The "What Would Clark Kent Do?" filter works surprisingly well. Here's a partial list of things I'm pretty sure he wouldn't do:
Make fun of fat women.
Make fun of ugly women.
Make fun of menstruation.
Make fun of the disabled.
Insult POWs.
Insult the parents of dead soldiers.
Extort his allies ("Eh, nice country you got here, be a shame if somethin' happened to it.")
Go into business with General Zod.
Praise the way General Zod handles the press and dissidents.
Suggest that General Zod could maybe help him get rid of his enemies.
Lie; then when confronted with that lie, double down or deny.
Brag.
Bluster.
Bully.
When caught bullying, retort "Can't you take a joke?"
Blame his failures on everyone but himself.
Appeal to people's worst instincts instead of their best.
Really, the list is practically endless. I keep waiting for a modern-day Joseph Welch versus Joe McCarthy moment, but I'm not sure we have it in us anymore. Decency is too old-fashioned.
I don't expect to change anyone's mind, and I'm breaking my rule about not doing politics online. Might regret it; don't care. I had to stand up and be counted. Clark would.
Here's the above comic laid out in two pages, which I wasn't sure would be readable at blog size. Click to embiggen. Thanks for your indulgence.
You can't see me, but trust me: I just sat down after standing and applauding.
ReplyDeleteYou are my super hero, Brian Fies!
ReplyDeleteAs always, I found your post thoughtful and relevant. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Sherwood. And Hillary. And you. Well drawn, well said. May decency prevail.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Really helps put it into perspective.
ReplyDeleteSuper (and Kentish) job, Brian.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, Brian. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteClark is the man. Superman is his job. This comic tells it the right way.
ReplyDeleteBravo! As long as sentiments like this still exist in the cultural hive-mind, old-fashioned decency has a fighting chance. (I'm also thinking Scott McCloud - whom we know and respect - has some grass-roots competition going on here with respect to understanding comics.)
ReplyDeleteThanks all. I'm glad this struck a chord. Richard, I know Scott McCloud too, and I'm no Scott McCloud. But I'm flattered.
ReplyDeleteWill the election go as Brian hopes?
ReplyDeleteWill Superman win as a write in candidate?
Will we ever see a print version of The Last Mechanical Monster?
Find out on next weeks exciting episode of..... THE FIIIIES FIILESSS!
(Great job on the comic!)
Bravo, Brian. Times like these call for more excellent editorial comics like this. This would look great as a full-page ad in one of those... wossname...newspapers.
ReplyDeleteWas it kryptonite that felled Hillary at the 911 ceremony?
ReplyDeleteWhat? That's it ....just what?
DeleteWell said! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHe wouldn't do anything, he's a fictional character, and the way he's portrayed in this cartoon, he must be a liberal, Hillary follower.
ReplyDeleteSuperman has always been slightly on the liberal side. But he does not follow presidents. He advises them. Ditto for candidates.
DeleteWill the election go as Brian hopes?
ReplyDeleteWill Superman win as a write in candidate?
Will we ever see a print version of The Last Mechanical Monster?
Find out on next weeks exciting episode of..... THE FIIIIES FIILESSS!
(Great job on the comic!)
Fantastic! Thank you for the perspective. I love it!
ReplyDeleteNailed it, you did. Someone asked me once why I liked Captain America. I said, 'Captain America means it. He doesn't just preach it, he lives it." Same with the REAL Superman!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. Wow.
ReplyDelete