Superman Quits America, Fox News Readers Take the News Badly

[theApoc]

Superman is a Canadian creation actually.

See, this is why people tend to dislike the US in other parts of the world. Do you realize how elitist that sounds. "We don't have to care about anyone else but ourselves!" We live in a world where everyone is connected all the time all around the world. There's nothing wrong with actually improving international relations instead of just using people or being a jerk. It's part of the information age we live in. Get used to it, or you might find that eventually everyone's going to back the US into a corner.

Um, actually Superman is an American creation. Joe Shuster being born in Canada, doesn't change the fact that he was a.) also an American b.) was the co-creator c.) was living in Cleveland when they came up with the idea.

See, this is why I tend to dislike the people who post on this site. Not enough decency to do a simple internet search on something as well known as Superman. "I don't care about the facts, just what I can type to promote my opinion". We live in a world where everyone thinks their ideology trumps factual data. Where people believe that cultural sensitivity is more important than freedom of speech, or expression. It's part of the burden America bears as a superpower, damned if you do/damned if you don't. Well get used to it, because the world is already starting to realized what happens when our ideals are compromised in lieu of some misguided attempt at globalization.

Random question, how is it a case of cultural sensitivity being more important then freedom of speech? Are these authors not practicing their own freedom of speech by following this storyline? Or are you simply referring to broader problems in Western society? If it's the second I somewhat agree with you due to the insane logic of my country's Human Rights Commission.

And just as an aside, with the way things are going the U.S. isn't going to hold that 'superpower' position (one could argue that it's already lost it) for much longer unless some radical reforms take place. Step one would be to stop attempting to police the world the 'American way'.

That was not what this debate is about, the debate is about people being upset and this pointless change to a character that is IN FACT and AMERICAN icon, just to sell some more books and to set the stage for an international release of next years movie. See, the one thing that people are missing in all of this is that Superman was not created by the current writers, the character was not invented by DC.

So the real problem with this change to the character is not a matter of patriotism or free speech but rather an attack on the literary integrity of a fictional character. Suppose they went back and decided to change Moby Dick, where Captain Ahab did not want to kill the whale because of it being an endangered species.

This is a bad decision from a literary standpoint, not because I agree or disagree with the politics of the writer, but rather because this is not an aspect of the character that needed to be addressed. The writer created a situation where Superman's allegiance was called into question. Ignoring the fact that NO random secret service agent would say anything to the most powerful being on earth, especially considering the work that Superman has done for not only America and the entire planet. It is poorly constructed liberal tripe, nothing more. The whole idea that this is some type of statement about the character is absurd.

And for the record, no offense, but as long as our GDP out paces almost every other country on the planet and out military remains one of the most elite, the word superpower isn't going to be removed from our description. 4 years of fiscal responsibility would solve a whole lot of what is ailing this country.

 

[Sougo]

Does this mean Superman is an illegal immigrant?

Well, actually he ALWAYS was an illegal immigrant. Well Superman, if you happen to go to Arizona, no paper means jail and deportation ... to Krypton.

 

[theApoc]

So Superman doesn't have a US citizenship anymore?

So what?

This is pretty much what I was thinking.
Seem some idiots think that it is anti-american political propaganda. But it's a comic.

If you don't think this is propaganda and a marketing ploy by DC to sell the character internationally, then you sir are the idiot...

 

[Rigs83]

preldi fpake,

Once again Fox News reports on something that is not the news.

And this is not news how? It doesn't matter how unimportant some people think a certain story is, it is still news if some people haven't heard about or knew about it.

I could find measurements done on grass in America that say that it grew an inch in three days. I could report this, even if the majority of people don't care about it, if it wasn't known to people, than it is news.

Anything can be news, no matter how unimportant or not urgent it is.

It's not the news it's a human interest story the same as the Royal Wedding in London while the civil war in Libya and the protesters being gun downed in Syria is news, it affects international policies and gas prices (which affects you and me directly). The grass growth levels does not affect who you are going to vote for or what you will happen to you it is just a piece of information. Just because someone calling themselves reporters or a news network tells it to you does not make it news. No one's life was affected by this piece of information all it did was justify the ultra right that their some liberal conspiracy. If you are a fan of DC comics it affects you but only your group and not the nation or even a community as a whole. If someone burns down a comic book store in protest then it is news, sad news.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

"The liberal, America hating scumbags who now run DC Comics are just adding another feather in their cap with yet more anti-American culture and tradition jihad. F--k 'em," wrote one commenter. "This is why I don't go to movies or even rent anymore. I'm not making the left loons of Hollywood any richer to support their campaign of American hate," added another.

I love this attitude from conservative America, their deluded idea that if you don't agree entirely with them that your name is Mohammed and you want to blow up their house.

I must admit, I'm pretty surprised at what some people go to pieces over though.

 

[norwegian-guy]

So Superman doesn't have a US citizenship anymore?

So what?

