Issue 602 of Captain America finds the title hero investigating a right-wing anti-government militia group called “the Watchdogs”. Hoping to infiltrate the group, Captain America and his African-American sidekick The Falcon observe an anti-tax protest from a rooftop. The protesters depicted are all white and carry signs adorned with slogans almost identical to those seen today in Tea Party rallies like “tea bag libs before they tea bag you” and “stop the socialists.”
I was told there would be donuts.
The Falcon mentions that the gathering appears to be “some kind of anti-tax protest” and notes that “this whole ‘hate the government’ vibe isn’t limited to the Watchdogs.” He then tells Captain America that he doesn’t think their plan will work because “I don’t exactly see a black man from Harlem fitting in with a bunch of angry white folks.” Captain America then explains that his plan entails sending The Falcon in among the group posing as an IRS agent under the thinking that a black government official will most certainly spark their anger.
Ed Brubaker, who wrote the story, told FoxNews.com he did not write the “Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!” sign shown in the edition, insisting that the words were added by someone in “lettering or production” just before being shipped to the printer. It will be changed in subsequent editions, he said.
“I don’t know who did it, probably someone who thought it was funny,” Brubaker wrote in an e-mail. “I didn’t think so, personally. That’s the sign being changed to something more generic for the trade reprint, because I and my editor were both shocked to see it.”
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.
Michael Johns, a board member of the Nationwide Tea Party Coalition, said he felt the “juvenile” dig will ultimately do more damage to Marvel’s brand than to the Tea Party movement. He also disputed the insinuation that the growing movement lacks diversity. “The Tea Party movement has been very reflective of broad concerns of all Americans,” Johns said. “Membership is across ethnic, religious and even political lines.”
Right… You’re only complaining because the guy who writes the comics books pointed out the truth. Brand damage, hmmm multi-billion dollar movie franchises in the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Iron Man. Keep dreaming.
Johns accused Brubaker of “blame-shifting” and questioned why an apology or retraction hadn’t been issued as soon as the writer or Marvel executives noticed the politically charged signs.
Oh no. A fictional character has passed judgement on the Teabaggers. A group of people who twelve months ago, didn’t understand why most mainstream Americans laughed at them. And now that they have a much more macho sounding name, the Tea Party–we’re still laughing. Last I checked nobody reads comics books because they closely resemble reality. So what if Captain America thinks you’re a threat to our national security? Are you?
“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,” Brubaker wrote. “It’s very similar to other things we’ve done in the comic, showing left wing protest crowds back during the election season in 2008.”
Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, a think tank based in Washington, said the protest scene in the comic book is merely the latest attempt in a “systematic effort” to chastise the grassroots Tea Party movement. “I was perplexed by this,” London said. “It seems to me there was a clear effort on someone’s part to undermine the Tea Party movement.”
In a comic book. That’s right the vast left wing conspiracy is using a comic book to “undermine” Teabaggers. You guys are doing it all on your own, you don’t need help from Captain America. Let’s start with allegations of profiteering by the convention organizers at your recent meeting in Nashville. The $549 registration fee that many balked at and the cancellation of high profile conservative darlings Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
London said the comic strip insinuates the protesters are “loonies,” and he questioned The Falcon’s reference to race. “It involves sensitivities,” London said. “There’s no reason for something like that to be included.”
I don’t know let’s try free speech. And this is the group that paid Sarah Palin a reported $100,000 speaking fee to read off of her palm.
Palin checks for the answers during her Teabagging address
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This is one of my favorite political cartoons