Tag Archives: terrorism

S.H.I.E.L.D. DataCore

Marvel Comics has embraced the idea of Alternate Reality Games with their “Embrace Change” campaign for their recent Secret Invasion event.  From websites, print ads, and even television Marvel has looked towards media and especially new media to promote their series and events.  It is with little surprise that a new campaign is stirring with their Dark Reign thread permeating their books over the next year.

After the events of Secret Invasion the villains have take over as Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin) has become the National Director of Security for the U.S. and is now overseeing all super human activity and in charge of the Shield replacement, Hammer.

Dark Reign: New Nation, which came out this past week, promoted the new upcoming series sprouting up from this new status quo.  After the teaser story for Secret Warriors a website is given, http://www.agentofnothing.com/.  The series protagonists have been described as terrorists in various interviews as they are up against the legitimized former villains.

If anyone has the password to crack this site post up here, but I look forward to seeing what Marvel has up their sleave both in story line and extension of it online.

Choice Quotes

Secret Invasion #8

Teddy – Kate, even with the little I know about my heritage, I know this isn’t what the Skrull empire stands for.  The was extremism.  This was terrorism.

Kate – I don’t understand why they want the Earth so badly.  Didn’t you say they have a dozen planets?

Teddy –  They do.

Skrull – We do not.  Tragedy has decimated our people.  Our planets no longer exist.  Our faith was our last chance.  This was our last chance.

Choice Quotes

Big Hero Six #1

In the history of the world, only one nation has ever suffered a direct nuclear attack — the island monarchy of Japan.  The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War 2 inflicted scars on the national memory that last to this day.  Like any nation, Japan needs to defend itself, but unlike the other great powers, it has forsworn the use of nuclear weapons.  They’ve found another way.

Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #3

Some gender politics:

Leave my fiancee alone.  Do you hear me?!  And I am not a tramp you chauvinistic $*@!!

And, is this an Obama reference?

To not believe in you, the savior, the uniter… is to not believe in hope.  I choose to believe in hope.

Ex-Machina #38

The Great Machine – Effective immediately, I am retiring from volunteer community crimefighting.  And running as your independent candidate for Mayor of the great city of New York.  I’m hoping to be part of a truly grassroots campaign, one that will finally utilize the internet’s true potential to reach all voters.  Starting today, contributions as small as one dollar can be made directly to my new website at http://www.hundred4mayor.net.  That’s the word hundred and the number four, so please don’t–

And on speaking to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City:

Deputy Mayor – You’ve officially lost your mind.  You’re really going to deliver a speech from the same stage where the worst President in my lifetime is about to ask this country to give him another shot?

Mayor Hundred – I’m just being a good host, Dave.  Now which one of my stupid old “trophies” do you think I should present to the Vice President tomorrow?

Deputy Mayor – You’re letting Cheney inside Gracie Mansion?

Mayor Hundred – Believe it or not, New York doesn’t belong to the Democrats.

Deputy Mayor – And 9/11 doesn’t belong to the Republicans, no matter what the out-of-towners they’re busing into Madison Square Garden think.  Are you at least going to tell these people to start allocating more antiterrorism funds to the cities that actually need it?

And on Mayor Hundred running for Governor:

Deputy Mayor – You mean… you’re thinking about running for Governor?  Because, no offense, once that seat opens, everyone knows it’s going to Spitzer, unless somebody catches Mr. Clean in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.

X-Men: Magneto Testament #1

From the writer Greg Pak

In the three years editor Warren Simons and I have been developing “Magneto: Testament,” we’ve struggled with the complicated, rich, and contradictory information the comics give us about Magneto’s life during the Nazi rise to power and World War II.  Different comics give different accounts of Magneto’s name, his age, his ethnicity and religion, his hair color, and even his Auschwitz tattoo number.  But as dedicated Magneto fans have documented, the most compelling and essential material indicates that Magneto was a Jewish boy in Europe during the Nazi ascendancy and provides several key details about the fate of his family and his experiences in Auschwitz.

We’ve done our best to remain true to these elements while fleshing out the rest of our hero’s experiences based on research into the actual historical record.  Longtime readers will notice a wealth of surprising new details — for example, for the firs time, we’re revealing Magneto’s birth name.  And sometimes, because the comics record is contradictory or conflicts with historical fact, we’ve had to choose one detail over another.  But at every step, we’ve done our best to remain true to the key moments that have contributed so much towards making Magneto the deeply compelling character we know today.

