Capitalism Crushes 'Woke'

John Stossel takes a look at what left-wing activists are doing to their own comic book companies as they try to ram trendy academic fashions down everyone's throats:

Image by Connecticut ComiCONN, via Wikimedia Commons, license.

"When I was a kid," I say to [comic book writer Eric] July, "all the characters were white. It's a good thing more are non-white."

"But they've been just reduced to being an item to pander to certain audiences that aren't really buying into it," July responds.

No, they sure aren't. Marvel and DC had the bestselling graphic novels. Now the best sellers are from Japan. Often, they aren't even in color, yet they outsell Marvel and DC. The American-made books aren't even in the top 20.

"They turned off their audience by ... hyper emphasizing the social justice element." says July.

Marvel made its evil character M.O.D.A.A.K. resemble Donald Trump. They hired leftist writer Ta-Nehisi Coates to create a Captain America series. Coates made the villain, Red Skull, a bizarre version of Jordan Peterson.

Instead of just saving lives, today's comic superheroes lead protests.

The cover of a Superman comic shows Superman's son leading a school "strike for climate."

It's so stupid! Superman, with all his powers, could solve climate change all by himself. But now he holds a protest sign. [link and bold added]

When you're a dad with school-aged children, it is impossible to miss the grubby pawprints of social "justice" warriors on practically everything emanating from the entertainment industry, but Stossel's column still managed to surprise me.

My impression that what I was noticed was but the tip of an iceberg is correct, unfortunately.

That said, it is a mild relief -- although not surprising -- to see this garbage flopping in the free parts of the market: Government "investors" might want boring, preachy propaganda, but kids who want excitement aren't going to pay money for it.

-- CAV