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ACTION COMICS #900 is a momentous occasion for many reasons — both numerically and thematically. The issue includes stories by an all-star lineup of folks including Paul Cornell, Damon Lindelof, Richard Donner, David S. Goyer, and Geoff Johns,

It also includes a mild little tale by Goyer wherein Superman decides to help out some Iranian protesters and gets chided by the US government for getting involved in “policy.” Prompting Superman to proclaim that he’s not a US citizen but a citizen of…the universe!

Or, as Fox News succinctly puts it:

Superman is no longer an American.


Given that Superman has long stood for “truth, justice and the American way,” you can see where this is heading.

The story has already gotten some conservative website attention as reflecting America’s wobbling status in the world. At The American Spectator, Aaron Goldstein notes that co-creator Joe Shuster was actually a Canadian. Big Hollywood’s headline reads Left’s Crusade to Destroy Our Heroes Marches On: Superman Renounces God, American Citizenship

The last time Fox tussled with comics was when background signs in an issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA got Ed Brubaker in trouble for dissing the Tea Party. Backlash from that incident involved death threats for Brubaker and a decree from on high for comics professionals to stop tweeting about politics so much.

Predictably, the comments thread at Comics Alliance has gone meltdown over this. It’s still early in the day, however. We’ll see who needs to buy a Kevlar vest soon enough.

1 COMMENT

  1. I loved the story in Action 900 when I read it, but now that it has FOX news in an uproar I like it even more. Now, if only something can be done to rename the JLA…

  2. I loved the story in Action 900 when I read it, but now that it has FOX news in an uproar I like it even more. Now, if only something can be done to rename the JLA…

  3. Wait, is the story still the “birth matrix” was launched from Krypton and he was actually born on Earth in the Kansas cornfield or he was born on Krypton and has been an illegal alien (literally) all this time? If it’s the latter, the whole hubbub is a moot point.

  4. Wait, is the story still the “birth matrix” was launched from Krypton and he was actually born on Earth in the Kansas cornfield or he was born on Krypton and has been an illegal alien (literally) all this time? If it’s the latter, the whole hubbub is a moot point.

  5. I think the story was fine, and that the spirit in which Superman said he’s a citizen of the Universe was fine. Supes wasn’t “dissing” truth, justice, or the American way….but was simply letting the government know they don’t dictate to him personally.

    Superman wasn’t rejecting his citizenship, or defecting….he was simply saying what we all have to realize….truth, justice, & liberty are not JUST for America, but for everyone everywhere.

  6. The “birth matrix” was put to rest with SUPEMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, if not with BIRTHRIGHT. But, wasn’t this done decades ago, in the Silver Age? Didn’t Superman proclaim himself a “citizen of the World” ‘way back then?

  7. “But, wasn’t this done decades ago, in the Silver Age? Didn’t Superman proclaim himself a “citizen of the World” ‘way back then?”

    Yep. Amazing how yet another DC retcon stunt is being presented in such a way as to get free publicity on Fox News, isn’t it?

  8. Republicans aren’t the problem; easily offended people are. There are a *lot* of intelligent, reasonable people who are Republican. They’re not the ones upset over a fictional character’s citizenship. Easily offended people are upset and there are just as many easily offended Democrats as there are Republicans.

  9. Didn’t Captain America do this in the ’80’s as well? No one got worked up back then.

    The Tiki

  10. Actually, I’m not seeing anything in the Fox News story you link to that could even be remotely deserving of your headline or your implication that Fox News is looking to incite violence against the writer of this particular Superman story.

    They state the fact that he is renouncing his citizenship with absolutely zero opinion words in the story except for the two quotes they use – one each reflecting the different sides of the issue.

    The only slant I see here is from The Beat.

  11. This is nothing, but anti-american shit created by the crypto-liberals that run DC and Marvel and who have done their best since the 90s to destroy All American icons like Captain American and Superman.

