Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North to the rescue!
July 29, 2005 7:14 AM Subscribe
"Can Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy and Oliver North save America from an Orwellian nightmare of ultra-leftist oppression?" In the first term of President Chelsea Clinton and Vice-President Michael Moore, Usama bin Laden, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, is hatching a nefarious plot. Only three men are brave enough to stand up to bin Laden and his liberal cronies. Silenced in mainstream discourse by the "Coulter Laws" of 2007, these radio hosts, through their pirate broadcasts, are telling America the truth about liberals. This comic (synopsis, preview pages) will undoubtedly be the most awesomest thing ever. (Via Tom Tomorrow)
Damn... haven't had a posting brain fart like that in a while... sorry, y'all.
My more developed thought was that this is great for right-wingers who have so run out of liberals to bash, they have had to invent a parallel universe where they actually have some sort of power.
posted by psmealey at 7:23 AM on July 29, 2005
My more developed thought was that this is great for right-wingers who have so run out of liberals to bash, they have had to invent a parallel universe where they actually have some sort of power.
posted by psmealey at 7:23 AM on July 29, 2005
I don't get it. Aren't these guys already comic book characters?
posted by three blind mice at 7:24 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by three blind mice at 7:24 AM on July 29, 2005
They're seroius. Wow.
Also, while lushly colored, the linework sucks. The images are sparse and people are awkwardly drawn.
posted by delmoi at 7:26 AM on July 29, 2005
Also, while lushly colored, the linework sucks. The images are sparse and people are awkwardly drawn.
posted by delmoi at 7:26 AM on July 29, 2005
I'm disappointed that no one has used the "batshitinsane" tag before me. Please, people, think over your old posts and go add it to any that are appropriate.
Also, I am totally ordering this book.
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:26 AM on July 29, 2005
Also, I am totally ordering this book.
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:26 AM on July 29, 2005
In 2021, won't GGLiddy be, like, 108?
posted by crunchland at 7:28 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by crunchland at 7:28 AM on July 29, 2005
crunchland, that's why he's a robot. Or something.
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:30 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by UKnowForKids at 7:30 AM on July 29, 2005
In 2021, won't GGLiddy be, like, 108?
In human years, sure.
posted by jonmc at 7:31 AM on July 29, 2005 [1 favorite]
In human years, sure.
posted by jonmc at 7:31 AM on July 29, 2005 [1 favorite]
This is totally tasteless, baseless, and disgusting. I love it.
Of course, the more the conservative movement buys their own hero worship, all the easier to expose them as fools.
posted by fungible at 7:43 AM on July 29, 2005
Of course, the more the conservative movement buys their own hero worship, all the easier to expose them as fools.
posted by fungible at 7:43 AM on July 29, 2005
You'd think that the authors have "normal" friends. Not necessarily liberals, but your run-of-the-mill politically apathetic people who enjoy watching CSI rather than listening to the Sean Hannity show or are more interested in picking up the latest Chuck Palanuik book than trolling bookstores for Ann Coulter's latest screed. You'd think these would be the people for whom the authors of this comic would describe their latest opus to and be met with the reply, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"
If this isn't a joke -- and I have a hard time believing that this is serious, despite all the evidence that this is for real -- it's a sad testimony to the was that conservatives can't write their own stories but get reduced to mindless hero worship. I mean, sure, produce a poorly-drawn comic about a liberal dystopia 20 years in the future. We've seen worse. But can't they come up with better protagonists than the real-life Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, and Ann Coulter?
Besides, there's already been a comic portraying our political figures are superheroes, and it was actually good.
posted by deanc at 7:45 AM on July 29, 2005
If this isn't a joke -- and I have a hard time believing that this is serious, despite all the evidence that this is for real -- it's a sad testimony to the was that conservatives can't write their own stories but get reduced to mindless hero worship. I mean, sure, produce a poorly-drawn comic about a liberal dystopia 20 years in the future. We've seen worse. But can't they come up with better protagonists than the real-life Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, and Ann Coulter?
Besides, there's already been a comic portraying our political figures are superheroes, and it was actually good.
posted by deanc at 7:45 AM on July 29, 2005
Didn't Frank Miller do this one already?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 7:50 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by KirkJobSluder at 7:50 AM on July 29, 2005
And each episode ends with the "bio mechanical engineer affectionately nicknamed 'Oscar'" doing something hilarious.
