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Submit ReviewSubstance Abusers in Comics
On today’s show we discuss Substance Abusers in Comics! You may think that the Hero always gets the bad guy, But did you know sometimes they go down a dark path like Heroin or Alcohol to cope with their own demons? Our own, sketch comedian Imran and special guest star J Hammond C are live and on the drawing boards.
Drug addiction is a tricky subject to deal with taste and accuracy in any kind of fictional narrative, much less mainstream comic books, which are meant to entertain with stories about people with powers mostly hitting things more than anything else. Having said that, addiction to substances is a real world problem, and if modern comics are going to reflect the human condition in any way, then addiction to substances is something that has to come up occasionally. Whether or not they do it well is a matter of taste, I suppose, but nevertheless, there are characters who have taken have battled substance addictions and won, and some who lost.
Comic Legends: Did Marvel Try to Release a Daredevil Comic Sans-Code? – CBR Reports:
Marvel almost released the “Child’s Play” story without Comics Code approval, but editor Denny O’Neil objected.
What was going to be in Daredevil #167-168 originally was a special two-parter involving Daredevil and the Punisher called “Child’s Play,” that dealt with young people getting addicted to drugs. The Comics Code would not approve of the issue. However, after some changes to the Comics Code, the issues eventually saw publication (with some slight edits) in Daredevil #183-184…
However, what’s fascinating is that the comic book actually had TWO chances to still see publication before Daredevil #183-184! First off, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter initially planned on just releasing the issues without Comic Code approval, like Marvel had famously done with the Amazing Spider-Man issues (#96-98) about drug abuse that Stan Lee had written years earlier at the behest of the federal government.
Denny O’Neil, editor of the series, said no. The whole point of the arc was to have it reach as wide an audience as possible, so he did not want the book to be just a specialty item. That turned out to be the right call, as the Code relaxed its drug standards and the issues ended up reaching a wide audience a couple of years later.
Super Hereos with Substance Abuse Issues
Tony Stark/Ironman
It’s hard to imagine that Tony Stark/Iron Man existed long before Robert Downey, Jr. Throughout the years, the super-rich genius/engineer battled countless threats and super-villains but in 1979, it was Stark’s own alcoholism that broke through his industrial-grade armor. The storyline, famously known as “Demon in a Bottle,” chronicles Stark’s descent into binge-drinking and losing his leadership over the Avengers. One of the covers is a classic, showing a sweaty, five o’clock-shadowed Tony Stark staring helplessly into the mirror. It’s less important in its stab at exploring alcoholism than it is a comic book taking a character flaw and turning it against the main character. While Stark’s troubles are conquered a bit too easily, it remains a bold statement about what comic book storytelling can accomplish.
Karen Page/Daredevil
Blind since birth, Matt Murdock/Daredevil has always lived in the dark—but there was no way for him to ever see the events of 1986’s “Apocalypse” coming. Murdock’s ex-girlfriend (and former secretary) Karen Page returns, turning his life inside-out. Karen’s revealed to have had minor success as an actress before becoming a junkie/porn star. Turns out, Karen img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/cy3ysm84h1cokosfdymu.jpg">has sold Matt’s secret identity for a fix which, in turn, gets sold to Daredevil’s nemesis The Kingpin. Over the course of subsequent issues, Murdock helps Karen beat her heroin addiction and rebuild their relationship.
Roy Harper/Speedy – Green Arrow/Lantern
With the limitations of the Comics Code and reluctance by comics publishers to tackle real-world issues, drug addiction wasn’t really handled by DC until 1971. In Green Lantern #85, by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams, packed a much harder punch. In the story, Green Arrow fought junkies armed with a crossbow loaded with arrows used by his sidekick, Speedy (Roy Harper). Green Lantern and Green Arrow tracked the junkies to find Speedy with them, but he wasn’t undercover as they first thought. He was there to shoot up. Harper managed to fight off the addiction and they took down the drug ring, but he was never the same. It hurt his relationship with Green Arrow, but also led him to become a counselor to help others fight addiction. In the end, he became even more of a hero.