    David Goyer and his collabortors (Miguel Sepulveda, Paul Mounts, Rob Leigh, Dan Didio, Matt Idelson, Wil Moss and Patrick Brosseau) all need to be blacklisted from the comic industry and forced out for their piece of comic book treason.

  12. If Fox News is in an uproar, one can’t tell from the actual report.

    I agree with that. From the article:

    “The genius of Superman is that he belongs to everyone, for the dual purposes of peace and protection,” Thill added. “He’s above ephemeral geopolitics and nationalist concerns, a universal agent unlike any other found in pop culture.”

    Given what superheroes generally do, citizenship is a non-issue. However, given what they do, they’re generally useless in areas not directly connected to peace and protection. What would Superman do about high gas prices? They aren’t good for anyone, not even gas stations, except perhaps oil companies, but what could Superman do to lower them without affecting the overall economy in the process?

    What could he do about high unemployment? Corporate profits are great, but — could Superman force bankers to set up charitable foundations? You’ll find corporate internationalists who say they’re more concerned with conditions worldwide than with conditions in the U.S., so if more jobs in ______ means fewer jobs in the U.S., they think that’s fine. Personally, I’m not ready to lower my standard of living so that someone in ______ can raise his, and I never will be, Economic competition shouldn’t be a zero-sum game.

    When a superhero gets involved in politics, the end result is usually the discovery that he’s powerless in the field of politics.

    SRS

  13. This just reminds me of why I don’t read DC anymore. It’s not the citizen thing, but the over thinking ‘how would superman REALLY act in the real world.’-thing.
    If you logically play it out it always ends up with superman as our overlord.

  14. On this Superman Facebook page, the former Marvel artist Dan Lawlis wrote:

    Dan Lawlis: Is there any doubt the comic book industry is dominated by Godless anti-American leftwing extremists? No. And this is exactly why I don’t miss working in the comic book field.

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-Superman-back-his-US-Citizenship/219037171455673?v=wall&sk=wall#!/superman/posts/158017287594396

    The reaction to this story is getting more and more heated, and weird.

  15. So Barack Oboma is an American citizen, but Superman isn’t…. Somehow I get the feeling that America just lost…

  16. Well, I dunno. One’s leader of the free world and one’s a fictional chaacter. So, y’know. Po TAY to / Po TAH to.

    _

    What a bunch of silly dreck over nothing. Anyone remember back in the 70’s when Gerry Conway introduced the phrase “Truth, Justice and the TERRAN Way” in the Superman/Spider-man crossover? America didn’t crumble, and neither did Superman.

  17. Yo, Pat Brosseau–can you give me a lift to tonight’s “collabortors” meeting? We need to make one stop, though–it’s my turn to bring the donuts. And remind me not to get any jelly-filled ones, otherwise Idelson’ll stick his finger in them all until he finds one with raspberry filling.

  18. Anyone remember Armageddon 2001? Superman became President in the future.

    As for superheroes trying to “save the world”, go read “Squadron Supreme”.

  19. Sure, Rob–I’ll give you a lift.
    By the way, I’m Canadian–so I’m all for Superman denouncing his U.S. citizenship.

  20. “Easily offended people are upset and there are just as many easily offended Democrats as there are Republicans.”

    That’s some perfectly feckless false equivalency you’ve got there. Also has got nothing to do with anal-retentive Superman fans always getting in a uproar whenever ANYTHING changes about him. Remember Electro-Supes? The out of wedlock super kid and the super-stalker stuff in Superman Returns?

  21. If you logically play it out it always ends up with superman as our overlord.

    Well, before you can play out what he would do in the real world, you’d have to explain why he exists, and the reasons would affect the world. Any scientific explanation would allow his powers to be replicated.

    If, however, just for the hell of it, you wanted to work out what would happen if, say, the Greek gods and goddesses came back to Earth, looking for worshipers — Western society would probably collapse as Christianity disappeared and people vied to gain the gods’ favor.