But most importantly, in an age in which Holocaust deniers still spread their lies, we’ve done our best to ensure that the real-world history we explore in the series is entirely accurate and that we deal with this unfathomably harrowing material in a way that’s honest, unflinching, human, and humane.  In later issues, we’ll provide citations and suggestions for future reading.  For now, we offer a thousand thanks to Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center for his expert advice and historical fact-checking.

Choice Quotes

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #1

Brainiac 6 – You still cling to the impossible: the eradication of xenophobia.

Saturn Girl – It’s not impossible. I have peered into the minds of those that hold onto hate and I have seen the potential to change that. We can bring out the best in them, just like Superman brought out the best in us.

X-Factor: Layla Miller

Future President – Understand these steps are being taken not out of hostility…but out of love for all of you. Do not let cruel hostile words from agitators frighten you. War is peace. Hatred is acceptance.

also

Layla Miller – On April 11, 2003, when Donald Rumsfeld was asked about rioting in Iraq, he said “Think what’s happened in our cities when we’ve had riots, and problems and looting. Stuff happens!”

DMZ #34

Even before the voting opened, the trouble started. The intimidation, the irregularities, the breakdown… the fear… and the violence.

Every vote counted probably meant three chucked in the garbage. Or worse. But they voted. And cried and bled and fell and died in the streets for that vote. But every vote, every intention to put a mark next to a name, well, that fucking counted even if the paper record was disappeared. It counted.

Captain America #41

Reporter –Since Ross Perot that an Independent Candidate has been invited to be a part of any Presidential debates. And yet there’s —

Reporter 2 — Senator Wright’s popularity in the polls, the committee had little choice. And as you can see turnout is massive. Already the hall is filled to —

Final Crisis: Revelations #1

Here’s the difference between vengeance and justice. Vengeance comes from the heart, it’s driven by emotion. Justice comes from the head, it’s driven by reason. This is why the victim of a crime isn’t allowed to be part of the jury.

The Invincible Iron Man #5

Ezekiel Stane – It’s not terror if civilians don’t get killed dummy. It’s tragic and unjust and inexplicable. That’s why they call it terror. You got a lot to learn about the way the world works these days, Tony.

Choice Quotes

Guerillas #1

But he fought… he killed… and he came home with medals. All in all, I think it was a good experience for him.

Air #1

…there is too much at stake for idealism. You may try to deny it, but here in the skies, you are on the frontline of a war. And good people need your help.

Choice Quotes

A very light week for quotes.  There is one thing that consistently crossed my mind reading all of Marvel’s Secret Invasion tie-ins this week.  I couldn’t help but notice similarities between the motivation of the Skrulls and a certain real world religion.

Secret Invasion: X-Men #1

This is Holy war we’ve embarked on.  A crusade.  Only the very best — The bravest, the strongest, the most radiant in virtue — are fit to fight in a crusade.

To break it down more the Skrulls seem to be split into two factions who don’t get along and one is much more extreme and on a quest to liberate humanity from the oppression it views the super human community brings it.

Invading Skrulls = Al Qaeda?

Super Humans = the West/U.S.?

Hmmm….

Choice Quotes

Welcome to the second posting of “Choice Quotes”.  This week has some excellent political commentary and one of the best from a most unexpected comic.  We’re going to expand the offering here and provide some context for some of these.  Hope you enjoy!

Captain America: White #0

On the subject of inspiring American’s to enlist for World War II:

Turned out the President of the United States liked the idea of Captain America having a teenage sidekick.  He felt it would help inspire young men to join the draft right out of high school.

There’s also an excellent interview with the series creators.  They answer some very politically charged questions including:

America is at war again, does CAP WHITE have a message about the human cost of war?  Should it?  Shouldn’t it?

Secret Invastion: Fantastic Four #3

During the Civil War a prison was designed to hold the non-registered super humans.  A comic reflection of the real world Gitmo:

The Tinkerer – When I was arrested for not being registered, I was committing the unforgivable crime of taking my grandchildren out for ice cream.  When I tried telling the Gestapo that I had retired from tinkering after the so-called “Secret War,” they accused me of rabble-rousing and dragged me to this hellhole without due process.

X-Men: Odd Men Out

On the creation of the Bureau’s Investigation on Mutant Activities

Fred – Admittedly, when certain people – through some accident of birth – develop strange powers there’s a potential for alarm.  But how much of that stems from our own unreasoning fear?  Are we going to start suspecting our children, reporting our friends?  How long before we start seeing mutants under our beds?

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