"Oh, Oscar! - Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!".
posted by space2k at 7:51 AM on July 29, 2005
"Oh, Oscar! - Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!".
posted by space2k at 7:51 AM on July 29, 2005
Based on the preview, I don't get the sense that this is motivated by a conservative agenda. The dystopic future it portrays actually seems to be a mockery of conservative predictions of where liberalism will take the U.S. And the selection of these three protagonists is clearly a joke. This just seems to be for fun (whether it will be funny is another question).
posted by brain_drain at 7:54 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by brain_drain at 7:54 AM on July 29, 2005
Their mistake was choosing Sean Hannity as a tough-guy hero. Sure, I don't know if I'd want to mess with Liddy or North, but I could kick Hannity's ass in my sleep.
posted by COBRA! at 7:57 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 7:57 AM on July 29, 2005
I am so very sad to see Larry Elmore involved in this project...
posted by WinnipegDragon at 7:57 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by WinnipegDragon at 7:57 AM on July 29, 2005
brain_drain: "10% of the profits of the series are to be donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, founded by Oliver North and heavily supported by Sean Hannity." While I had my "Ohmigod these people can't be for real" moments when I first saw this, I think that their hearts are in this one.
posted by UKnowForKids at 8:01 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by UKnowForKids at 8:01 AM on July 29, 2005
Didn't Frank Miller do this one already?
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:07 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:07 AM on July 29, 2005
Hero worship? How is Oliver North a hero? (I'd love for someone who thinks he is to explain it to me.)
posted by wakko at 8:16 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by wakko at 8:16 AM on July 29, 2005
This and the Pope comic will be the new centerpieces of my collection.
I orginally thought it was a big joke (because, seriously, a cybernetic G. Gordon Liddy?), but reading it over, they seem awfully serious. And if they're donating to a conservative group...scary.
posted by kalimac at 8:16 AM on July 29, 2005
I orginally thought it was a big joke (because, seriously, a cybernetic G. Gordon Liddy?), but reading it over, they seem awfully serious. And if they're donating to a conservative group...scary.
posted by kalimac at 8:16 AM on July 29, 2005
Liberals are never quite so ridiculous as when they engage in their martyrdom fantasies.
The usual childish BS.
Tom Tomorrow and Ted Rand can't quite amass the reality that the Soviet Union is dead, their socialist religion has been renounced and they are completely irrelevant.
The Marxist God is dead folks! What a lost-in-the-past-group are the commenters on this thread. And the really hilarious part is that they think they are on the bleeding edge.
Get a brain. Time for the left to retire to the monastery in an attempt to come up with something that resembles an idea. Other than the boring old Marxist hatred of the U.S. and the ever popular teenage attempt to shock the parents.
Come on dinosaurs. Haven't you got anything better than another round of 60s nostalgia? You're not shocking. You're boring, and bereft of anything resembling an idea.
posted by Shouting at 8:19 AM on July 29, 2005
The usual childish BS.
Tom Tomorrow and Ted Rand can't quite amass the reality that the Soviet Union is dead, their socialist religion has been renounced and they are completely irrelevant.
The Marxist God is dead folks! What a lost-in-the-past-group are the commenters on this thread. And the really hilarious part is that they think they are on the bleeding edge.
Get a brain. Time for the left to retire to the monastery in an attempt to come up with something that resembles an idea. Other than the boring old Marxist hatred of the U.S. and the ever popular teenage attempt to shock the parents.
Come on dinosaurs. Haven't you got anything better than another round of 60s nostalgia? You're not shocking. You're boring, and bereft of anything resembling an idea.
posted by Shouting at 8:19 AM on July 29, 2005
Funny how each side accuses the other's extreme of forced viewpoints and rewriting history - and they're both correct.
However, the stinky nationalism still seeps through. The very idea of an international body telling the U.S what not to do! Gasp!
posted by CynicalKnight at 8:21 AM on July 29, 2005
However, the stinky nationalism still seeps through. The very idea of an international body telling the U.S what not to do! Gasp!
posted by CynicalKnight at 8:21 AM on July 29, 2005
You're boring, and bereft of anything resembling an idea.
The left often is boring, and lately has no ideas, it's true.
But the right has bad ideas, which is worse.
posted by jonmc at 8:22 AM on July 29, 2005
The left often is boring, and lately has no ideas, it's true.
But the right has bad ideas, which is worse.
posted by jonmc at 8:22 AM on July 29, 2005
Also, I love how in the street scenes, the brainwashed population are all listening to horrible liberal music. CSN&Y's "Ohio" is obviously the work of dark forces, and must be fought.
And delmoi's right, the linework sucks ass.
posted by COBRA! at 8:25 AM on July 29, 2005
And delmoi's right, the linework sucks ass.
posted by COBRA! at 8:25 AM on July 29, 2005
Uh, excuse me, Shouting. I consider myself a left-leaning liberal, and I love my country. Loving my country, for me, means that I question where my 'leaders' are taking me. And where we are going seems very scary and wrong.
posted by Sharktattoo at 8:25 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by Sharktattoo at 8:25 AM on July 29, 2005
Liberals are never quite so ridiculous as when they engage in their martyrdom fantasies...