    SRS

  22. Fox may be getting a snarkish bad rap here, as a bunch of media outlets are carrying some version of the story. Just Google “Superman” and click on “News” — the latest count (as of a few seconds ago) is at 90 outlets currently carrying the story.

  23. How does The Beat rationalize having its own political panties in bunch over Fox News? Kind of hipocritical don’t you think?

    Especially considering that you are simplistically attributing elements that aren’t there to justify reveling in your knee-jerk prejudices.

  24. @Jerry

    re”Actually, I’m not seeing anything in the Fox News story you link to that could even be remotely deserving of your headline or your implication”

    That seems to happen a lot around here. But it brings in the hits and that’s the important thing.

  25. How is this statement inaccurate:

    “The last time Fox tussled with comics was when background signs in an issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA got Ed Brubaker in trouble for dissing the Tea Party. Backlash from that incident involved death threats for Brubaker and a decree from on high for comics professionals to stop tweeting about politics so much. ”

    BACKLASH is not necessarily from Fox News, but from unstable readers of the same.

  26. Comics sales are in the shitter & DC & Marvel think “event” books that garner mainstream press (like this) are going to turn things around? Why not just write good stories again?

  27. Wait, Pat… you’re Canadian? I’m going to form a watchdog group to make sure you never letter Superman again. Also, you’re never allowed to bake an apple pie or play baseball — clearly you’re just trying to subvert good American children into understanding universal health care.

    Also, I’m going to take a trip to Canada to get health care.

  28. I have always… *always* declared that Superman is an *alien* (not an American) and that his adventures should be considered Science Fiction… as per any alien that comes to Earth. But it’s amazing how many people argue the opposite. I’m sure that’s because he has stood the test of time and is considered part of Americana. Which I understand.

    The Kents should be arrested for harboring illegals.

  29. Edlar 04/28/2011 AT 3:21 PM
    This is nothing, but anti-american shit created by the crypto-liberals that run DC and Marvel and who have done their best since the 90s to destroy All American icons like Captain American and Superman.

    A beautiful Poe, this.

    (I hope. That’s the thing about Poes…)

  30. I consider myself closer to the right than the left and this doesn’t bother me, I still love Superman.

  31. Seems like Democrats and Republicans will use ANYTHING as an excuse to bicker with each other these days.

  32. Haven’t read the issue, don’t get cable. But with comics sales lower than they’ve ever been, you’d think the editorial at DC would stay well-shy of any politically charged stories to avoid alienating 40% of their readership at a given time. Reminds me of that stupid event a couple of years ago where they gave all the heroes a political bent.

    “Hey Dan! Do you think any conservatives still read Teen Titans? Let’s see if we can drive them away!”

    “Geoff, you’re a genius!”

  33. I have been a comics fan for 25 years now. Despite the fact I am finding fewer and fewer comics worth reading, I am clinging to my pullbox in some naive hope that the stories will warrant my continued devotion to a dying industry.

    Through it all, I have endured countless stories written by urban liberals mocking those unlike them.

    Captain America’s endless assault on all things American was almost more than I could stand. Now that Superman is doing the same, I can no longer support an industry that seems Hell-bent on spitting in my face every chance it gets. I hate ditching my great comic shop and comic shop owner, but I can no longer support creators who present one half of the political spectrum at the expense of the other half. I am tired of paying someone to insult me.

  34. so supes is a citizen of the universe. so what’s the problem? last time i checked the U.S.A. was still part of the universe. unless folks think he should exclusively always consider himself from the U.S.A., but i think it would be pretty silly when he’s in outer space on some other planet saying he’s from planet “america”. i could see people getting their knickers in a twist if supes renounced being american in favor of some other country, but the entire universe, c’mon, let’s not get silly.much ado about nothing.

  35. The web traffic for Comic Alliance came from the link provided on the Drudge Report, placed very much near the top of the headline and given a graphic to make it stick out.

    And DC wanting to alienate “40% of their readership” by letting editorial okay this story? Yeah, DC doesn’t want mainstream press for their $6 comic. Who wants all of that publicity from major news outlets when they could be writing “good stories” that no one is reading.

