Chinaka Hodge Comes On Board As Head Writer For Disney+ Ironheart Series

On 4/29/2021 at 5:19 PM, ADour said:

Yeah, man. Old comics sure were subtle. Suuuper disguised. Almost invisible.

Excellent post!

On 4/30/2021 at 8:16 AM, JayC said:

So some where seemingly suggesting comics shouldnt and didnt address real life happenings. That it should just be mindless entertainment of super heroes beating up bad guys. I've never seen comics or many things we watch for entertainment in this genre being that in general, and shows like Star Trek have IMO very much bought about positive social change because of that, and again in many cases I think without some even realizing it.

I can't speak to modern storylines as I dont read comics much any more mainly because IMO they are way to expensive. That being said if someone doesn't like how a writer portrays a particular character or likes the narrative they seem to be pushing, then my advise is simply don't buy it. If enough people actually agree with you and do the same, believe me that will send a far louder message to a company than any amount of online ranting.

I grew up as a kid reading comics from the late 70s & 80s and while they may have had Political stuff in them, they were never shoved down our throats the way they do today. The one story arc that always stuck with me as a kid was the classic GL/GA arc about Oliver finding out that Speedy was a heroin junkie. Great story, great art & it sent a strong message about the destructive nature of Heroin & drug usage.

17 hours ago, Chunkylover said:

I agree with your take about the X-Men being an analogue for the civil rights movement. It worked without being too heavy handed.

I don't think anyone is arguing that Marvel should write according to the the worldview of the Klan, but they also don't need to go the route of Ibram Kendi. They of course can, but much has been made of the seeming equation of Jordan Peterson and the Red Skull. That could be considered an abusive ad hominem that is not fairly representing aparticular position. It's annoying, but not worth fighting about on a message board where no problems can be fixed.

So some where seemingly suggesting comics shouldnt and didnt address real life happenings. That it should just be mindless entertainment of super heroes beating up bad guys. I've never seen comics or many things we watch for entertainment in this genre being that in general, and shows like Star Trek have IMO very much bought about positive social change because of that, and again in many cases I think without some even realizing it.

I can't speak to modern storylines as I dont read comics much any more mainly because IMO they are way to expensive. That being said if someone doesn't like how a writer portrays a particular character or likes the narrative they seem to be pushing, then my advise is simply don't buy it. If enough people actually agree with you and do the same, believe me that will send a far louder message to a company than any amount of online ranting.

Again posts need to stay on topic and off-topic threads will be deleted. This thread isn't about whether there is racism in the world.

Not interested. Becuz its gonna be about pushing you know what.

Im hoping that this gives us another shot at RiRi but in her Iron Heart MK III armor which is an awesome look.

7 hours ago, Chunkylover said:

Yeah, I think it could be a great service to allow some diversity of thought. It's up to them, and maybe those who want to see other opinions represented need to start their own comics.

I certainly don't want to shoe-horn overt Christian messaging into Dr. Strange since the two would be pretty contrary to each other. I don't think the Black Panther should be forced to go full MAGA. If Nightcrawler wanted to fight Kermit Gosnell, that seems like a legitimate story that would flow naturally from the character's story.

Do you know what the issue of Tales of Suspense that was? What were you referencing about Daredevil?

I was mistaken, it's Captain America issue 105. On the last page Batroc is fleeing the scene when a bomb is about to go off and tells Cap he stupidly risks his life for the undeserving masses to which Cap responds: "There was another who gave his life for the masses many centuries ago--and though he was the wisest one of all he never thought of the humblest living being as undeserving." And I was only referencing Daredevil just because I've seen a few issues where he is openly catholic.

7 hours ago, Jmacq1 said:

Wasn't that long ago that MCU Steve Rogers said there was only one God (and he doesn't dress like Thor). That was in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, so t's not like they tried to bury it.

I don't think I've ever seen a comic pregnancy that ended in a voluntary termination of the pregnancy. So it seems like they're already "pro life."

What Christian values do you feel comic book superheroes are not upholding or displaying beyond (in most cases) open reverence for Christ and proselytizing?

Oh, and I would note: Neither political side (in the US) has a monopoly on Christianity. While there's a lot of interplay between religion and politics (far too much, if you ask me), what you're talking about are religious values, not political stances.

I can't believe I forgot the Rogers God quote as that's one of my favorite lines from him. My nerd card just got a hole punched in it. Also, I'm only using pro-life and christian views as an example of things we don't seein anything (not just comics)vs. how much we see others.And not just for superheroes but for anything. I don't expect those views to be expressed but we do see pro-choice messages in a lot of stuff, for example.

7 hours ago, slugzilla said:

Very well said. Myself, and many others also miss the days when superheroes were just superheroes.

Thanks.

3 hours ago, JayC said:

My point is that I think the difference is that that the writers of old did a better job of disguising what some deem "wokeness" better in their stories than they do today.

Yeah, man. Old comics sure were subtle. Suuuper disguised. Almost invisible.

39 minutes ago, JayC said:

One final note after reading through the comments. IMO comics have very rarely been about just heroes fighting against villains. Good storytelling again IMO always mirrors itself on real world events. Thats not to say there isn't mindless stuff out there to watch, but your best stories usually focus on the times. X-Men themselves where essentially based on the civil rights movement of the 60's.

The big difference to me in comics between now and then is just the quality of writing is not what it once was overall. Thats not to say there arent still some good writers out there, but I personally have found the overall quality of comics to have gone down hill while prices go up. There are a number of industry reasons for this and thats not really the point of the topic. My point is that I think the difference is that that the writers of old did a better job of disguising what some deem "wokeness" better in their stories than they do today. You weren't hit over the top of the head with it. There is also an element of marketing that comes into play. Again when they change a white character to black, that grabs national headlines which boosts sales temporarily. That doesnt mean the story is bad because they made a white character black, but it does make it seem more like its being done as a gimmick than it is for purposes of good storytelling.

I agree with your take about the X-Men being an analogue for the civil rights movement. It worked without being too heavy handed.

I don't think anyone is arguing that Marvel should write according to the the worldview of the Klan, but they also don't need to go the route of Ibram Kendi. They of course can, but much has been made of the seeming equation of Jordan Peterson and the Red Skull. That could be considered an abusive ad hominem that is not fairly representing aparticular position. It's annoying, but not worth fighting about on a message board where no problems can be fixed.

One final note after reading through the comments. IMO comics have very rarely been about just heroes fighting against villains. Good storytelling again IMO always mirrors itself on real world events. Thats not to say there isn't mindless stuff out there to watch, but your best stories usually focus on the times. X-Men themselves where essentially based on the civil rights movement of the 60's.

The big difference to me in comics between now and then is just the quality of writing is not what it once was overall. Thats not to say there arent still some good writers out there, but I personally have found the overall quality of comics to have gone down hill while prices go up. There are a number of industry reasons for this and thats not really the point of the topic. My point is that I think the difference is that that the writers of old did a better job of disguising what some deem "wokeness" better in their stories than they do today. You weren't hit over the top of the head with it. There is also an element of marketing that comes into play. Again when they change a white character to black, that grabs national headlines which boosts sales temporarily. That doesnt mean the story is bad because they made a white character black, but it does make it seem more like its being done as a gimmick than it is for purposes of good storytelling.