??? For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out how this comment is associated with with any of the links or any of the other comments on the thread, but I'm not making the connection. Was this a bug in some pattern-matching algorithm that was looking for keywords about "politics" and then automatically inserted a comment into that thread?
Either that, or we have yet another datapoint demonstrating that certain right-wingers are unable to laugh at ridiculousness-- or even understand what it is. And because their brains never tell them, "stop, this is ridiculous," we end up with the aforementioned comics.
posted by deanc at 8:28 AM on July 29, 2005
??? For the life of me, I'm trying to figure out how this comment is associated with with any of the links or any of the other comments on the thread, but I'm not making the connection. Was this a bug in some pattern-matching algorithm that was looking for keywords about "politics" and then automatically inserted a comment into that thread?
Either that, or we have yet another datapoint demonstrating that certain right-wingers are unable to laugh at ridiculousness-- or even understand what it is. And because their brains never tell them, "stop, this is ridiculous," we end up with the aforementioned comics.
posted by deanc at 8:28 AM on July 29, 2005
Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if the hatred of "liberals" turns out to be sincere. The world is very much ready for some of the crazy people who've been confined to the more obscure fringes of the media world for so long to figure out the right kind of sarcastic spin to sell it to the mass market.
posted by sfenders at 8:30 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by sfenders at 8:30 AM on July 29, 2005
Shouting's little rant sounds like an accurate synopsis of the "comic."
posted by cows of industry at 8:30 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by cows of industry at 8:30 AM on July 29, 2005
wakko: How is Oliver North a hero?
\begin{tv-movie-announcer-voice}
He was a man. He was a brave man.
He was a man who fought for freedom, in spite of corrupt laws. He was a man who stood on trial, and came out a better man.
He was a man. He was a brave man.
\end{tv-movie-announcer-voice}
deanc and johnmc: Do not taunt happy fun ball.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:31 AM on July 29, 2005
\begin{tv-movie-announcer-voice}
He was a man. He was a brave man.
He was a man who fought for freedom, in spite of corrupt laws. He was a man who stood on trial, and came out a better man.
He was a man. He was a brave man.
\end{tv-movie-announcer-voice}
deanc and johnmc: Do not taunt happy fun ball.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:31 AM on July 29, 2005
Warning: This product may contain fecal matter.
posted by cows of industry at 8:36 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by cows of industry at 8:36 AM on July 29, 2005
Shouting: A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
posted by klangklangston at 8:39 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by klangklangston at 8:39 AM on July 29, 2005
deanc and johnmc: Do not taunt happy fun ball.
*puts down pointed stick*
Buzzkill!
posted by jonmc at 8:40 AM on July 29, 2005
*puts down pointed stick*
Buzzkill!
posted by jonmc at 8:40 AM on July 29, 2005
Pretty funny.
Didn't we do a Frank Miller joke already?
posted by Smedleyman at 8:41 AM on July 29, 2005
Didn't we do a Frank Miller joke already?
posted by Smedleyman at 8:41 AM on July 29, 2005
And one more observation: why is Hannity-bot pointedly brandishing an Apple laptop on one of the covers? Is Apple going for product placement in fringe markets now?
posted by COBRA! at 8:42 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 8:42 AM on July 29, 2005
Liberals are never quite so ridiculous as when they engage in their martyrdom fantasies.
Conservatives are never quite so ridiculous as when they whine about Liberals.
posted by mr.curmudgeon at 8:43 AM on July 29, 2005
Conservatives are never quite so ridiculous as when they whine about Liberals.
posted by mr.curmudgeon at 8:43 AM on July 29, 2005
it looks as though the conservatives have finally found the medium that best expresses their ideas ...
posted by pyramid termite at 8:46 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by pyramid termite at 8:46 AM on July 29, 2005
mosch: Yep, that about sums it up. It's patriotism to sell weapons to a terrorist state to fund a different bunch of terrorists, as long as everyone calls themselves "anti-Communist."
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:47 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:47 AM on July 29, 2005
A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
I'd say the obvious followup to this, but someone beat me to it.
posted by deanc at 8:50 AM on July 29, 2005
I'd say the obvious followup to this, but someone beat me to it.
posted by deanc at 8:50 AM on July 29, 2005
Liberals clearly need more batshitinsanity
posted by srboisvert at 8:51 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by srboisvert at 8:51 AM on July 29, 2005
Liberals clearly need more batshitinsanity
Well, I suppose for balance, it's worth pointing out that a plucky band of freedom-loving rebels struggling against a caricature of extreme right-wing government is a pretty standard trope in comics. And I suppose you could make the argument that the mainstream comic world skews a bit left (a few years ago, a nude George W. Bush was licking Magneto's boots clean on the White House lawn).
