Frank Miller's Batman to fight Al Qaeda.
Frank Miller's Batman to fight Al Qaeda. By PapaF
Holy Terror Batman!
The name alone speaks volumes of the horrific potential behind an upcoming graphic novel from mainstream favourite Frank Miller. Holy Terror, Batman – we’re promised – will have Batman fighting international terror sensation Al Qaeda in an uncompromising story steeped in American propaganda.
Many professional artists (like corporations) stay in work by predicting future trends. What’s next years colour pallet? Fashion? Popular genre? We’re all familiar with the corporate tools to uncover what the future holds - Picture messaging is big, the next step is video messaging. Gangster Rap is due a comeback, give that kid a gun. Zombie comics sold last year so this year the companies hedge their bets towards werewolves.
Artists who like to consider themselves above corporate marketing models generally follow a simple rule :-
It’s all circular.
The next big thing is what the big thing X amount of years ago was. There is a war on that is having an effect on society. The last time that happened we had propaganda comics ergo we need propaganda comics now.
Batman vs. Al Qaeda could work in that it fits Miller’s model of Batman as a Noir Hero who must take action when his city is in danger.
Batman vs. Al Qaeda won’t work because Miller is continuing the midlife crisis that began with “DK2” and that has since turned into a death rattle with “All Star Batman” which is interesting as art only in seeing how a 50 year old man tries to reach out to young readers. There his formula seems to be:
Teenage character + 90’s pinup art style + hard dialogue = what kids want.
The circular model fails when it doesn’t take into account social changes – drawing Black Canary with her tits hanging out in All Star Batman doesn’t mean much to today’s 12 year olds who have ready access to internet pornography, not to mention to the many adult comic readers who have grown up since Jim Lee’s glory days and probably have access to a real live naked lady.
Propaganda is drastically different now than it was in the 1940’s. Then it was about being up front, in your face - now it’s about subtlety, about whispers, about “we think that they are planning this so you have to let us do this because they are dangerous and unpredictable.”
Will Batman vs. Al Qaeda work? - It depends on how it’s handled but Miller’s description of it as "a piece of propaganda," where 'Batman kicks Al Qaeda's ass.", makes me less than hopeful. There is a work to be made there – a western icon “battles” an organisation steeped in middle-eastern culturalism - but Millers insistence that it will be "a reminder to people who seem to have forgotten who we're up against," describes to me a book that will be little more than mindless.
Also, I fear that the book, which Miller has 80 more pages left to finish, may be outdated by time of release. I believe it’s interest from the mainstream media is only on account of the current furore over the cartoons depicting Mohamed and the actions that resulted from it.
Still, the book will sell better than Afgani heroin which will potentially drive the comics industry towards more of this sort of thing. We can only hope that the publicity that has resulted from the announcement has put a big target over Frank Miller’s head.
_________________________
Holy Terror Batman!
The name alone speaks volumes of the horrific potential behind an upcoming graphic novel from mainstream favourite Frank Miller. Holy Terror, Batman – we’re promised – will have Batman fighting international terror sensation Al Qaeda in an uncompromising story steeped in American propaganda.
Many professional artists (like corporations) stay in work by predicting future trends. What’s next years colour pallet? Fashion? Popular genre? We’re all familiar with the corporate tools to uncover what the future holds - Picture messaging is big, the next step is video messaging. Gangster Rap is due a comeback, give that kid a gun. Zombie comics sold last year so this year the companies hedge their bets towards werewolves.
Artists who like to consider themselves above corporate marketing models generally follow a simple rule :-
It’s all circular.
The next big thing is what the big thing X amount of years ago was. There is a war on that is having an effect on society. The last time that happened we had propaganda comics ergo we need propaganda comics now.
Batman vs. Al Qaeda could work in that it fits Miller’s model of Batman as a Noir Hero who must take action when his city is in danger.
Batman vs. Al Qaeda won’t work because Miller is continuing the midlife crisis that began with “DK2” and that has since turned into a death rattle with “All Star Batman” which is interesting as art only in seeing how a 50 year old man tries to reach out to young readers. There his formula seems to be:
Teenage character + 90’s pinup art style + hard dialogue = what kids want.
The circular model fails when it doesn’t take into account social changes – drawing Black Canary with her tits hanging out in All Star Batman doesn’t mean much to today’s 12 year olds who have ready access to internet pornography, not to mention to the many adult comic readers who have grown up since Jim Lee’s glory days and probably have access to a real live naked lady.
Propaganda is drastically different now than it was in the 1940’s. Then it was about being up front, in your face - now it’s about subtlety, about whispers, about “we think that they are planning this so you have to let us do this because they are dangerous and unpredictable.”
Will Batman vs. Al Qaeda work? - It depends on how it’s handled but Miller’s description of it as "a piece of propaganda," where 'Batman kicks Al Qaeda's ass.", makes me less than hopeful. There is a work to be made there – a western icon “battles” an organisation steeped in middle-eastern culturalism - but Millers insistence that it will be "a reminder to people who seem to have forgotten who we're up against," describes to me a book that will be little more than mindless.
Also, I fear that the book, which Miller has 80 more pages left to finish, may be outdated by time of release. I believe it’s interest from the mainstream media is only on account of the current furore over the cartoons depicting Mohamed and the actions that resulted from it.
Still, the book will sell better than Afgani heroin which will potentially drive the comics industry towards more of this sort of thing. We can only hope that the publicity that has resulted from the announcement has put a big target over Frank Miller’s head.
_________________________