This is pretty much what I was thinking.
Seem some idiots think that it is anti-american political propaganda. But it's a comic.

If you don't think this is propaganda and a marketing ploy by DC to sell the character internationally, then you sir are the idiot...

Marketing plot and propaganda are two quite different things. Is it a marketing plot? Yes. Is it propaganda? No, it's a freakin' comic from a comicbook-company with a majority of it's readers stationed in USA.

PS. If you think that it is propaganda, then it is you sir who is the idiot.

 

[The Bandit]

Yeah, and I bet me even DARING to STEP on non-american soil makes me a Nazi America-hating bastard.
I gave up on American people's intelligence when they, the descendants of immigrants that built this nation, refuse to let immigrants in because they are "stealing our jobs".

First off, America was built by colonists; there's a big difference.

America "lets in" thousands of immigrants legally through the immigration process. My parents came here in the '60's, got green cards, socials, the whole nine yards, and got their citizenship normally. They didn't sneak in, sponge off the system, refuse to learn the language and culture just to make a few bucks, which is what the illegals do. They're not immigrants, they're criminals intent on sponging off the system and making a buck. What they do basically pisses on the hard work of people who come here with nothing but the shirts on their backs and go through the long, painful system legally. Your country sucks? I feel for you, I really do, but that's no reason to start your stay off here the wrong way. We have a system and it works (mostly in a creaky, unsatisfactory, not 100% way, but it works)

Please, educate yourself. Go talk to someone who came here legally and see what they went through and why.

That said, this isn't about that. It's about sales.

This is just another stupid bullshit attempt to boost flagging readership with controversy. (see Dragon Age and their "sex scandal", another sales ploy) Superman's invincible, wins every fight all the time, and that gets boring after 900 fucking issues. Next time sales take a nose-dive, they'll have him turn gay, which will piss more people off, or kill Lois, or any number of a dozen other appalling things to make people buy a copy of their book. It's a bullshit sales ploy.

There's nothing wrong with Superman being an American and standing for "the American Way" just like there's nothing wrong with Doctor Who being fundamentally British or Kaneda being Japanese. They're that way because that's the way they are, and you know what? Their stories are successful and entertaining (mostly). When fucking idiot hack writers change things up just to make a buck, or to go along with their own political leanings, WE'RE THE PEOPLE WHO GET SCREWED. Go see Hollywood's fucked up version of Akira when it comes out and tell me how much you love it . Akira's a Japanese story, with Japanese characters and very Japanese themes. It won't work when set in America, France, or anywhere else for that reason. That's not racism, that's just the way things are.

Ever seen Nightwatch or its sequels? Very, very Russian. Would not work if set in, say LA. Fun fact: the rest of the world doesn't live in and couldn't give a shit about LA, so stop setting things there. Ditto New York.

Hey, DC comics writer. Your book sucks because your writing sucks. Come up with something that doesn't involve the main character dying for shock value, becoming gay for shock value, or fighting/becoming zombies. Come up with a story that has a point to it. Something entertaining that we'd want to read.

This is a cheap grab for attention, and it's vacuous bullshit that has nothing to do with the how and the why of Superman. You might as well "reboot" the series with Clark Kent being an out-of-work alcoholic tax cheat hiding from the IRS in Sheboygan.

It only took six pages of cutting through bullshit comments to finally find someone with a brain. A new record for the Escapist!

 

[Tanis]

Fox News...I giggle at the last part.


Also, looks like Jesus is doing something, super...man...
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

 

[lumenadducere]

I bet most of those writing those comments don't even read the comics, they're just ultra-conservatives who think that anything that doesn't repeatedly state "AMERICA IS AWESOME" is anti-American and "liberal" which has somehow come to be used as a slur or epithet.

Congrats to Fox for attracting what is almost the definition of the lowest common denominator.

 

[gorfias]

Some good and relevant observations:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/superman-no-more_558433.html

I like,

"Why is it stripping Superman of his American-hood so stupid? Because without it, he?s Doctor Manhattan... And in the end, the only truly interesting aspect of Superman?s character is his complete devotion to America. Because it?s this devotion?of which his citizenship is the anchor?that establishes all of his moral limits. Why does this demi-god not rule the earth according to his own will? The only satisfying answer is that he declines to do so because he believes in America and has chosen to be an American citizen first and a super man second....All of these stories work because Superman believes in, and is part of, America. Once he?s a ?citizen of the universe? what, exactly, will he believe in? Heck, what does ?citizen of the Universe? even mean? Will Superman now adhere to the Tamaran code of honor? Will he follow the Atlantean system of monarchy? Does he believe in liberté, égalité, fraternité, or sharia? Does he believe in British interventionism or Swiss neutrality? You see where I?m going with this: If Superman doesn?t believe in America, then he doesn?t believe in anything...And if an invulnerable demigod doesn?t believe in anything, then what he really believes in is himself?his own judgments, foibles, preferences, and partialities. At which point he is drained of every last bit of dramatic interest. He?s Doctor Manhattan and all he can do is exile himself to the moon and let the little people carry on with the hurly-burly of earth."