Batman
“Batman” and “drug addiction” don’t belong in the same sentence. If anything, the Caped Crusader is most likely to be addicted to glowering or brooding. But in 1991, Batman went down an unexpected path. If the cover art of a bearded, out-of-it Batman surrounded by his cape and scattered pills isn’t compelling enough for you, I don’t know what is. After failing to save the life of a little girl, Batman goes off the deep end. He’s introduced to “Venom”—a steroid that makes him both aggressive and gleeful in his rage. The experimental drug is also (naturally) highly addictive. The story doesn’t pull any punches with Batman’s withdrawal or the fight for his sanity. Like Bruce Wayne’s childhood, it’s a painful and tortured experience that makes his recovery all the more compelling.
Captain America
Remember that time when Captain America was taking down a Manhattan drug ring, the meth lab exploded, and good old Cap went insane? No? You don’t recall that he gets jacked on meth, beats the hell out of Daredevil, and shouts “Bock bock bock bock!” like a chicken? It’s all part of the heavy-handed 1990 storyline “Streets of Poison” that ends on one of the most obvious “Just say no” moments ever. Quite literally, in fact. While it’s not one of the finest moments in comics history, it’s still an interesting time capsule into America’s War on Drugs campaign.
Carol Danvers (Ms Marvel)
Otherwise known as Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers is often considered one of the most iconic female characters in comic book history. She is also one of the most important recovering alcoholics in comics. In one story, as her powers start dissipating, her drinking problem increases. Naturally, Tony Stark sees Carol’s problem straightaway, but it’s too late. Instead of dealing with her problems, Carol does what many alcoholics do with their problems: she runs from them. She quits the Avengers and tries to make a new life for herself as a writer. However, she fails to overcome her drinking, eventually getting alcohol poisoning. In a happy ending, she ultimately finds sobriety and starts regularly attending AA meetings.
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Prime Time Animation
On today’s show we discuss Primetime Animation! You may recognize some of these adult targeted cartoons but did you know that one hold a Guinness book of world’s record title? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards.
At the top of the hour we mentioned Primetime Animation
The Flintstones was the first, and the longest running, animated situation comedy shown in prime-time television. Premiering on ABC on 30 September 1960, it gained high ratings in its first season, establishing animation as a viable prime time format. Produced by Hanna-Barbera (Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera), The Flintstones was patterned after Jackie Gleason’s The Honeymooners. Originally designed as a program for the entire family.
The Jetson’s as a Live Action Film?
In case you were too young to have known about “The Jetsons”, it was a Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the early-’60s which took place in the future when everybody thought we would live in buildings high above the sky and would drive flying cars — AKA what everyone considered 2001 was going to be. (We have computers in our hands now that we can make phones calls with, so maybe they got something right.) The Jetsons are also a family, with father George, mother Jane, daughter Judy, and son Elroy. Warner Bros. has decided to bring back “The Jetsons” for the new generation that Hanna-Barbera thought would be living in this future, in the form of an animated feature film. If this sounds oddly familiar to you, it would be because Warner Bros. had spoke about transforming this film into a live-action feature way back in the far off past of 2012. Somewhere along the lines, WB decided that live-action wasn’t the right market and decided to bring The Jetsons back to their animated roots. The switch could be because WB has realized that cartoons are where it’s at. I mean, I won’t lie, I marathon “Adventure Time” and everything I can find for free on the YouTube channel Cartoon Hangover, like “Bravest Warriors” and “Bee and Puppycat” (trust me, just check them out). Even Seth Rogen is taking his stab at a cartoon feature film with the adult-oriented film Sausage Party, due out in June 2016.
WB has commissioned screenwriter Matt Lieberman to write it, while he is also writing the Short Circuit reboot, he sounds like the man for the job.
From Bedrock to Springfield
As anyone who has ever animated will tell you: cartoons are not merely kid’s stuff. The process of animating is tedious beyond tedium. We take it for granted now that animated features frequently play in major theaters, but Disney was the laughing stock of Hollywood during the three years that his production company spent developing Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. After the film came out, and it was Disney who enjoyed the last laugh.
But when it came to animating for television, production companies couldn’t take three years to get a project going. Television demanded a different production model, one that favored expedience, and placed more emphasis on the writing and repartee between characters than it did on the sleekness of the animation itself.