But I can't think of any equivalent to this with left-wing blowhards battling the forces of tyrrany.
posted by COBRA! at 8:56 AM on July 29, 2005
Well, I suppose for balance, it's worth pointing out that a plucky band of freedom-loving rebels struggling against a caricature of extreme right-wing government is a pretty standard trope in comics. And I suppose you could make the argument that the mainstream comic world skews a bit left (a few years ago, a nude George W. Bush was licking Magneto's boots clean on the White House lawn).
But I can't think of any equivalent to this with left-wing blowhards battling the forces of tyrrany.
posted by COBRA! at 8:56 AM on July 29, 2005
Am I correct that Liddy and North have felony convictions?
Is a felony in the name of your country now a badge of honor?
posted by fluffycreature at 9:01 AM on July 29, 2005
If only Rush was one of the hero's. He could be Super Drug Abuser. Or something.
/goes to get the oxy
posted by haqspan at 9:08 AM on July 29, 2005
/goes to get the oxy
posted by haqspan at 9:08 AM on July 29, 2005
Is a felony in the name of your country now a badge of honor?
Yeah, that's why Rove and Liddy are hoping to each get hit with one!
posted by ericb at 9:09 AM on July 29, 2005
Yeah, that's why Rove and Liddy are hoping to each get hit with one!
posted by ericb at 9:09 AM on July 29, 2005
"How is Oliver North a hero?"
Dave Barry explained it best, back in his 1986: Year In Review* column.
*Google cache
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:20 AM on July 29, 2005
Dave Barry explained it best, back in his 1986: Year In Review* column.
*Google cache
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:20 AM on July 29, 2005
(also 1987, as I read closer)
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:21 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:21 AM on July 29, 2005
So, uh, COBRA!... Who would win, Batman or a Cybernetic G. Gordon Liddy?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:23 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:23 AM on July 29, 2005
So, uh, COBRA!... Who would win, Batman or a Cybernetic G. Gordon Liddy?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:23 AM CST on July 29 [!]
Come on, man, don't insult my intelligence. Liddy jumps Batman and wins by surprise in the first issue of the arc; but two issues later, he's in a dumpster with his cybernetic arm stuffed up his ass.
posted by COBRA! at 9:25 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by robocop is bleeding at 11:23 AM CST on July 29 [!]
Come on, man, don't insult my intelligence. Liddy jumps Batman and wins by surprise in the first issue of the arc; but two issues later, he's in a dumpster with his cybernetic arm stuffed up his ass.
posted by COBRA! at 9:25 AM on July 29, 2005
If I didn't feel weird about giving these people money, I would tell my local comic shop to pre-order one for me. This looks hilarious. Maybe it'll be pirated on the internets soon.
posted by cmonkey at 9:26 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by cmonkey at 9:26 AM on July 29, 2005
Most US Americans, and that includes most MeFi US Americans, haven't the foggiest understanding that in the eyes of almost all other first-world nations, the Democratic party is a right-wing party.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:38 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by five fresh fish at 9:38 AM on July 29, 2005
I dunno. Liddy doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would let a fallen foe live, let alone recoup. I imagine that the dread furnace that powers him requires the blood of babies or puppies or something to keep his 108-yeal old frame animate and able to punch through lib'rul lies and concrete, so offing another dude in a costume wouldn't bother him too much.
Although, I suspect that Batman would end up working with the liberators at F.O.I.L. as, except for liberal gun laws, he has much more in common with them than VP Moore. This means we could look forward to another Superman vs. Batman fight, as Superman would likely side with the UN, having been seduced by that vixen Chelsea when she was just a senator.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:38 AM on July 29, 2005
Although, I suspect that Batman would end up working with the liberators at F.O.I.L. as, except for liberal gun laws, he has much more in common with them than VP Moore. This means we could look forward to another Superman vs. Batman fight, as Superman would likely side with the UN, having been seduced by that vixen Chelsea when she was just a senator.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:38 AM on July 29, 2005
Huh ... funny, I was just reading this on Kos yesterday:
It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.
Apparently it was posted on Powerline.
All I could think of at first was, "Are these people completely mental? Is there grasp on reality THAT tenuous?"
Honestly, that last time I heard of slavish devotion like that was in Stalin's Russia.
Now there's this comic book thingo ... might be a big seller.
You know Fox "news" will have the writers on.
posted by Relay at 9:41 AM on July 29, 2005
It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.
Apparently it was posted on Powerline.
All I could think of at first was, "Are these people completely mental? Is there grasp on reality THAT tenuous?"
Honestly, that last time I heard of slavish devotion like that was in Stalin's Russia.
Now there's this comic book thingo ... might be a big seller.
