We figured it was only a matter of time before this story blew up, and leave it to Fox News (the mouth piece of the Republican Party and primary cheerleader to the Tea Party movement) to once again take items out of the greater context and blow things out of proportion.

Fox has decided to cover Marvel comics’ Captain America #602 and particularly the Tea Party references throughout the story, particularly the above graphic from the series.

The brouhaha seems to be over a comment by the character Falcon that as a “black man” he wouldn’t be welcome in the Tea Party crowd, implying that the crowd is white and racist.  While the dialogue of the characters only describes the crowd as an anti-tax protest a sign that reads “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!” is what a few are claiming ties the series to the Teabaggers, I mean Tea Party.  Ed Brubaker, the writer of the series, claims the sign was added by the letterer and Marvel (showing they have no balls and don’t stand behind free speech) has announced they will be removing the sign in future printings.

Never mind it’s a real sign from a real protest:

Fox of course is just doing it’s journalistic job in pointing this issue out.  They aren’t taking sides at all or inflaming the issue.  From their article:

But the change may come too late to placate a chorus of critics who noticed the apparent jab at the Tea Party movement and who accused Marvel of making supervillains out of patriotic Americans.

I guess we can assume Fox backs threats of armed uprising (some might call this treason).  Here we have a “patriotic” American at a recent Tea Party protest.

But Brubaker was adamant that he did not intend to imply that the group of protesters in the comic book were Tea Partiers.

“I was simply using them to show the mood in the country in various places outside Captain America and the Falcon’s usual home, New York City,” he wrote. “It’s very similar to other things we’ve done in the comic, showing leftwing protest crowds back during the election season in 2008.”

For anyone who has read Brubaker’s brilliant run on Captain America would know this has been the case.  In fact the month home foreclosures became national news, Brubaker worked them into his storyline.

Brubaker has received threats and harassment over the issue leading him to make this statement on Twitter:

Just FYI – insulting and threatening tweeters are blocked and reported.

You can find the tweets supporting or condemning Brubaker through this search.

Of course we’d never say the Tea Party movement is littered with loons, we’ll let the photos speak for themselves.  All are easily available in a simple Google search.

You can find more photos over at the Huffington Post.

Really the shame or anger shouldn’t be directed at Brubaker, it should go to Marvel and Fox News for caving on free speech.

It’s funny while Fox defends the Teabaggers, who claim they believe in the Constitution (you know the thing this country was founded on and guarantees free speech), they are all quickly to piss on it when it comes to speech they disagree with.  I call hypocrisy.

So let’s review:

• Marvel and Fox are against fee speech
• Fox supports armed insurrection
• Teabaggers are pro-Constitution except when it comes to free speech they disagree with

Ok, discuss!