Creation
Crusader Rabbit
One of the true pioneers of limited animation television programming was producer Jay Ward. Ward, and animator Alex Anderson, pioneered methods of “limited animation.” To briefly explain what this means: traditional animation (such as the classic Disney shorts) would be animated at 24 frames a second. In some instances, this would mean that a second of footage was comprised of 24 unique images. With limited animation, there are about half as many drawings, and there are several other technical shortcuts employed. For example, letting the dialogue drives the narrative. One of the first limited animation programs that Jay Ward sold was called Crusader Rabbit, and it aired on various NBC affiliates from 1948 to 1951. The show was crucial in establishing the foundation of TV animation
Rocky & Bullwinkle
- Ward and Anderson broke new ground with the program The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, which aired from 1959 to 1961 on ABC, and 1961 to 1964 on NBC. Writer Bill Scott was recruited to assist with scripts, and the program became a smash success. The program was structured like a variety TV show, with disparate narratives strung together with animated interstitials such as “Fractured Fairy Tales” segments which parodied Grimm fairy tales, or the Mr. Peabody segments, which featured a precocious pooch who traveled through time and rewrote history. The dialogue was sharply written, and, unlike Crusader Rabbit, the program has aged quite well. Although it was aimed primarily at a young audience, topical jokes and allusions made the show appealing to adults.
The Flintstones
- The real trendsetter, however, was the first prime-time animated program aimed at kids and adults: The Flintstones, which ran from 1960 to 1966 on ABC. The program was the brainchild of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, who essentially took the central characters from the classic sitcom The Honeymooners, and placed them in prehistoric times. The show is remembered for its primitive answers to (what were at the time) contemporary technologies, with small critters or dinosaurs typically serving as everyday appliances. They were, as the title song says, a “modern stone-age family.” For all its cutesy characteristics, the show didn’t shy away from heavier themes. One episode dealt with infertility issues (Betty Rubble is distressed that she can’t conceive, and the Rubbles ultimately adopt Bam-Bam)
The Simpsons
- The Simpsons family, of course, started out as an animated segment on the “The Tracey Ullman Show.” The popularity of the animated segments soon eclipsed the popularity of the rest of the show, and the series premiere was the “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” Christmas special which first aired in 1989. It seemed like an advantageous premiere date, in that there were precedents set for prime-time animated programs broadcast during the holiday seasons
- And now with the show entering into its 26th season, just shortly after an FXX 12 Day marathon underway (so popular that Directv offered subscribers a free trial during the marathon), The Simpsons is now just part of a market that has become, in recent years, over-saturated with shows that lack nuance, and favor over-the-top crudeness in their site gags. Some producers have managed to follow suit of The Simpsons, including the phenomenally talented Mike Judge, and the talented team of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, while others have been critical of Seth MacFarlane for a reliance on tired formulas and conceptually under-cooked narratives.
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∴Please donate at this link, like and share! #PodcastersUnite Raising money for Relief from Hurricane #IRMA∴
Blazing Caribou Studios, along with our Independent podcasting community formed #Podcasters Unite! and are raising money to help the relief efforts from Hurricane Irma for the American Red Cross. Every little bit helps. This cause means a lot to us, and we believe that our voices can make a difference together.
Join us today, Tuesday September 12 from 2pm ET to 2am ET for a day of community celebration as we support relief efforts for Hurricane Irma with some of your favorite indie podcast hosts. You can see this awesome Pod-Stravaganza Live on Facebook at Blazing Caribou Studios.
All Patreons Pledges that Join The Herd at Blazing Caribou Studios, until the end of the month will have all their proceeds donated to the American Red Cross. Plus you get all the cool benefits of being a Patron. Check all that out at www.patreon.com/blazingcaribou
All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross in order to help those affected by the trauma of Hurricane Irma
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s
Captain America
On today’s show we discuss Captain America! You may recognize him as the patriotic super soldier that fights off evil armed with his indestructible shield, But did you know he also possesses the power to wield Thor’s Hammer? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards.
Captain America is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover dated March 1941) from Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics.
Breakdown of Captain America’s new suit in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ – Fanside Reports:
While the poster for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ did give us our first look at Captain America’s new suit, post-Civil War, it’s difficult to tell if the new suit is a version of the Nomad costume, or The Captain.