You know Fox "news" will have the writers on.
posted by Relay at 9:41 AM on July 29, 2005
I wonder what people in another 20 or 30 years will think about these comics?
posted by mcsweetie at 9:48 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by mcsweetie at 9:48 AM on July 29, 2005
Yeah, I think you're right. I was misreading where the arc would go. So I'll amend: Liddy jumps Batman in issue 1. Batman stomps him, but during the fight learns of F.O.I.L. and becomes sympathetic. Leads up to a replay of the end of Dark Knight Returns. In the aftermath, Green Arrow uses one-armed trick archery to defeat the F.O.I.L. guys and put them in dumpseters with their cybernetic arms up their asses. Because let's not kid ourselves; Ollie Queen might work with Liddy and North to beat Superman, but he's not going to put up with them for long.
posted by COBRA! at 9:50 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 9:50 AM on July 29, 2005
This comic... will undoubtedly be the most awesomest thing ever.
if by "awesomest" you mean "sophomoric" then I agree wholeheartedly.
posted by Chasuk at 9:51 AM on July 29, 2005
if by "awesomest" you mean "sophomoric" then I agree wholeheartedly.
posted by Chasuk at 9:51 AM on July 29, 2005
COBRA! Come on, man, don't insult my intelligence. Liddy jumps Batman and wins by surprise in the first issue of the arc; but two issues later, he's in a dumpster with his cybernetic arm stuffed up his ass.
Nah. Batman and Liddy would engage in some costumed male bonding through violence, and then team up in a six-part miniseries. Which is what brought my Miller crack in. I think that the Dark Knight books really nails the interpretation that Bruce Wayne is a closet fascist who just doesn't care about civil liberties.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:57 AM on July 29, 2005
Nah. Batman and Liddy would engage in some costumed male bonding through violence, and then team up in a six-part miniseries. Which is what brought my Miller crack in. I think that the Dark Knight books really nails the interpretation that Bruce Wayne is a closet fascist who just doesn't care about civil liberties.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:57 AM on July 29, 2005
Wow. The comic actually contains the adage "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me", which Bush is famous for flubbing.
Although, I suppose, if you string enough English words together and put them on paper, you're bound to come up with a phrase that Bush has messed up within the first few pages.
posted by gurple at 10:00 AM on July 29, 2005
Although, I suppose, if you string enough English words together and put them on paper, you're bound to come up with a phrase that Bush has messed up within the first few pages.
posted by gurple at 10:00 AM on July 29, 2005
Larry Elmore!??!
I feel increasingly bad about wasting my middle school years looking at his dumb pictures of Raistlin.
posted by johngoren at 10:12 AM on July 29, 2005
I feel increasingly bad about wasting my middle school years looking at his dumb pictures of Raistlin.
posted by johngoren at 10:12 AM on July 29, 2005
Honestly, that last time I heard of slavish devotion like that was in Stalin's Russia.
The last few years have reminded me of nothing so much as a children's book I read when I was young about day-to-day life in fascist Greece.
Whatever it is that causes societies to turn, it is not politics or ideology. Those are just dressing for the violence and paranoia that characterize the modern authoritarian impulse.
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:16 AM on July 29, 2005
The last few years have reminded me of nothing so much as a children's book I read when I was young about day-to-day life in fascist Greece.
Whatever it is that causes societies to turn, it is not politics or ideology. Those are just dressing for the violence and paranoia that characterize the modern authoritarian impulse.
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:16 AM on July 29, 2005
Is this some sort of "revenge" against Ted Rall's 2024?
posted by aaronetc at 10:19 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by aaronetc at 10:19 AM on July 29, 2005
Their mistake was choosing Sean Hannity as a tough-guy hero. Sure, I don't know if I'd want to mess with Liddy or North, but I could kick Hannity's ass in my sleep.
The reason Sean Hannity makes sense as a central hero-figure here is because it points to the right-wing pundits as the source of the tropes being mined (or mimed). In the preview pages, it's mostly the anti-French jokes, which (I assume) came out of punditry and not directly from government leaders.
I suspect that the creators of this comic have no strong political leanings of their own. They've spent a few months reading Hannity and Limbaugh transcripts, and from that jumping point they're making a story-world.
This is sort of interesting because there seems to be no subtlety whatsoever.
posted by nobody at 10:20 AM on July 29, 2005
The reason Sean Hannity makes sense as a central hero-figure here is because it points to the right-wing pundits as the source of the tropes being mined (or mimed). In the preview pages, it's mostly the anti-French jokes, which (I assume) came out of punditry and not directly from government leaders.
I suspect that the creators of this comic have no strong political leanings of their own. They've spent a few months reading Hannity and Limbaugh transcripts, and from that jumping point they're making a story-world.
This is sort of interesting because there seems to be no subtlety whatsoever.
posted by nobody at 10:20 AM on July 29, 2005
I don't really understand how this is "the most publicized comic in over 10 years" when I've never fucking heard of it until today.
posted by papakwanz at 10:25 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by papakwanz at 10:25 AM on July 29, 2005
It'll probably be popular to cut up for making concert flyers.
