THE SAVAGE DRAGON'S ENDORSEMENT

By Mike McDaniel

     Gimmicks are a part of the marketing of comics and have been as long as I have been a reader. Whether it is a comic where Superman goes up against Muhammad Ali in front of a crowd of billions or Frankenstein’s Monster appearing in the pages of the Uncanny X-Men, it is all part of the game of selling comics. Comic fans of the 1990s will remember the days of poly-bags and chromium covers as the various gimmicks that dominated those years. In the end, these sales tools ended up hurting the comic industry by making our hobby seem gimmicky.
     Image Comics, always a company that tries to remain relevant in an age dominated by DC and Marvel, has taken a unique approach in an upcoming issue of “The Savage Dragon”. Eric Larson, the creator and still writer/artist on the second longest running book at the independent publisher, has decided to interject himself and his creation into the current Presidential election by having the Savage Dragon endorse Barack Obama for president. The Savage Dragon, as you may remember, ran for President back in 2004 and covers of the comic featured George Bush and John Kerry.

WHAT EXACTLY IS ALEX ROSS TRYING TO SAY?

     Featured prominently in almost every media outlet under the sun, you can’t throw a stone without striking a picture of the Illinois Democrat and Political celebrity.  I mean, is this guy running for president or does he have a new movie coming out that he’s promoting. As if the media darling needed further fawning over his person, even the mighty Alex Ross has painted a picture of Obama ripping off his shirt like Superman. This combined with his image of George Bush/Dracula biting the neck of the Statue of Liberty pretty much sums up his political stance. Funny thing, I don’t remember Ross’s idol Jack Kirby drawing images of LBJ coming out of a phone booth. But I digress…
     I find most gimmicks to be annoying. I find gimmicks in comics even more so. This might seem strange coming from someone who benefits from such tactics but I mean it. Comics should stand and sell themselves on compelling stories and well-illustrated artwork not some die-cut, multi-covered incentive. I find this latest turn by Image Comics to be down-right stupid. I mean Joe Quesada stupid! While I must admit that I haven’t read an issue of Savage Dragon since about issue #8, I’m not exactly motivated to go out and buy a copy because the “poster child for change” finds his likeness on the cover. Now if the Dragon crosses over with the Walking Dead, I’ll be the first in line!
     For a comic writer to push his political preferences so boldly and prominently on the reader is one thing. To feature the image of Barrack Obama standing beside the Savage Dragon is a glorified campaign ad. While I’m sure that Mr. Larsen or Image didn’t sell space to the Obama Campaign for an advertisement on the cover of this comic, it still is troublesome. What is the next move in comic companies, covers of Spawn with the Democratic National Committee Logo on it? Or Iron Man brought to you by the Boeing Corporation?

COVER TO SUPERMAN: LEX 2000

     Political content in comics is nothing new and there are articles on this very website that have explored such content. I feel that comic book characters should be written in a style that causes them stay above the fray of partisan politics. A good example of this is how DC dealt with Superman during the Lex Luthor/President of the United States Era during the early 2000s. Superman, possibly the one person on the planet who knew best of Luthor’s unworthiness to be Commander-in-chief, let the citizens of the United States decide for themselves and ultimately pick his greatest enemy to become the leader of the free world.
     This choice lead to many great stories in the pages of DC Comics for the next few years with Luthor as President such as the “World at War” crossover and the “Public Enemies” storyline from the first six issues of Superman/Batman. The endorsement of Senator Obama by a c-list comic character leads to nothing except to annoy at least one conservative comic book store owner.
     My political convictions thus being revealed, I would feel the same way if Batman were to endorse John McCain. Political endorsements and comics go together like Al Qaeda and a bar mitzvah in Tel Aviv. Comics should be all inclusive to all people. To many times, comics are written with an agenda when they should be written from a motive to tell great stories and great art. With that, do you really need a better incentive to buy them? I am reminded of the wisdom of something a customer once told me: “I don’t read comics for a political fix. I read comics to be entertained.” There is some merit and truth in this statement. I think that no matter what side of the political spectrum we find ourselves on, I think we can all agree with this.
     If you concur with my assessment or would like to rebut my point of view, I’d love to hear from you. This month’s poll question is one way to let your voice be known. You can do this by following this link. As long as your thoughts are respectful, I’ll post them here. You can tell me what you think at mbm1021@gmail.com.