To be clear, it’s been some time since the poster for Avengers: Infinity War was released. It was unveiled by Marvel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, driving fans crazy the moment it dropped. The poster had fans going wild for many reasons, but the most pertinent being the character reveals. War Machine and Bucky Barnes back in action were probably the most surprising, but Captain America’s appearance on the corner of the poster definitely got more people interested in the suit Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is going to be wearing, now that he’s no longer going by the Captain America alias.
BackStory
Steven Rogers was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in 1925 to poor Irish immigrants, Sarah and Joseph Rogers.Joseph died when Steve was a child, and Sarah died of pneumonia while Steve was a teen. By early 1940, before America’s entry into World War II, Rogers is a tall, scrawny fine arts student specializing in illustration and a comic book writer and artist.
Disturbed by the rise of the Third Reich, Rogers attempts to enlist but is rejected due to his frail body. His resolution attracts the notice of U.S. Army General Chester Phillips and “Project: Rebirth”. Rogers is used as a test subject for the Super-Soldier project, receiving a special serum made by “Dr. Josef Reinstein”,later retroactively changed to a code name for the scientist Abraham Erskine. The serum is a success and transforms Steve Rogers into a nearly perfect human being with peak strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence. The success of the program leaves Erskine wondering about replicating the experiment on other human beings. The process itself has been inconsistently detailed: While in the original material Rogers is shown receiving injections of the Super-Serum, when the origin was retold in the 1960s, the Comic Code Authority had already put a veto over graphic description of drug intake and abuse, and thus the Super-Serum was changed into an oral formula.
Creation
- 1940 Joe Simon conceived the idea for Captain America and made a sketch of the character in costume. “I wrote the name ‘Super American’ at the bottom of the page,” Simon said in his autobiography, and then considered: “No, it didn’t work. There were too many “Supers” around. “Captain America” had a good sound to it. There weren’t a lot of captains in comics. It was as easy as that.” The boy companion was simply named Bucky, after my friend Bucky Pierson, a star on our high school basketball team.
- Simon recalled in his autobiography that Timely Comics publisher Martin Goodman gave him the go-ahead and directed that a Captain America solo comic book series be published as soon as possible. Needing to fill a full comic with primarily one character’s stories, Simon did not believe that his regular creative partner, artist Jack Kirby, could handle the workload alone
Golden Age
Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). Cover art by Joe Simon (inks and pencils) and Jack Kirby (pencils).
- Cover-dated March 1941 and on sale December 20, 1940,a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but a full year into World War II — showed the protagonist punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler; it sold nearly one million copies.
- Simon noted, “When the first issue came out we got a lot of … threatening letters and hate mail. Some people really opposed what Cap stood for.
- Captain America immediately became the most prominent and enduring of that wave of superheroes introduced in American comic books prior to and during World War II, as evidenced by the unusual move at the time of premiering the character in his own title instead of an anthology title first. This popularity drew the attention and a complaint from MLJ that the character’s triangular shield too closely resembled the chest symbol of their Shield character. In response, Goodman had Simon and Kirby create a distinctive round shield for issue 2, which went on to become an iconic element of the character
Silver and Bronze Age
Avengers #4 (March 1964). Cover art by Jack Kirby and George Roussos.
- In the Human Torch story titled “Captain America” in Marvel Comics’ Strange Tales #114 (Nov. 1963), writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby depicted the brash young Fantastic Four member Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in an exhibition performance with Captain America, described as a legendary World War II and 1950s superhero who has returned after many years of apparent retirement. The 18-page story ends with this Captain America revealed as an impostor. Captain America was then formally reintroduced in The Avengers #4 (March 1964), which explained that in the final days of World War II, he had fallen from an experimental drone plane into the North Atlantic Ocean and spent decades frozen in a block of ice in a state of suspended animation.
- After then guest-starring in the feature “Iron Man” in Tales of Suspense #58 (Oct. 1964), Captain America gained his own solo feature in that “split book”, beginning the following issue.
- This series — considered Captain America volume one by comics researchers and historians,following the 1940s Captain America Comics and its 1950s numbering continuation of Tales of Suspense — ended with #454 (Aug. 1996)
Modern Age
Promotional art for Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #1 (Sept. 2010) by Carlos Pacheco and Tim Townsend
As part of the aftermath of Marvel Comics’ company-crossover storyline “Civil War”, Steve Rogers was ostensibly killed in Captain America vol. 5, #25 (March 2007). The storyline of Rogers’ return began in issue #600. Rogers, who was not dead but caroming through time, returned to the present day in the six-issue miniseries Captain America: Reborn (Sept. 2009 – March 2010).