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:27 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:27 AM on July 29, 2005
Also, did no one notice the emphasis on "Ali" in Liberality?
posted by papakwanz at 10:35 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by papakwanz at 10:35 AM on July 29, 2005
... or we have yet another datapoint demonstrating that certain right-wingers are unable to laugh at ridiculousness-- or even understand what it is.
Thanks for that, deanc. Shouting's comment had me puzzled as well, but your explanation makes sense. Even so, his little diatribe made me almost nostalgic for Hama7's over-the-top rants about democrats=socialists=marxists. Is he still around, or have I just not happened to run into him?
posted by psmealey at 10:39 AM on July 29, 2005
Thanks for that, deanc. Shouting's comment had me puzzled as well, but your explanation makes sense. Even so, his little diatribe made me almost nostalgic for Hama7's over-the-top rants about democrats=socialists=marxists. Is he still around, or have I just not happened to run into him?
posted by psmealey at 10:39 AM on July 29, 2005
papakwanz, I noticed it, but I didn't get it. Care to explain the significance?
posted by ijoshua at 10:45 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by ijoshua at 10:45 AM on July 29, 2005
After Batman and F.O.I.L. defeat Superman (aka "The Blue Kindness" which is the name he took on after he joined the Liberal Cause. Senator Chelsea was there for him after he had to arrest Lois Lane for outing an undercover CIA op and helped him through that dark time), there may be some friction, sure. Batman may even get his own team of neocons together (The Disembodied Brain of Karl Rove, an animated statue of Justice Scalia, and Two-Face) to defend Gotham against F.O.I.L.'s encroachment.
By this time, the UN will have put together a team of their own made up largely of the lame-o diversity squad from Superfriends, minus the monkey.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:51 AM on July 29, 2005
By this time, the UN will have put together a team of their own made up largely of the lame-o diversity squad from Superfriends, minus the monkey.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:51 AM on July 29, 2005
ijoshua: well, besides the Flag color-coding, I noticed this in their synopsis:
"Two decades of negotiation with the U.N., and America’s administration of 2021 (President Chelsea Clinton and Vice President Michael Moore), has culminated in a truce with fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, or so America is told. ... Tomorrow is September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the horror of 9/11, or as it has become more politically correct to say “the unfortunate events resulting from the uprising of middle-eastern fundamentalist Islam”."
Ali being an Arabic name, it looks to me like they are taking a potshot at the "left's" softness on Islamic terrorism and trying to equate liberals with middle-eastern terrorists.
Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.
posted by papakwanz at 10:53 AM on July 29, 2005
"Two decades of negotiation with the U.N., and America’s administration of 2021 (President Chelsea Clinton and Vice President Michael Moore), has culminated in a truce with fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, or so America is told. ... Tomorrow is September 11, 2021, the twentieth anniversary of the horror of 9/11, or as it has become more politically correct to say “the unfortunate events resulting from the uprising of middle-eastern fundamentalist Islam”."
Ali being an Arabic name, it looks to me like they are taking a potshot at the "left's" softness on Islamic terrorism and trying to equate liberals with middle-eastern terrorists.
Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.
posted by papakwanz at 10:53 AM on July 29, 2005
papskwanz, I think you're on the right track, also considering the red/blue juxtaposition in the title. I also didn't notice the UN logo behind the "Ali" at first. I just didn't make the connection of "Ali" being an Arabic name.
What is up with the cyborg sporting an Apple laptop on the cover, though?? After all, virtually all of Steve Jobs' political contributions support liberals.
posted by ijoshua at 11:16 AM on July 29, 2005
What is up with the cyborg sporting an Apple laptop on the cover, though?? After all, virtually all of Steve Jobs' political contributions support liberals.
posted by ijoshua at 11:16 AM on July 29, 2005
Comics today are actually really left-leaning; right now, there's a story arc where the Ultimates, despite the protests of Thor (who has been jailed because he attacked Italian cops who were beating anti-war protestors) , become lackeys for the Administration and perform a preemptive strike on a Middle-Eastern country. And in the Black Panther, an Administration clearly aping the current one, complete with a African-American female security advisor named Dondi, tries to invade an oil-rich, neutral country with cyborg soldiers made out of the bodies of Americans killed in Iraq.
And there's a really awesome cover of Savage Dragon where SD is punching Bush in the face. The issue is titled "Bushwhacked," and it's actually an alien DISGUISED as Bush.
So I guess Ollie North's Freedom Force has some sort of...no, it's still batshit insane.
posted by 235w103 at 11:22 AM on July 29, 2005
And there's a really awesome cover of Savage Dragon where SD is punching Bush in the face. The issue is titled "Bushwhacked," and it's actually an alien DISGUISED as Bush.
