In the most recent issue of Diamond Previews, Warren Ellis devotes a full page to the discussion of his and Avatar Press' new title, Black Summer.
In the interest of honesty, let me say first that I happen to like a lot of Warren Ellis' work. I think he is creative, intelligent and has a good knowledge of the characters he creates and writes. In fact, I will probably read Black Summer and would love to do a review of the book. From looking at the preview pages at Avatar Press, it looks like it will be a kick. However, in this article he says some things that I have to discuss.
He starts telling how Black Summer came about, how he created the idea and who was behind the motivation. He easily admits the book will be political as well as science fiction novel dealing with Superheroes.
While his work on Stormwatch and The Authority (a devout guilty pleasure. I think I have read and enjoyed almost every issue) have always been blatantly political, with Black Summer he seems to want to go a few steps further. Which makes sense in a business world, the envelope must continue to be pushed or someone else will do it for you.
Ellis asks the question: "If we invite or condone masked adventures to fight crime outside the law, do we get to draw a line where they stop?"
I think the answer is evident in society all around us if one simply stops to look. Yes, we do have a right to draw such a line. In fact, it has been drawn for thousands of years both in a physical and spiritual manner.
Mankind has always had laws and rules' deeming what is acceptable behavior for those with power and authority. Yes, many times those laws and rules have been disregarded but they still exist.
Even today, we have a plethora of laws dealing with the Military, Police Departments and even teachers. We expect certain behavior, and when we discover those who are not living to those standards, we punish the ones that we find. See, we know that there are Police officers who are crooked; teachers who abuse children and Military personnel who commit crimes.
And we seldom stand for it. Look at the news headlines of your local newspaper or watch TV (although I no longer look to Television for news) or check online. See what happens when we catch a Police officer in the wrong. We prosecute them most of the time.
The Police Departments all across the United States have programs to deal specifically with cops that are under investigation, and most of the time if they are convicted they are given harsher sentences then the rest of the population. In addition, usually their lives aren't worth spit in jail.
What happens when a Marine or soldier is accused of a crime? It is investigated and if enough evidence is found, they stand before a jury and are possibly convicted. As an example, look at the men and women found guilty of 'torture' at the various P.O.W. camps over the last couple of years.
When they were convicted, they received some of the roughest sentences you can get. The people accused of rape, once they were found guilty, were sentenced to terms ranging from a decade to life.
If a male teacher is caught having sex with a female student he is arrested and held for trial, usually with a quite high bail. If he is convicted, he goes to jail for a few years. I say "Male Teacher" and "Female Student" to make a different point; a 'Female Teacher" and a "Male Student" situation is seldom punished the same way.
Yes, sometimes the bad guys win.
Some get away with their actions. However, aren't the 'buzzwords,' "It is better for ten guilty men to go free then one innocent man to be imprisoned?"
Now, I can't speak for any other nation but the United States. Moreover, I can't and don't speak for all Americans. Nevertheless, I think if we did invite a 'Super-human' to fight crime "outside the law", we could expect them to follow basic rules of conformity to civilized attitudes.
What would happen if "a self-identified crime fighter lives in a country where a President can be said to have prosecuted an illegal war..." and said crime fighter then kills said President?
Would the American people rise up against the 'crime fighter?' Would they demand his arrest, trial and punishment?
Oh, yes. They certainly would. Even if the President was one of the most hated men in the world, they would rise up against the 'crime fighter' for some of the simplest reasons in the world, and therefore some of the most misunderstood reasons of all.
American's like our heroes to be Heroes. We don't like heroes who beat their wives, rape teen-age girls, murder in cold blood etc.
Yes, we know that all Heroes have 'feet of clay' but we still love them, worship them and respect them. As long as they work to earn that respect and live to deserve the worship and even respond to the love we show them.
When Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield's ear, he was no longer looked at as the "Champion". He was the guy who bit off that fella's ear. However, Muhammad Ali is still the "Black Superman" to millions of fans.
Clint Eastwood probably killed more people then John Wayne ever did, but it is the Duke who has remained in the hearts of people for decades even after his death. Even today, Gene Autry is still a Hero to people despite a few run-ins with Hollywood police for D.U.I.s.
Clayton Moore lived a life reflecting the Lone Rangers Creed, and people saw that. Even though many were aware that he had personal problems, they also saw a man who believed what he said.
Ever hear the phrase "In Like Flynn?" Refers to Errol Flynn, a womanizer, drinker, carouser, who got in trouble over more women then most of us will ever meet, but he is still a Hero to his fans.
The list goes on. Because we know our Heroes can make mistakes and we accept those mistakes. Up to a point. Fatty Arbuckle is one point.
O.J. Simpson is another. When a person commits rape, murder, child molestation they are no longer a hero. They have become a villain. And the American people would demand the villain be punished.
See, America loves our Heroes. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Spider-Man, the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers. You can see that love on Tee shirts, pajamas, jackets, caps, tattoos, toys, lunch boxes, even advertising.
Yes, we know that sometimes a Hero will smoke and drink. We have even begun to understand that they have (gasp) sex. We don't even care if they are gay. But we don't condone murder from our Heroes. Ever.
If your hypothetical crime fighter committed murder we would punish him. Yes, the streets would probably run red with blood and the country would most likely fall as a nation. The nation might even fall under the Dictatorial Hand of this former crime fighter; but there would still be a cadre of citizens trying to strike back. There would still be someone, somewhere trying to figure out how to make the former 'hero' bleed.
And being a nation of misfits, outcasts and castoff from every other nation, being a country made up of the refuse and the 'unwanted' people from around the world who built a nation of free people, people who like to worship as they please, speak what is on their mind, read and watch what they want, I think we could figure out a way to strike back.
But, we love Heroes.