Superman has been a fun because he is the flip side of Bruce Wayne's Batman. He is the ultimate can do American Immigrant full of hope from a working class background. Batman has the upper-class burden, full of angst. I love them both for who they are.

This Supes run may prove interesting, but it isn't what I look for in this character, anymore than I liked Captain America's "Nomad" adventure.

 

[Corekrash]

I love how Superman, a character who wasn't even born on this planet, not being American is considered 'anti-American'. I wonder if people who think that are the same people who think Obama isn't American enough to be president.

Maybe. And not sure if someone already pointed this out, but wasn't Superman also created by a canadian?

 

[spwatkins]

When did Superman become a US Citizen anyway? Isn't he actually an illegal alien?

 

[Puzzlenaut]

Conservatives (in America at least) are all so stupid. At least conservatives here in Britain can back up their opinions on things with anything other than "CUZ ITS UNAMERICAN YOU COMMIE SCUM"

Seriously, even if I found my beliefs aligned with these people I would not want to be seen as one of them -- they are all so fucking stupid. I mean, jeez...

 

[cerebus23]

If i were superman i would be sending politicians to the phantom zone.

if i were batman i would be dangling them off buildings and putting them in body casts.

yea ra ra america run up massive debt, so much so you cannot even pay the interest without printing money to cover your spending and your interest payments on your massive debt. Inflate your currency and overspend to the point noone wants to buy your debt anymore because you cant possibly pay it back. Keep robbing and brushing social security and medicare under the carpet rather than face the fact that bolth programs are going broke and will cost 4 trillion dollars on top of your already choking debt. keep wiping your arses with the constitution of the untited states and the bill of rights while you swear to uphold and defend them.

we do not need another nation to attack us, we do not need terrorists plotting against us, we do not need supervillians hatching dastardly schemes, because this nation is headed towards the path of utter bankruptcy and collapse.

what exaclty is left of "truth" "justice" in america today? our politicans are con artist liars and thieves or at the very least the vast majority of them, the political parties are both wholly bankrupt of any integrity and play shell games and pass the buck and point fingers to try and misdirect and keep americans turned off on politics.

supes is just slightly ahead of the curve on this one before things really go to hell in a handcart that has been engineered by both political parties and the white house dem or repub.

i not consider this a liberal slant, hell it is the common sense slant, supes and batman and others are more about truth and justice than anything left in america anymore.

 

[theApoc]

So Superman doesn't have a US citizenship anymore?

So what?

This is pretty much what I was thinking.
Seem some idiots think that it is anti-american political propaganda. But it's a comic.

If you don't think this is propaganda and a marketing ploy by DC to sell the character internationally, then you sir are the idiot...

Marketing plot and propaganda are two quite different things. Is it a marketing plot? Yes. Is it propaganda? No, it's a freakin' comic from a comicbook-company with a majority of it's readers stationed in USA.

PS. If you think that it is propaganda, then it is you sir who is the idiot.

Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself.

A Ploy is an action calculated to frustrate an opponent or gain an advantage indirectly or deviously.

Marketing is a way to get people to buy your goods or services. So any marketing ploy(a calculated manipulation of the consumer for the purposes of selling more product), is in fact also propaganda. That is kind of the point.

Sheesh

 

[MoeTheMonk]

Superman has been around for decades now, and from beginning to end, like it or not, he's always been totally and completely American through and through. Honestly, he's probably as much an image of "Americana" as anything else you can think of. And now he's rejected all that to become a "citizen of the world."

One reason for this is for marketing I suppose, he'll appeal to a wider audience if he's not one of those fat, war-mongering Americans.

But still, he's been an American icon since his creation, and now they're stripping him of his "Americanness." I frankly don't care much about Superman in general, but on the principle? Yeah, this is a very stupid decision, based more on money or political correctness more than anything else.

 

[Ericb]

All I have to say is, you go, dude. Has the guts to embrace the world as a community of brothers and sisters instead of opposing nations being "forced to tolerate" each other by liberals, hippies, tree-huggers, and whomever else supernationalists can drudge up to be their scapegoat. Can my citizenship be listed as Earthling?

Sign me up.

Why the fuck would you bring political bullshit into a comic? Hell, why bring it anywhere but the news?

Because any media capable of expressing an emotion or opinion should be used as such. And it has been done for many decades now.

I don't see why it is bullshit because it is in comics instead of music, thetaer or movies, and I cannot fathom why it is bullshit because it is political. The last reason alone should show that it is anything but.

 

[TheDooD]

A true hero fights for what he believes is right and protecting the people of the world is the noblest cause a hero can partake. If people find that protecting the WORLD from harm and injustice isn't American. Then why in the hell are people dying trying to what Superman now want to do and why people hate him for doing it.