So I guess Ollie North's Freedom Force has some sort of...no, it's still batshit insane.
posted by 235w103 at 11:22 AM on July 29, 2005
It's not "ali" that is intended to be highlighted, it's "liberty." LIBERaliTY.
posted by brain_drain at 11:29 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by brain_drain at 11:29 AM on July 29, 2005
That's how I parsed it at first glance, brain_drain. But then isn't the title equating (or at least juxtaposing) "liberality" with "liberty"? (Or, maybe, 'liberty' is 'liberality' with those damn Alis out of the picture). I imagine it's unusual for a comic to title itself after the bad guys?
posted by nobody at 11:38 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by nobody at 11:38 AM on July 29, 2005
brain_drain: "10% of the profits of the series are to be donated to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, founded by Oliver North and heavily supported by Sean Hannity." While I had my "Ohmigod these people can't be for real" moments when I first saw this, I think that their hearts are in this one.
posted by UKnowForKids at 11:01 AM EST on July 29 [!]
Yeah, you're probably right, but I remain hopeful that this is a Trojan Horse that will ultimately embarrass Hannity et al. if they endorse it.
posted by brain_drain at 11:39 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by UKnowForKids at 11:01 AM EST on July 29 [!]
Yeah, you're probably right, but I remain hopeful that this is a Trojan Horse that will ultimately embarrass Hannity et al. if they endorse it.
posted by brain_drain at 11:39 AM on July 29, 2005
nobody, I think the title is suggesting that in future-America, there is no longer "liberty for all" (which is good) but rather only "liberality for all" (which is bad). Isn't it so hilarious and profound?
posted by brain_drain at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2005
posted by brain_drain at 11:44 AM on July 29, 2005
What is up with the cyborg sporting an Apple laptop on the cover, though??
In 2021, Apple is run by an aged Jonathan Ives, who for tax purposes became a devout Tory and right-wing sympathizer in 2017.
posted by Rothko at 11:45 AM on July 29, 2005
In 2021, Apple is run by an aged Jonathan Ives, who for tax purposes became a devout Tory and right-wing sympathizer in 2017.
posted by Rothko at 11:45 AM on July 29, 2005
Excerpts from the website:
posted by nobody at 12:11 PM on July 29, 2005
ACC Studios is set to publish the most politically divisive comic book ever written, Liberality For All #1 (in a series of 8) .By the way, Hannity/North's Freedom Alliance Scholarship fund is "a fund for scholarships for the children of slain soldiers."
-link
Liberality For All #1 will release in October. Some comic collectors (those bleedin' heart libs) will hate it! They will re-face their anti-war protest signs, to picket its sale at their local comic shops. And will stop hugging trees long enough to burn copies in the street.then urinate on the smoldering ashes! While well-informed patriotic comic collectors nationwide, will gaze towards the heavens and cheer: FINALLY, A CONSERVATIVE COMIC BOOK!
-link
2. “Go where the people ain't”
In commerce, as in life, it is often advantageous to consider how other people are going to approach a situation, visualize the predictable bottleneck, and go an alternate route.
Marketing is pretty simple. Would you rather be another blond on a beach full of blonds, or be the only brunette? That answer is simple for me. I would much rather stand out. As a creator, I am drawn to areas that have not been properly explored. I like to break new ground, delve in to new genres, and if possible create them.
-link
The artist of Bettie Page: Guarding the North Pass....
-link
posted by nobody at 12:11 PM on July 29, 2005
You know what would be cool? If they used the protagonists' blood in the red ink, like that Kiss comic from the late 70's.
All of their blood, preferably.
posted by malocchio at 12:16 PM on July 29, 2005
All of their blood, preferably.
posted by malocchio at 12:16 PM on July 29, 2005
Whoa. Bettie Page guarding the north pass is one weird conflation of sexual hangups.... Must! Have! Barbarians! WITH PIN-UPS!
posted by COBRA! at 12:29 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by COBRA! at 12:29 PM on July 29, 2005
That darn liberal Al Queda with their morally loose women and party animal kids spreading porongraphy and licentiousness into the western world! The Coulter brigade must stop them now! They all look alike with their dirty jeans and long hair anyways so let's just kill 'em all! And I'm damn tired of those Al Queda opening up bars and whorehouses right next to little Timmy's school!
posted by nofundy at 1:05 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by nofundy at 1:05 PM on July 29, 2005
"In the first term of President Chelsea Clinton and Vice-President Michael Moore, Usama bin Laden, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United Nations, is hatching a nefarious plot."
*leans back in leather seat, joins hands*
I'm listening...
posted by NewBornHippy at 1:52 PM on July 29, 2005
*leans back in leather seat, joins hands*
I'm listening...
posted by NewBornHippy at 1:52 PM on July 29, 2005
Two decades of negotiation with the U.N., and America’s administration of 2021 (President Chelsea Clinton and Vice President Michael Moore), has culminated in a truce with fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, or so America is told.