    By the way, DC is publishing some of their best books in several years right now. This is a GREAT time to be reading their comics for content. It’s just too bad some readers are leaving the ENTIRE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY because of a back-up story in a Superman anthology.

    People are crazy.

  36. Superman: The ultimate anchor baby!

    You know this country is fucked when Superman is knee deep in partisan politics. Christ.

  37. I always figured Superman as an alien from Krypton, and that he was brought up as an American. An immigrant, welcomed by the new world. Melting pot, tolerance, huddled masses.

    From my (limited and foreign) understanding of the customs and laws of USA courtesy of TV and comics, nope, he could not become a president.

  38. If this direction leads to more interesting Supes stories than I’m all for it. As a Republican I couldn’t care less if a fictional character leaves the country…unless he owes money. He needs to clear his debt before he leaves.

    @Captain Sprocket

    Comics revenues are not ‘in the shitter’ just go look at John Jackson Miller’s site where he aggregates revenues over time: http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html

  39. One specific thing in the story that some people are objecting to is the attack on American exceptionalism. Critics have pointed to one scene, in particular:

    “The world’s too small. Too connected,” the superhero said in a short story in Action Comics #900. “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy. ‘Truth, justice, and the American Way’ – it’s not enough anymore.”

    That dialogue isn’t apolitical.

    Writing a superhero as being above petty politics is pretty easy. Have the world threatened with destruction; political differences between the world’s defenders disappear. If someone writes Superman as taking a stance against American exceptionalism, that probably isn’t accidental. Another critic sees drawbacks to such storytelling:

    Superman is a symbol of this country. Comic, movie, or not, he’s an American first, citizen of the world second. The more the current writers “detach” Superman from his American relevancy the less and less exceptional the character will become, especially here.

    President Obama isn’t an anti-exceptionalist, although he’s angered conservatives by not using the words they prefer to describe America as the best, the brightest, etc. People who see Superman’s words and actions as a slam against America might have a point. The story didn’t have to be written as it was.

    SRS

  40. “The Beat
    04/28/2011 AT 5:53 PM
    How is this statement inaccurate:

    “The last time Fox tussled with comics was when background signs in an issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA got Ed Brubaker in trouble for dissing the Tea Party. Backlash from that incident involved death threats for Brubaker and a decree from on high for comics professionals to stop tweeting about politics so much. ”

    BACKLASH is not necessarily from Fox News, but from unstable readers of the same.”

    Wow, that’s a sweeping generalization. I for one watch Fox News and never threatened Brubaker for his partisan shot at the Tea Party.

    Under this logic, all union members are rioting vandals given what they did to the Wisconsin state house. Or all Dem legislators are “flee-baggers” given how they shirked their duties and fled to Illinois when I vote they new they would lose came to the floor. Or, dare I say, hateful rhetoric such as that preached by Reverend Jeremiah Wright will put whites in danger of black violence.

    Fox presented the story on Superman in a non-opinionated matter. They are not the villains here. Remember how everybody wanted to blame the tragedy in Arizona on “right-wing rhetoric” and it turned out that the shooter wasn’t a right-winger but a plain old garden variety hater of a nut? The only potential villain is the person who would use this as an excuse to do violence. And quite frankly, those kinds of lunatics come from all over the political spectrum. They don’t care where they get the “excuse” to be violent idiots – they just are violent idiots.

  41. “One specific thing in the story that some people are objecting to is the attack on American exceptionalism.”

    Or perhaps it’s other people reacting in fear in perceiving that it was an attack on American exceptionalism. What they keep missing is that Superman operates in a FICTIONAL universe, while the character himself is merchandised and marketed in a very REAL one. In other words, people are getting their panties in a bunch over the idea that he no longer symbolizes their own warped and imaginary views of what America really is these days. This is probably a GOOD thing, as they need to take their mass media blinders off.

