Comics are Awesome III

[Dominic]

And it sold sometimes ten times the amount that comics do today, so it was a success, whatever we think of it now.

It was a relatively larger market and there was less competition.

People read more in the past. Even allowing for the fact that comics were "training books" (I personally know people who taught themselves to read with comics), there was more incetive to read. And, video games were not viable competition until the 80s. (Atari existed in the 70s. But, the cost and simplicity of the games would have kept it from being competitive with other options.)

It was a device, a way to integrate newly acquired characters into DC's universe. Or in the case of Earth 2, retroactively account for the original generation of characters. I"m not sure DC ever intended more than that, though there's certainly more that can be done with the concept.

DC never really planned for their multiverse to be much of anything. But, they kept going back to it. The only alternate that they really used was Earth 2 in the 70s. And, most of that was more "potential to be good" than "actually good".

DC's best alternates were the better "Elseworlds" books. And, those were never meant to be part of a multiverse.

[andersonh1]

Multiversity: Mastermen
This is the first issue of this series that has felt a little more ordinary to me on first reading, as if Morrison took the basic idea of a Nazi Superman winning the war and failed to put a more creative spin on it. It’s not all that far removed from the original Earth X stories from the pre-Crisis days featuring Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. But then Thunderworld was not all that far removed from pre-Crisis and Fawcett Captain Marvel either, and I loved that book. I think the difference comes from my having less attachment to Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters as characters, though they are well-used here and nicely reimagined as representatives of the various groups that the Nazis tried to exterminate.

The story is bursting at the seams, and like so many other Multiversity issues, feels like it’s just scratching the surface of the world being depicted. The pacing feels a bit off, as if too much time is spent with Hitler setting up the discovery of the infant Kal-El that could have been better used elsewhere. The mockery of Hitler, incidentally, is completely in line with how he was portrayed when he would show up in comics during WW2. The man was always shown as a vain, pompous, arrogant buffoon and a figure of ridicule. That’s pretty much what Morrison gives us here, with the added historical fact about Hitler’s terrible digestive problems used to really mock the man. I’m not sure it feels entirely appropriate to make a joke out of a man who was responsible for millions of deaths, both on the battlefield and in concentration camps. But as a reference to how he was treated in 1940s comics, it’s appropriate.

The modern day portions of the story make it clear that Overman is deeply troubled by all the deaths he caused while building the peaceful world of the present day. In fact it’s clear by the end of the issue that he’s secretly helping Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters in their terrorism against the German Empire, a fact that Leatherwing (the Batman analogue and apparent descendant of Enemy Ace) is starting to suspect. Overman is immortal and ageless, apparently, and has been the figurehead for the Empire since the 1940s. There is a reference to the fact that his age has lessened his strength, which I have a hard time not reading as more meta commentary. The inevitable aging of Overman’s wife also plays into this, along with Overman’s description of his nightmare with the house that’s about to fall to pieces. There is a lot of subtext that can be read into the themes about aging and losing strength.

Finally, the links to Multiversity as a whole are present and overt. Overman is having nightmares about Lord Broken, another of the Gentry. One of the many Sivanas is helping Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters create super-powered individuals to fight back against the Justice League of this world. Who knew Sivana would turn out to be such a major antagonist in this series?

Up next: the haunted comic itself, Ultra Comics. Hopefully Morrison has something good after all the build-up we’ve seen over the course of Multiversity.

[Dominic]

Read it. And, I am still digesting it.

Speaking of digestion....

Hitler’s terrible digestive problems

How could I have missed that? (It actually played a role in Hitler being a vegetarian.)

Yeah, a comic drawn by Jim "Image founder" Lee opens with Hitler on a toilet. There is a joke there somewhere.


On a more serious note, I have been reading comics for 25+ years, and the idea of Morrison and Lee on the same book kind of blows my mind. (Not a Lee fan. But, he is a huge name of the same vintage as Morrison.)

I like how Morrison applied the idea of Superman in this issue. Overman is the idea of Superman (the DC character) filtered through German culture as the Overman (the concept articulated by Nietzsche). And, Uncle Sam was shown drawing on the idea of Superman to oppose Overman's Reichsmen.

