THE W.O.R.D.

****CIVIL WAR & CAPTAIN AMERICA SPOILER WARNING****

Captain America, a hero from the pages of comic books widely regarded as a symbol of America’s spirit, has perished – shot on the stairs of the court of law where he would have stood trial for opposing the government and defending civil liberties. This was the bitter end to a Marvel comic’s event entitled Civil War. (Actually, it was just after the bitter end of the Civil War if we want to get technical. I’m pretty sure no one besides me wants to be overly technical, BUT the actual end of Civil War was EVEN MORE symbolic, I’ll get to that in a sec.)

ACADEMICISH SYNOPSIS OF CIVIL WAR:

Basically, there was this dude Nitro who exploded the shit out of this place called Stamford, killing hundreds of people, many of whom were children. A team of superheroes called the New Warriors was there when it all happened (filming a reality TV show), and the whole disaster seemed like it was due to the incompetence of a team of heroes who were neither trained nor accountable to anyone for their actions. So, the Superhero Registration Act came into force, requiring all superheroes to register their identities with the government, or become criminals and get sent to a prison in a place called the Negative Zone which is basically like a concentration camp. Captain America wasn’t down with that. He didn’t just follow the law because it was the law – he was more into defending civil liberties. So, he formed an Anti-Registration movement. Iron Man, being a twat, started working for the government and rounding up all superheroes who opposed the law.

Some things happened, losses on both sides and whatnot.

In the final battle the Anti-Registration side (Caps’ side) was wining, and Captain America was beating the snot out of Iron Man. THEN, a group of civilians stopped Captain America from pummelling Iron Man. In that moment, Captain America realized that he was no longer fighting for the people, that he was no longer the symbol of the spirit of America. So he turned himself in, ending the Civil War.

As you’ve heard on the news Captain America was shot, but that was the end of an elaborate plot by his long-time foe the Red Skull, after the end of the Civil War.

Get this: the law he was opposing – the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA), was widely regarded as an allegory for the US PATRIOT Act (US ’s version of the Anti-Terrorism Act). After all the SHRA was rushed through the legislative process and passed after a bombing and ever since civil liberties have been given up in favour of state security.

There is some serious symbolic and political shit going on here. Even if you have never seen – let alone read a comic book, you’ll probably find something to talk about at this month’s discussion group.

Discussion Questions:

1. Captain America is supposed to embody the American dream- what is that dream? Is his death supposed to represent the effective end of that dream or is it being squashed right now? And is it something anyone other than Americans take seriously anymore?
2. What sort of heroes (comic book or forreals) will usher in the post 9/11 era?
3. How would a Captain Canada be different given all the Canada/U.S. relations/antagonism people love to talk about?

Want to Know More?

If you read anything, read this one: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17534644/site/newsweek/

For those with more spare time/interest:

(Video: The Colbert Report) THE WORD: COMIC JUSTICE http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/index.jhtml?ml_video=83559

Pretty solid blog gives some insight into Cap’s history… http://www.sideshowtoy.com /behindtheshow/?p=2769

But where better to turn then the Marvel Directory for info on Cap? http://www.marveldirectory.com/individuals/c/captainamerica.htm

And if you have some forserious free time:

Believe it or not, there are comics about comic books. These ones are particularly cute, hilarious, and awesome.

http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=356

http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=361

http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=362

http://yearone.spiderspawn.com/?comic_id=366

What sort of heroes will usher in the post-9/11 era?

(Video: The Colbert Report) Colbert himself may be just the sort of hero we need (at least Cap thinks so, apparently): http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9964

IS THIS THE NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA ? http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9962

(Oh man, The Punisher as Captain America ? Let’s just hope it’s a new outfit.)

In other news (from the realm of comic books)…

MAINSTREAM MEDIA REACTS TO DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9902

When: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 @ 5:30 pm