  42. Meh.

    I sold a few copies of the $5.99 comic (plus a bag and a board!) to “civilians” this Wednesday. One bragged about the only other time he’d bought a comic book was “Death of Superman.”

    It did give me the chance to plug Free Comic Book Day (May 7th!) to some non-comics folk that might have otherwise not heard about it.

    So, I got that going for me.

  43. In other words, people are getting their panties in a bunch over the idea that he no longer symbolizes their own warped and imaginary views of what America really is these days.

    Well, one area in which America is still unquestionably exceptional is military strength. Our country still spends as much on its military annually as the rest of the world combined. That’s not likely to change a lot in the foreseeable future, unless a libertarian such as Ron Paul is elected president.

    If one sees America’s military as a force for good, and Superman as a symbol of that military strength, then having Superman declare his political independence really doesn’t make much sense. If Superman isn’t going to fight villainous menaces, what is he going to do?

    SRS

  44. Education, looks, income, heritage…

    Someone’s pride can be their greatest strength… and yet it can also be their greatest weakness.

    the Tiki

  45. >>>Wow, that’s a sweeping generalization. I for one watch Fox News and never threatened Brubaker for his partisan shot at the Tea Party.

    But you are not an unstable viewer of Fox news. I never said you were. But there are unstable idiots on all sides of the issues who take all this stuff way too seriously.

    It’s a sad part of today’s political scene that facts are secondary to talking points and “scoring points.” It IS a fact that Ed Brubaker had death threats — maybe they were from socialists, people from Berkeley or Jihadists. It doesn’t change the fact that nutty people reacted nuttily.

    Marvel creators WERE told not to tweet about politics after the Cap brouhaha. It doesn’t matter who caused it — IT HAPPENED.

    Until we can begin to evaluate facts, causes and consequences REGARDLESS OF THEIR POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS this nation is going to keep going down the crapper. And there is no Superman to save us. Meanwhile, Edward Bernays is laughing at us. It’s all so simple.

  46. This is probably one of the least surprising things I ever read. As soon as I read that Superman was “renouncing” his citizenship I knew the ‘wingers would try to use this as a knock on “liberals”.

    Right-wingers always need to be at war with somebody, fighting some imaginary bias. What do they tell us liberals: if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Well, wingers, don’t read Superman if you don’t like this (not that they were anyway).

  47. “Marvel creators WERE told not to tweet about politics after the Cap brouhaha. It doesn’t matter who caused it — IT HAPPENED.”

    Y’know, that’s just wrong for Marvel to have told creators that.

    Did any creators refuse that direction?

  48. Good move on DC’s part. There is no more reason for Superman to be nationalistic than the Silver Surfer (other than his culture exposure growing up with the Kents).

    Superman being nationalistic would reflect poorly on his world-view and morals.

    Of course, he should be a hero for all of mankind. (This country is not the hallmark of fairness and liberty. It is a good country in that regard, but our country has many faults—as do all others.)

  49. Why aren’t the right embracing the fact that Superman renounced his citizenship under a democrat, directly to one of his advisers?

    “Captain America’s endless assault on all things American was almost more than I could stand. Now that Superman is doing the same, I can no longer support an industry that seems Hell-bent on spitting in my face every chance it gets. I hate ditching my great comic shop and comic shop owner, but I can no longer support creators who present one half of the political spectrum at the expense of the other half. I am tired of paying someone to insult me.”

    So Bill Willingham and Chuck Dixon have to suffer because of things Goyer, Brubaker and Stan Lee wrote? Comics is a big industry; not all of them are spitting on you.

  50. “But you are not an unstable viewer of Fox news. I never said you were. But there are unstable idiots on all sides of the issues who take all this stuff way too seriously.”

    So then, should both sides put a moratorium on reporting things that might make their viewers angry, so that all potentially unstable viewers are given nothing to react to? Fox New reporting only right-leaning stories and MSNBC only left-leaning stories, with both of them not reporting (let alone commentating) on things their viewers would find controversial and potentially incite them to violence?