After Rogers’ return, Bucky, Rogers’ sidekick, continued as Captain America, beginning in the one-shot comic Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield? (Feb. 2010). Bucky continued adventuring in the pages of Captain America, while Steve Rogers received his own miniseries (Steve Rogers: Super-Soldier) as well as taking on the leadership position in a new Secret Avengers ongoing series.
Marvel announced that Rogers will become Captain America once again in the comic series Captain America: Steve Rogers.This new series follows the events of “Avengers: Standoff!,” in which Captain America is restored to his youthful state following an encounter with the sentient Cosmic Cube, Kobik, and his past is drastically rewritten under the instructions of the Red Skull. Afterward, Captain America plots to set himself and Hydra in a position where they can conquer America in Marvel’s upcoming event “Secret Empire.”
Fun Facts I bet you didn’t know about Captain America
Fact 1 – In 1966 Joe Simon sued the owners of Marvel Comics, asserting that he—not Marvel— he felt he was legally entitled to renew the copyright upon the expiration of the original 28-year term. The two parties settled out of court, with Simon agreeing to a statement that the character had been created under terms of employment by the publisher, and therefore it was work for hire owned by them.
660x541.png" alt="Captain America" width="484" height="397">Joe Simon sued the owners of Marvel Comics
Fact 2 – He can use Thor’s Hammer – Casual Marvel fans who have only watched The Avengers and related movies could be forgiven for assuming that it takes Chris Hemsworth’s arms to lift the mighty hammer Mjolnir. However, as any Thor nerd is happy to point out, picking up the hammer does not require physical strength. The not-so-fine print of the hammer reads “Whosever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Hence, a number of Marvel characters (along with Superman and Wonder Woman), have held the hammer.
Fact 3 – He once fought Wolverine as a Werewolf – The idea of heroes turning into werewolves in a Marvel comic is not as far-fetched as you might think. Given that this universe contains all sorts of monsters, it’s more surprising that such transformations don’t happen more often. At any rate, while fighting Nightshade, the self-styled “Queen of the Werewolves,” Captain America is injected with a new serum that turns him into a werewolf.
Fact 4 – Captain America is older than Marvel – Captain America has become a very public face for Marvel comics, billed as the “First Avenger” and known as the moral center of Marvel’s universe. The only problem with that is that Marvel didn’t create him. He was actually created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the latter of whom later helped Stan Lee create heroes such as the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, and the X-Men.
Fact 5 – Captain America has no idea what drugs are – For characters as old as Captain America, it’s a challenge to come up with a foe that Cap has not fought before. Since Cap is such a powerful symbol of America itself, writer Mark Gruenwald came up with a foe new to Cap but very familiar to America: drugs.
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Sketching Comedy Presents: Underdogs!
On today’s show we discuss The Underdogs in Comics! You may recognize many titles and artists out there, But did you know that there are more to graphic novels than just super heroes? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards.
Today we are discussing a couple of underdog comics that Phil & Imran wanted to bring to your attention, the first Phil is going to discuss is THE HUMANS which the series focuses on the Humans outlaw biker gang based in an alternate 1970s Bakersfield, California, described as “a high-octane, no-holds-barred, ape-biker-gang chopper cruise back into ’70s exploitation genre bliss,” where the dominant species are anthropomorphic apes, and humans (called “Skins”) are used as pets or slaves, similar and Spiritual Successor to Planet of the Apes.
The Humans – by Tom Neely & Keenan Marshall Keller
Tom Neely is an artist living in Los Angeles. He is best known for the cult-hit indie comic book Henry & Glenn Forever, which he created with his artist collective The Igloo Tornado.
Neely’s art has been featured in galleries in California and New York, in magazines, literary journals and on album covers for bands like Isis, Melvins, Groovie Ghoulies and Green Day. His debut graphic novel, The Blot, earned him an Ignatz Award and made it onto several of the industry’s Best of 2007 lists as well as The Comics Journal’s Best Graphic Novels of the decade 2000-10.