There is a reference to the fact that his age has lessened his strength, which I have a hard time not reading as more meta commentary.

The McGuffin used to slow Lang's age was also specifically running out, which adds to this.

Maybe Morrison was going for a "corruption weakens ideas over time", similar to "Superdoom"? And, of course, the Gentry are essentially corrupting information. Are we supposed to assume that the Gentry corrupted Earth 10 through Hitler? Clearly, they failed to corrupt the planet through Overman. Ironically, the invasive idea (Superman) was redemptive.

[andersonh1]

The McGuffin used to slow Lang's age was also specifically running out, which adds to this.

Yes, I had meant to mention that too.

Maybe Morrison was going for a "corruption weakens ideas over time", similar to "Superdoom"? And, of course, the Gentry are essentially corrupting information.

I think we can read several possible things into it. I wonder if it isn't also a comment on the diminished popularity of Superman compared to earlier decades? There was a time when he was the most popular character in comics bar none, but he's since been eclipsed by others. He's not the powerhouse that he used to be.

I think either of our readings are equally valid, and yours ties into earlier Morrison themes, so there's certainly a good case to be made for it.

Are we supposed to assume that the Gentry corrupted Earth 10 through Hitler? Clearly, they failed to corrupt the planet through Overman. Ironically, the invasive idea (Superman) was redemptive.

I think Hitler was certainly part of their plan.It's also clear that they're definitely trying to use Overman. His recurring nightmare featuring Lord Broken indicates that. I think the Freedom Fighters are also under the influence of the Gentry whether they realize it or not. They're the heroes of the story, but they drop the satellite onto Metropolis and kill millions. Are their actions really any better than Overman's in the end?

This issue has more going on in it than I thought after I first read it. The idea of Nazis winning WW2 has been done many times so the story felt a little too familiar. But I think there's more stories that could be told about Kal-El of this world still fundamentally being a man of conscience despite what he did to help the Nazis, and trying to correct his past mistakes.

[BWprowl]

I think the Freedom Fighters are also under the influence of the Gentry whether they realize it or not. They're the heroes of the story, but they drop the satellite onto Metropolis and kill millions. Are their actions really any better than Overman's in the end?

This is an interesting point. The Germans that the Freedom Fighters kill in the end are so far removed from the Nazis that won WW2 as to effectively be innocents, but Uncle Sam still curses them all as 'Ratzis' and blows them all up anyway (the baby carriage in the last scene was less subtle than it needed to be). Is demolishing an established society and committing mass murder to recover your lost homeland a justifiable act? There's all sorts of discussions that could spin out of that, a lot of them potentially-uncomfortable. It's easy to sympathize with Uncle Sam and the Americans when they're reclaiming America from Nazis, but what if there was a story where a group of Native Americans dropped a bomb on a Caucasian-American-populated Metropolis?

It illustrates a contrast well. Everyone got into an uproar a couple years back over that story where Superman renounces his US Citizenship because he feels the country has lost its way, but have a story where a German Superman possibly-betrays his homeland because he has misgivings with how their society got there, and we sympathize and agree with him most of the way. You could argue that the United States has slightly less blood on its hands than Nazi Germany, but there's still blood there, and we shouldn't disregard it in our modern lifestyle; there are still plenty of people and groups who would want to drop a space station on us, and they could argue to be just as justified in doing so. We all know what the other word for 'Freedom Fighters' is, right?

This was easily the least 'meta' and most 'real-world' commentary issue of Multiversity so far, and it was very strong for it. It's also handily the best comic featuring Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters in at least twenty years.

[andersonh1]

Morrison did say he was commenting on American foreign policy with Pax Americana, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him commenting further with this issue.

[Dominic]

Motion to suspend Godwin's Law? (Cuz we are gonna need to.)


Okay, read it twice, and gave it a flip-through.

Olsen's narration indicates a break with Overman, because of perceived betrayal. But, did Overman actually betray the Reichsmen and Germany or did he just passively let things happen? Overman would almost certainly have known what was coming (and allowing it to happen would arguably be a betrayal). But, that is different from actively helping.