    The point I feel you made with this specific article is that Fox was creating a problem by reporting the news. But couldn’t a nut bag who happened to flip to the story on CNN also be incensed?

    Unless the goal is to stop Fox News from ever reporting anything that would make one side or the other upset, I see no reason to single them out as causing a problem. I didn’t learn about the Brubaker brooha from Fox; I learned about it online at various sites like The Beat. If I was a nutbag, wouldn’t that have set me off? I didn’t even know Fox had reported on the Superman issue until I saw it mentioned here. I got my initial taste of the story from Comics Alliance, who by the way did run an opinionated slanted piece.

  51. The headline, specifically the word “Unleashes” (which was about as subtle as “release the Kraken” BTW) is obviously and clearly trying to say something negative about Fox. Pretending otherwise just makes you look like someone belching out hyperbole and then trying to backpeddle in the most passive aggressive fashion. That’s just lame. Just own it and move on already. I’m sure you’re in sympathetic company being anti Fox. Nothing to be ashamed of.

  52. Wasn’t Lex Luthor DC’s President of the USA a few short years ago without Superman renouncing his citizenship? Is DC saying Obama is worse than Luthor? Is Superman a super…racist?

  53. Pat and Rob, Canadian / not Canadian? Hah! Wait until they find the artist in this story, Miguel Sepulveda, isn’t even from the American continent but… A Spaniard! :P

  54. Of course, since Clark Kent was raised in Kansas, he probably would think of himself as an American.

    Since I haven’t read this issue, (and probably won’t unless I can read it in the store, since I don’t have the $$ to spend on books lately), does Superman actually RENOUNCE his US citizenship? Or does he just make a “Citizen of the World” speech?

  55. It’s funny, but the way I see it, both sides of the fence have very good points to make. The problem is the minority of nut cases that speak the loudest and then get taken as the majority by the other side. If we spent half the energy we do on making mountains out of mole hills and fake facts out of half truths and lies, on fixing our country’s real problems, things would be okay. My answer is love. I make love my foundation for every opinion I form. I’m a lot happier since I decided to do that.
    If I have any complaint about the Superman story, it’s that I don’t feel it really went anywhere. Superman didn’t even really seem like a character to me. He just seemed like a mouthpiece for one writer’s political statement. Superman doesn’t want to be a U.S. citizen anymore. So what? Show me what happens after that. How do other heroes, his friends, his family react? How does it effect his life? After all the hoopla I was kind of disappointed. It seems like so much of what’s going on in real life, after the fact, is more interesting than the story it’s self. Not that D.G. is a bad writer. I just would have like to have seen it played out more. Maybe, he can make a larger story arch out of it. Whether I agree or disagree, give me a good story, and I’m yours.

  56. “Rich, he doesn’t do either. He tells someone he’s GOING to do both, but it doesn’t actually happen.”

    That’s interesting … 73 comments over Superman saying something … Imagine if he actually did either one.

  57. It wasn’t just FoxNews that made a story of this. Other news sources did as well, some of them “liberal”. The fact that you guys just pass this off as a manufactured FoxNews controversy shows how biased you are. You guys need to start viewing reality with both eyes open instead of just picking and choosing things to reinforce your own prejudices. And no, I’m not a Fox fan or a conservative.

  58. Thus raising the disturbing question, how does Clark Kent have a Social Security Number?

    Of course, I could also ask how infants from other planets eat and breathe and cure the hiccups and stop from rejecting aerosol chemicals like a bad liver transplant.

    Superpowers are magic.

  59. The best Superman stories are about his humanity and not about him being distinctly American

    Point being, this story point and story line mean absolutely nothing in the long run

  60. Superpowers are magic.

    They don’t have to be magic, but the issue of, say, whether superheroes need passports indicates that writing a classic superhero realistically is hard. If someone wants to write a superhero realistically, it’s far better to design him and his environment with that in mind than it is to put him in a “realistic” situation and hope the reader doesn’t notice all the incongruities.

    SRS