Chew by Jon Layman & Rob Guillroy
The next in our Underdog episode, Imran is going to tell us all about “Chew” which is an American comic book series about a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agent who solves crimes by receiving psychic impressions from food, including people.
Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002, mainly for Marvel Comics. He also worked on several comic books based on licensed properties, such as Xena: Warrior Princess and ThunderCats, as well as crossovers like Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness.
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Sketching Comedy Presents: Ms. Marvel
On today’s show we discuss Ms. Marvel! You may recognize her as the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. But did you know that former President Obama is a huge fan?
This week we took to Facebook Live and created a fun show for our viewers and listeners. Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards.. so tune in to this special Sketching Comedy.
Forget ‘Captain Marvel,’ What We Really Need Is A Ms. Marvel Movie – Movie Pilot Reports:
It’s fair to say that the success of #WonderWoman has paved the way for other female superheroes to make their way to the big screen. With so many of their female characters being used by Sony and Fox ─ #Disney owned Marvel studios are pretty far behind in making badass female superhero films. However, the studio is planning to release their highly anticipated Captain Marvel film starring Brie Larson in 2019.
More female superhero films are, of course, always welcome, but one has to wonder if Captain Marvel really is what Marvel should begin its foray into superheroine films with, especially since Marvel owns such popular and critically acclaimed properties such as 2014’s Ms. Marvel series.
A Kamala Khan-centered movie will give Marvel two of the most successful trends of this summer: female superheroes and YA heroes. The success of Wonder Woman and #SpiderManHomecoming has proven that both topics can work wonders, and Ms. Marvel easily provides the best of both worlds. A Ms. Marvel movie in the same universe as our teenage Peter Parker would allow for some fun moments, especially since the duo has proved so popular in the comics. Additionally, introducing Ms. Marvel to the world will make explaining the #Inhumans (and the Terrigenesis process) easier, and could pave the way for further exploration of Inhuman characters.
A Captain Marvel film, aside from putting more women in the forefront, really has no purpose. Carol Danvers is a beautiful, blonde superhero who’s inherently perfect and whose biggest problem in life is her quest for identity as a female Avenger. While all that is great, it still stands to reason that Ms. Marvel — who has always felt (and been) different — would be a much better role model for children.
Ms. Marvel’s role in TV or films has been teased by veteran comicbook writer and ex-CCO of Marvel Entertainment Joe Quesada. By forgoing Ms. Marvel in favor of character with more sex appeal (and less personality), Marvel’s really missed an opportunity to showcase a vibrant, three-dimensional character unlike anything else on the screen. Still, until then, we can keep our fingers crossed that this brazen superhero somehow cameos in the upcoming Captain Marvel film.
Ms. Marvel On Wiki
Creating Ms. Marvel
Khan is Marvel’s first Muslim character to headline her own comic book. However, Noelene Clark of the Los Angeles Times noted that Khan is not the first Muslim character in comic books, which include Simon Baz, Dust and M.
The conception of Kamala Khan came about during a conversation between Marvel editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker. Sana said, “I was telling [Stephen} some crazy anecdote about my childhood, growing up as a Muslim-American and he found it hilarious.
Sana stated that Khan’s costume was influenced by the Shalwar Kameez. They wanted the costume to represent her cultural identity, but did not want her to wear a hijab. Sana also stated that they wanted the character to look “less like a sex siren” to appeal to a more vocal female readership.
Marvel knew that they wanted a young Muslim girl, but stated that she could be from any place of origin and have any background. Wilson initially considered making her an Arab girl from Dearborn, Michigan but ultimately chose to create a Desi “Desi” is a loose term for the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent or South Asia girl from Jersey City.Jersey City, which sits across the Hudson River from Manhattan, has been referred to as New York City’s “Sixth borough”. It therefore forms an important part of Khan’s identity and the narrative journey of her character since most of Marvel Comics’ stories are set in Manhattan. Wilson explains, “A huge aspect of Ms. Marvel is being a ‘second string hero’ in the ‘second string city’ and having to struggle out of the pathos and emotion that can give a person.
The series not only explores Khan’s conflicts with super-villains but also explores conflicts with Khan’s home and religious duties. Wilson, a convert to Islam, said “This is not evangelism. It was really important for me to portray Kamala as someone who is struggling with her faith. [adding] Her brother is extremely conservative, her mom is paranoid that she’s going to touch a boy and get pregnant, and her father wants her to concentrate on her studies and become a doctor.”
