Seems to me that this was news a month or two ago, but for some reason it’s just hitting the wires now: Batman to Go After Bin Laden
The oddball thing is: where is all the outcry?
Two years ago CrossGen announced that Chuck Dixon would be writing “American Power”, with a #1 issue cover that featured an American strongman, surrounded by armed terrorists, smacking a mighty fist across Osama Bin Laden’s ugly puss. It was clearly a tribute to the old “Captain America vs. Hitler” type of images that were often found in WWII-era comics, yet the reaction was swift and outraged. In the end, despite the preorders for the book being so huge that (according to Chuck Dixon) this “Free Comic Book Day” issue was going to actually make a profit(!), CrossGen pulled the book. In the end, the whole thing was mooted by CrossGen going belly up before Free Comic Book Day.
Now Frank Miller wants to have iconic figure Batman taking down Osama and everyone’s fine with it? What’s the deal? Is it just that Frank Miller isn’t an avowed right-winger like Dixon, or is everyone expecting the final product to be far from the rah-rah propaganda that Miller is claiming it is?
Look, Chuck’s one of the better buddies I have in the industry, so I’m openly biased here. However, in evaluating his work as a fan, I’d have to say that Chuck’s writing isn’t anything like the jingoistic charicature that some people make it out to be, and he’s written numerous characters whose viewpoints do not mirror his own. Despite the cover, I anticipated that “American Power” would be a tad more complex than the provocative cover of the first issue made it out to be.
Fortunately, we may soon get a glimpse of what Chuck would have done; today, he announced on his board that he may be posting the scripts on his web site. I’ll let y’all know when they’re up, of course.
Meanwhile, getting back to Wayne Manor… Frank Miller is doing this “Holy Terror, Batman” (I wish it wasn’t so similar to the title of one of my favorite Elseworlds comics) as a 200-page graphic novel. Given how raw fans are over plunking down $27 for the disappointing “Dark Knight Strikes Your Wallet,” I doubt Miller wants to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. If this project is actually what it claims to be, it could be fun.
5 responses to “Frank Miller has Batman fighting al Qaeda”
Well, that ought to take the wedge of bunched up panties out of the butts of anyone who got all snippy about the Superman “American” comment. Go, Frank!
Next up: Elongated Man takes on the Swiss.
The lack of outcry, IMO, is simply due to the hypocrasy of comic fans.
When CrossGen announced “American Power”, it was en vogue to trash on the company and anything they said or did. Whether it was good, bad or indifferent. It was the “cool thing to do” to ream CrossGen a new one.
Frank Miller, however, is a “god among comic geeks.” He has an almost revered status among them. Sure, someone might take a shot at Miller, as ASBAR shows, but then you will also have plenty of defenders on hand to lambast them for doing so.
Basically, comic fans don’t care about right or wrong, fair or unfair, only what they like. The majority didn’t care for CrossGen so “American Power” was wrong. The majority does like Frank Miller, so Batman pimp-slapping Bin Laden is a-okay.
It just show why comic fans are so reviled, really. It almost makes me ashamed some days to be one.
It’s alright…
Batman’s been taken care of.
There’s video evidence published online by the Irony Party of Australia at
http://ironyparty.org/ipa24thmar06.php
in the article
Batman Sniped While Fighting Al Qa’eda in Iraq
Perhaps it’s because the Miller project has not been announced, as American Power was, with a ludicrous cover image of a man dressed in a gimp suit pimp-slapping Osama bin Laden. I mean, seriously, that cover is one of the most unintentionally hilarious — by which I mean “pathetic” — things I’ve ever seen. Maybe the book WOULDN’T have been idiotic nonsense, but boy, if that cover says anything at all, it says “I’m idiotic nonsense!”
Not sure how a free comic can turn a profit. Isn’t that like selling something at a loss and saying you’ll make up for it in volume?
Is that yank gimp REALLY hitting Bin Laden?!! Looking a the cover, I thouht that ‘ol Uncle Osama was busy keeling over in laughter at the sight of this ridiculous pantyhosed wrestler masquerading as an honest to goodness superhero!
Seriously, how can that costumed twit even see with that heavy mask obscuring his vision?!! Maybe he’s swatting the mosquitos buzzzing around him rather than actually hitting ‘ol Ozzy…
So THIS is “American Power” – killing your enemies by making them lauh their guts out …