the cyclonic perpetual emotion machine that is Fox News, who scored Marvel's apology as a win for righteous conservatism over the oppressive liberal media.

It shouldn't be entirely surprising that Marvel, now a multi-billion dollar subsidiary of Disney, would kowtow to the media behemoth that is Fox News. Marvel Comics are for people of all stripes and creeds, of course, and no one should be made to feel unwelcome for leaning one way or another politically. Brubaker, however, has established himself as the preeminent Captain America writer by deftly weaving modern real-world allegory with bombastic superheroics to powerful effect, and so there was something rather disingenuous about Marvel's recant, as it seems to be missing the point; sure, you can remove the "Tea Bag the Libs Before They Tea Bag You," sign, but are you really saying this story isn't about the Tea Party movement? Isn't that what makes the story so interesting?

more: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/02/11/captain-america-tea-party-controversy/

[6000eliot]

11. I don't think most of the teabaggers could even pronounce that.

[Jamastiene]

12. Well, they are, aren't they?

Why apologize for telling the truth?

[NJmaverick]

14. It's a shame they have to apologize for telling the truth

[NewJeffCT]

15. As I said above

Democrats seem to be doing that rather regularly since 9/11 or so.

[gmoney]

16. Did the white supremacists accept the apology?

[slay]

17. The only reason Quesada apologized

is cause he's editor-in-chief and in the end, it's all about the bottom line. They don't want to alienate a portion of their readers and lose money so is easier to just apologize. As seen on msnbc last night it was indeed a straight up mockery of the tea-party idiots - and one those racist fucks had coming. Other than Chuck Dixon's infamous conservative stance, most writers for DC and Marvel are very liberal. (Chuck no longer works for either company since he doesn't play well with others.)

[Deep13]

18. Makes sense if they're apologizing to the white supremists.

As horrible as their point of view is, it is pretty easy to understand once one accepts the false premise that some races are better than others. I have no fucking clue what the teabaggers are on about.

[Iggo]

20. Grow a set, Marvel. (n/t)

[geardaddy]

21. Oh the humanity!

The right wing: constant poutrage and demanding apologies.

:puke:

[Orsino]

25. I don't think it's clear which group is owed the first apology. n/t

[hedgehog]

26. I read a batch of Marvel comics, then turned on the radio to hear

about Sarah Palin, and I had to ask, which one is the fantasy?