Kamala made her first appearance in Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013) before going on to star in the solo series Ms. Marvel, which debuted in February 2014.
As much as Islam is a part of Kamala’s identity, this book isn’t preaching about religion or the Islamic faith in particular. It’s about what happens when you struggle with the labels imposed on you, and how that forms your sense of self. It’s a struggle we’ve all faced in one form or another, and isn’t just particular to Kamala because she’s Muslim. Her religion is just one aspect of the many ways she defines herself.
Who is Kamala Khan?
So we now know that within the Marvel Universe, Khan is a teenage Pakistani American from New Jersey with shape shifting abilities. She then discovers that she has Inhuman genes in the aftermath of the “Inhumanity” story line. (In humans coming to ABC in November of 2018)
Unlike the previous incarnations of the character, Khan is a teenager who is fun-loving, witty and obsessed with nerdy things such as Tween Mutant Samurai Turtles (a play on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). She’s also more relatable given that she’s passionate about social media, writes fan fiction, plays video games and follows superheroes (she’s a proper superhero fan-girl but loves Captain Marvel). She’s also unique as she’s the first Ms. Marvel to obtain her power through Terri-genesis (the Marvel Inhuman power transfer process), and consequently becomes a poly-morph, obtaining the power to lengthen her arms and legs and change shape.
In the series’ first story arc, Khan faces off against Mr. Edison / the Inventor, an amalgam of man and bird. Wilson created the Inventor to be Khan’s first arch rival in order to mirror Khan’s own complexity. During the story line, Khan also teams-up with the X-Man Wolverine against the Inventor. Because Wolverine is dealing with the loss of his healing factor during this time, Khan is placed in the position of having to shoulder much of the responsibilities, as Wilson felt this was a role reversal that would subvert reader expectations that Wolverine would take the lead in such a team-up.
What is Kamala up to today?
Since her debut, Kamala’s managed to work with the likes of #SpiderMan, #Wolverine, the #Avengers and has even joined the superhero team-up group the Champions.
In 2015 Won the Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Artist, and the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story.
In 2016 it won an award at the international Comics Festival, the Eisner Award for best Writer (G. Willow Wilson) and the Dragon Award for Best Comic Book
- In January 2015, images of Khan began appearing over anti-Islamic advertisements on San Francisco city buses. The advertisements, purchased by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, equated Islam with Nazism. In response, street artists covered the ads with images of Khan alongside messages like “”Calling all Bigotry Busters,” “Stamp out Racism,” “Free speech isn’t a license to spread hate,” “Islamophobia hurts us all,” and “Racist.” About the response, Wilson tweeted, “Some amazing person has been painting over the anti-Muslim bus ads in SF with Ms. Marvel graffiti… To me, the graffiti is part of the back-and-forth of the free speech conversation. Call and response. Argument, counterargument.”
- In March 2016, Sana Amanat introduced President Barack Obama at a reception for Women’s History Month in the White House. In his opening remarks Obama replied, “Ms. Marvel may be your comic book creation, but I think for a lot of young boys and girls, Sana’s a real superhero.”
- In October 2016, Khan appeared on the cover of The Village Voice in an illustration that pays homage to J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” poster. The cover is accompanied by an article by Mallika Rao titled “The Super Hero For Our Times: Ms. Marvel Will Save You Now” that profiles Wilson, with a focus on the increasing diversity of comic book characters, creators, and fans.
5 Fun Facts – About Ms Marvel I bet you didn’t know!
Fact 1 – The series was expected to flop. “A series like this was, by the superhero industry math of the time, was doomed to fail. It was the trifecta of death: New characters don’t sell. Female characters don’t sell. Minority characters don’t sell.”
Fact 2 – She is one of the youngest characters to join the Avengers What makes Ms. Marvel different from a lot of these heroes is that she is one of the youngest characters to officially join an Avengers team. A few of the Young Avengers, such as Wiccan or Stature, were a bit younger than Kamala,but, as much as we love them, the Young Avengers weren’t a sanctioned team.
