Politics is comics is about as lazy writing as it comes.
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Also it was a different time for comics being political then to now.
Then: no social media. No 800 bought out news network that serve one sided opinions. No phones with constant updates. If you wanted to hear politics it was hearing it on t.v. or radio or a newspaper you read. So you had plenty of time throughout the day to avoid it if you wanted. Reading a comic that had political undertones was probably welcomed since they weren’t preached at all day everywhere you turned.
Now: politics are EVERYWHERE on all the above mentioned forms of media. Some(maybe more) people are burnt out on it. Especially when it hijacks any forms of escapism or entertainment. Now you are stuck with it everywhere you go. That’s not right at all.
Personally, I thrive off political discussions and the challenging of viewpoints so I enjoy a smart political book/conversation but I don’t fault those who are sick of politics in comics as well. Anyone who is fatigued from anything would want an outlet to resort to as well.
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Not all art is political.
Just ask Cannibal Corpse. Gore obsessed death metal band who focus on horror. Not political.
The current Venom comic by Donny Cates is not political.
Paintings that are basic self portrait of self are not political unless you sporting your politics on it.
There’s many forms of art that is and isn’t political.
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You are* sporting
@BatWatch: You said that most comics are “escapist power fantasies.” I’m not sure how an escapist power fantasy can be anything but political. You have to be escaping from something–namely, something that you feel limits your personal sense of freedom in some fashion. Then there’s the power aspect. The whole point of a power fantasy is to imagine yourself with the ability to do things that the current status quo prevents you from doing. It’s just natural that an escapist power fantasy will reflect what the writer wishes were possible, including what the writer would like to do in reaction to local, national, and world events.
In the case of Superman in particular, he pretty much must be political. One of his most famous slogans reads, “Truth, justice, and the American way,” after all! Whether he’s looking to end juvenile delinquency by tearing down the slums, working to undermine the KKK, or seizing all nuclear weapons across the world, the Man of Tomorrow is acting to bring about a better tomorrow. He’s inevitably a political statement.
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If I had a chance to write for DC I would rant against the Wobblies in every issue!
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I’m with BatWatch. Diversity in politics is welcome.
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I’ll start by acknowledging something: On some level, people who complain about politics in comic books are probably just reacting to viewpoints they don’t like but aren’t articulate enough to argue with.
THAT SAID: In my experience, writers who inject political issues in their work are, on average, really really really bad at sustaining intelligent social, political, or philosophical discourse. Their statements tend to boil down to “Observe, as I have a protagonist state an opinion which I, the author, also share,” or “Aha! You see, the villain has said a thing that people I disagree with about politics also sometimes say! So clearly, I am right, and if you disagree with me, you are evil!”
These kinds of statements are honestly utterly incompetent because they have no persuasive effect. People who disagree will feel insulted and move on, and people who agree will say “Yeah! That sure is a thing which I, the reader, also believe!” and move on, and nothing is accomplished.
If you’re going to get political, go all in. Construct your story around a demonstration of why your values are good or your opponents’ values are bad. It’ll still annoy me as to my personal taste, but I can at least appreciate a well-constructed argument. Denny O’Neil does this right (usually - some of his more hamfisted stuff can be pretty weak). Heck, Frank Miller does this right. And really, if I wanted to, I could dig through my favorite books and find plenty that make an effective persuasive statement on something of genuine social relevance without being preachy or grandstandy.
And of course, a superhero setting is simply better suited to addressing some issues than others. If you want to make a feminist statement, have a female protagonist who does cool superhero stuff and doesn’t let anybody push her around. That’s easy, and while it may not do much on its own, in aggregate that kind of story contributes to having gender equality seen as normal in society at large. But what about, say, an anti-war message? What kind of superhero plot is going to get that across properly? I think Jack Kirby did a pretty effective job of it with the Fourth World, but that’s a very non-traditional superhero setup and Kirby is a genius. But then your average non-genius writer on a traditional book will still try to do it, and usually embarrass themselves.
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What Batjamags said
@BatJamags
Have you tried Mark Russell’s comics? I think they do a pretty good job of dealing with that (very annoying) problem. Particularly Wonder Twins and Flintstones. I mean, they’re very, very liberal. I don’t know your political leanings. I just find them to be very intelligent political satire.
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First sign of a poor writer is bring up politics.
It means they have no ideas of their own and going for something easy.
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@DjWolfman I’d hardly qualify politics as easy.
As for the idea that doing politics automatically makes you a “poor writer”…
points to the ENTIRE BODY of Alan Moore’s work
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CaptThunder
If you are writing about politics in comics today, you are lazy and have no original ideas.
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Russell is genius whether I agree with everything that he puts forward or not
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@mgstv
Yeah that’s pretty much how I feel too.
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I mean, come on, if, “It’s every leader’s worst nightmare: we’re going to become… NORMAL PEOPLE!” doesn’t make you laugh, I don’t know what will.
Orwell, Hemingway, Twain, Vonnegut
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@DJWolfman Interesting. I’m curious as to what the difference between writing about politics then versus now is.
No, really, I’m being sincere here. Not being snarky or sarcastic, I legitimately want to know your thoughts on the matter.
CaptThunder
…
It’s all been done before by now. It’s just a rinse and repeat now.
They aren’t going to say or do anything new or creative with politics today.
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Take the Harkworld miniseries as an example. Drug use, prostitution, economic and class-based disparity, hypocrisy and betrayal at all levels, political corruption, etc. Obviously, Tim Truman was being political. But at its heart, the story is an action-packed sci-fi thriller. Characterization is central to the story - there’s no assumption that the reader knows what the characters are thinking. The artist needs to show the reader. Time is spent on showing the reader how characters feel. Time is not spent on explaining the politics and why one side is wrong. In fact, most of the issues have a very vague sense of right and wrong. There’s nuance.
Today’s comics are missing nuance.
“Why was Manchester Black so mean to Supergirl?” “Oh yeah, he’s the bad guy.” That’s some pretty crappy motivation.
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