Come to think of it, that plotline sounds strangely familiar. I wonder what will happen....
posted by deanc at 2:12 PM on July 29, 2005
Come to think of it, that plotline sounds strangely familiar. I wonder what will happen....
posted by deanc at 2:12 PM on July 29, 2005
Hannity looks an aweful lot like Nick Fury, don't he? And what happened to his other chin?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:25 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:25 PM on July 29, 2005
So we can take it to the bank that Bush isn't going to ever catch bin Laden? That's about the only part of this that has any basis in reality.
posted by fenriq at 2:40 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by fenriq at 2:40 PM on July 29, 2005
"The most politically divisive comic ever written?" I guess they missed Green Lantern and Green Arrow's battle with the guy who looked like Vice-President Agnew!
posted by Superfrankenstein at 3:00 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by Superfrankenstein at 3:00 PM on July 29, 2005
Bizarre. Just bizarre.
I think I always knew Elmore was a conservative, though... All those chainmail bikinis surely went to his head.
posted by jiawen at 5:44 PM on July 29, 2005
I think I always knew Elmore was a conservative, though... All those chainmail bikinis surely went to his head.
posted by jiawen at 5:44 PM on July 29, 2005
So, they're serious?
AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Wow.
posted by kyrademon at 6:54 PM on July 29, 2005
AHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Wow.
posted by kyrademon at 6:54 PM on July 29, 2005
I'm a dirty commie, but I'm actually more annoyed by the Rob Liefeld/early Image Comics-like artwork. It looks like bad fan art to me.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 7:17 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 7:17 PM on July 29, 2005
Going back to the Frank Miller theme for a second and indulging in more comic geekery, Oliver Queen would never help out neo-cons. I forget if he's a socialist or a communist, but either way, yeah.
Ok, I'm done.
posted by Hactar at 8:10 PM on July 29, 2005
Ok, I'm done.
posted by Hactar at 8:10 PM on July 29, 2005
Some people have way too much time on their hands.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:04 PM on July 29, 2005
posted by SisterHavana at 9:04 PM on July 29, 2005
So one group of right wing extremists takes power from another wing of right wing extremists. . .
Where do the liberals figure in all this? Am I missing something here? What liberals? Where are the dope-smoking superheroes and the topless amazon superwomen who are sexually promiscous? The gay mascot?
posted by mk1gti at 9:35 PM on July 29, 2005
Where do the liberals figure in all this? Am I missing something here? What liberals? Where are the dope-smoking superheroes and the topless amazon superwomen who are sexually promiscous? The gay mascot?
posted by mk1gti at 9:35 PM on July 29, 2005
mk1gti, in these comic books "liberals" are defined as anyone who doesn't want to blast the Middle East back into the stone age.
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:23 AM on July 30, 2005
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:23 AM on July 30, 2005
Howdy,
Creator of "Liberality For All", Mike Mackey here, I know some of you are about to rip me, but honestly I am very impressed with the comments being discussed about LFA.
I am forever amused by the questions that are similar to “Is this serious?”. (I asked my self the same question watching John Kerry campaign)
Yes, “Liberality For All” is as serious as a satire which makes fun of liberalism can possibly be.
-Is it supposed to be funny… yes if you are a conservative
or if you are an open minded liberal with a sense of humor.
The political landscape of the series is both a conservative hell and at the same time a liberal utopia.
We finally see the results of
- "a more sensitive war on terror"
- no war....ever!
- U.N. controls everything (so no nation is ever offended)
- A negotiated peace with terrorist
- another Clinton in the Whitehouse, and vice president Michael Moore.
- vocal conservatives are utterly non-existent
- FOX news goes bankrupt.
- and last but not least, George W. Bush is no where on the map.
What is there for a liberal not to like????
Conservatively yours
Mike Mackey
posted by mike mackey at 6:49 PM on August 1, 2005
Creator of "Liberality For All", Mike Mackey here, I know some of you are about to rip me, but honestly I am very impressed with the comments being discussed about LFA.
I am forever amused by the questions that are similar to “Is this serious?”. (I asked my self the same question watching John Kerry campaign)
Yes, “Liberality For All” is as serious as a satire which makes fun of liberalism can possibly be.
-Is it supposed to be funny… yes if you are a conservative
or if you are an open minded liberal with a sense of humor.
The political landscape of the series is both a conservative hell and at the same time a liberal utopia.
We finally see the results of
- "a more sensitive war on terror"
- no war....ever!
- U.N. controls everything (so no nation is ever offended)
- A negotiated peace with terrorist
- another Clinton in the Whitehouse, and vice president Michael Moore.
- vocal conservatives are utterly non-existent
- FOX news goes bankrupt.
- and last but not least, George W. Bush is no where on the map.
What is there for a liberal not to like????
Conservatively yours
Mike Mackey
posted by mike mackey at 6:49 PM on August 1, 2005
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posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:20 AM on July 29, 2005