Fact 3 – She helped found The Champions! The new team is founded by the three ex-Avengers, Ms. Marvel, Nova, and Spider-Man. After getting fed up with the Avengers lack of concern for ordinary people, Ms. Marvel abandons Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and creates the Champions; a team of young heroes dedicated to righting the wrongs of their predecessors.
Fact 4 –She made an appearance on “Avengers Assemble” Kamala first made a cameo in the Avengers Assemble episode “Inhuman Condition” where the Avengers are brought to Attilan to help rescue the royal family. Ms. Marvel later appeared, with a larger role, in the “The Kids Are Alright” where she helped the Avengers battle a rogue Ultron robot.
Fact 5 – She may be getting her own TV Show We’ve already mentioned Ms. Marvel’s appearances on Avengers Assemble, but there is a chance she might be getting her own TV show fairly soon. The rumors are that Oscar-winner John Ridley will helm the series. It should be noted that these are strictly rumors at this point and the Ridley link comes from Reddit. We know that Ridley is working on a series for Marvel, but it could just as easily be Cloak and Dagger.
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Mouse Guard!
Sketching Comedy presents, “Mouse Guard, ” by David Petersen
On today’s show we discuss David Petersen! You may recognize him as an American comic book creator best known for the series Mouse Guard. But did you know that a lot of his animals are based on real people and places from the state of Michigan?
David Petersen surprises the crew by stopping by for a live interview and some secrets behind the Mouse Guard story and it’s upcoming feature film. Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards.. so tune in to this very special Sketching Comedy.
You can watch the show live right here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQBdhkKuTo
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Sketching Comedy at Blazing Caribou Studios
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Sketching Comedy is a live podcast weekly on YouTube that showcases Illustrators, comics and comedians from around the world. Kari Simms hosts with professional artists Imran Javed and Phil Rood every Wednesday at 8/7c. Draw with the creators and learn in depth about artists like, Todd McFarlane, Fiona Staples, even Bob Ross!
Seinfeld!
Sketching Comedy presents, “Seinfeld”
On today’s show we discuss Jerry Seinfeld! You may recognize him as an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director. He is best known as playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the sitcom “Seinfeld”. But did you know his first appearance was a recurring role on the TV show Benson? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back live on the drawing boards. Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back on the drawing boards today. Their sketches that are produced live are available to our Patrons at Patreon.com/blazingcariboustudios
SUBSCRIBE on iTunes at Sketching Comedy, iTunes
Connect with us!
Facebook| Twitter| Email| Blazing Caribou Studios
Sketching Comedy is a live podcast weekly on YouTube that showcases Illustrators, comics and comedians from around the world. Kari Simms hosts with professional artists Imran Javed and Phil Rood every Wednesday at 8/7c. Draw with the creators and learn in depth about artists like, Todd McFarlane, Fiona Staples, even Bob Ross!
Walt Disney!
Sketching Comedy presents, “Walt Disney”
On today’s show we discuss Walt Disney! You may recognize him as an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. He pioneered the American animation industry, introducing several developments in the production of cartoons. But did you know he has a planet named after him, and no it isn’t Pluto? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back on the drawing boards today. Their sketches that are produced live are available to our Patrons at Patreon.com/blazingcariboustudios
SUBSCRIBE on iTunes at Sketching Comedy, iTunes
Connect with us!
Facebook| Twitter| Email| Blazing Caribou Studios
Sketching Comedy is a live podcast weekly on YouTube that showcases Illustrators, comics and comedians from around the world. Kari Simms hosts with professional artists Imran Javed and Phil Rood every Wednesday at 8/7c. Draw with the creators and learn in depth about artists like, Todd McFarlane, Fiona Staples, even Bob Ross!
Jack Kirby!
Sketching Comedy presents, “Jack Kirby”
On today’s show we discuss Jack “The King” Kirby! You may recognize him as one of the most influential and prolific artists in comics. He co-created such enduring characters as Captain America, the Fantastic Four, X-Men and the Hulk. But did you know he was in a street gang in New York? Our own, sketch comedians Imran and Phil are back on the drawing boards today. Their sketches that are produced live are available to Patrons at Patreon.com/blazingcariboustudios
SUBSCRIBE on iTunes at Sketching Comedy, iTunes
Connect with us!
Facebook| Twitter| Email| Blazing Caribou Studios
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