Is demolishing an established society and committing mass murder to recover your lost homeland a justifiable act?

Particularly when that society has seemingly moved past the crimes of its foundation. (Putting aside the poorly handled scenes in "Countdown", did Morrison intend for there to be modern crimes committed?) Overman refers to his world as a "paradise" (rough paraphrase) in "Final Crisis", albeit one with a messy foundation.

here's all sorts of discussions that could spin out of that, a lot of them potentially-uncomfortable.

With the right creative team, "Mastermen" is the series I would most want to read.

Morrison's Overman is an even more restrained Superman. He is actually the inversion of Nietzsche's Overman. While Nietzshe's Overman is free of morality, Morrison's is crippled by guilt.

In contrast, Uncle Sam is willing to work with Nazis (Doktor Sivana) to carry out his plans.

You could argue that the United States has slightly less blood on its hands than Nazi Germany, but there's still blood there, and we shouldn't disregard it in our modern lifestyle; there are still plenty of people and groups who would want to drop a space station on us, and they could argue to be just as justified in doing so.

Far less, especially when you consider that German was properly "Nazi" for less than 20 years.

The best way to look at Nazi Germany is as a cautionary tale.

In 1914, the Central Powers (including Germany) were arguably the good guys. The US was the one smuggling weapons on civilian cruise ships. (Remember the Lusitania?) Even if somebody does not buy in on the idea that the Germans were ever good, the line between good and bad was much more blurred.

By the 20s, one of Europe's more civilized and enlightened countries was on the way down. By the 30s, they were going irreversibly bad. But, the 40s, they were right out of Central Casting and were arguably worse than Russia (a country that has not been propertly civilized since 1918, if it ever was at all).

This was easily the least 'meta' and most 'real-world' commentary issue of Multiversity so far, and it was very strong for it.

It lacked the technical sophistication of "Pax Americana". But, you are right in that the concept of "Mastermen" is more generally applicable and accessible, which puts above "Pax Americana" by some measures.


-late edit:

I found this in a thread over at CBR (itself hosting a good discussion of "Mastermen").
http://globegander.tumblr.com/post/1115 ... nibelungen

[andersonh1]

Every nation in the history of the world has blood on its hands, including America. We didn't exactly treat the Indians or African slaves very well. But for sheer ruthlessness it's hard to find much worse than Germany slaughtering six million Jews and causing millions of civilian and military deaths due to starting the second World War. I think you'd have to go back to Assyria to find another example of cruelty like that, and I doubt it was on the same scale as Nazi Germany.

Mastermen poses an interesting question: how do you redress wrongs done to past generations? Not to get into too many thorny issues, but we hear from time to time about the issue of reparations for slavery. But all the slaves are dead, and so are all the slavers. We could give the Indian nations back their land, but if they resorted to terrorism to reclaim it, would that be just? Again, the people who took the land are dead, and so are the Indians from whom it was taken. At what point do we simply have to move foward? Mastermen stacks the deck a bit by giving us a dictatorship and an individual in the form of Overman who was actually alive at the time the atrocities took place, which muddies the waters. But regardless, all those people in Metropolis aren't guilty of anything. They didn't conquer America and commit atrocities. They live in a country established by those who did, but does that make them guilty? I have a hard time thinking it does.

No, Overman was guilty of participating in massive crimes and of building an empire on the bodies of countless innocent people. And now that he feels guilty, is he really going to allow millions more to die in order to tear down what he built? Is that really a solution he can live with?

I agree with Dom: this would make a great ongoing. These would be interesting moral issues to explore.

[JediTricks]

Batman '66 #19 - ugh, this is a bad sign. This issue just sags at every turn, with premises dropped left and right, cover art promising elements that don't come close to meeting fruition, and just an all over sense of malaise. Everything about this issue felt phoned in.

[Dominic]

And, back to "Mastermen".

Is Overman the traitor, or is he complicit? And, is Olsen hostile towards Overman because he thinks Overman is the traitor, or because he is (somehow) aware and offended by past crimes the regime committed with Overman's help? The narration is not 100% clear.