Blind Prophecy

Half the office is out of town today. It’s really quiet at the office, which is great because I have a lot of newsletter writing to do. But having this much writing time without interuption is also painful to the old noggin.

I’m sort of disappointed with the weather today. Not because it’s doing the rain/blue skies dance, but because it started out so awesome and then fizzled. On the way in to work today, we had those ominous, thick clouds that darken the sun. Fans of fantasy fiction and television know the ones I refer to. Clouds of Doom! Great waves crash against the beach, unexpected winds making people unsteady on their feet, everyone dashing indoors to escape the imminent danger. The great, oppressive gray that means something significant is happening in the world, that the forces of evil are unstoppable and all is lost… at least until the hero, beaten and wounded, can pull out a hidden trick or reserve of strength and slay the demon-sorcerer in the evil-doer’s moment of gloating triumph. After which the clouds release a sharp shower of rain to wash the blood from the land as immediately above the hero, a single shaft of redeeming sunlight will strike down to the planet, bathing the hero (and his narrowly-saved damsel) in a golden light and announcing to all the world that hope has returned.

Instead, our clouds of Biblical apocalyptic destiny moved on like a normal weather system, followed by scattered showers and sometimes-blue skies. Boring.

Speaking of a big build-up that ends in lameness, I’m terribly disappointed in the finale to Marvel’s Civil War. So, Captain America gives up because “We’re not fighting for them anymore, we’re just fighting.” WTF?!? This ending sucks in two ways. First, as the finale of a fictional war, it makes no sense. The 50% of superheroes backing Cap were only fighting because HE was fighting… none of them believed in the cause in and of itself? Without their prominent leader, they were willing to accede defeat even as they were winning? I call bullshit. They needed to sell me on this ending with some truly magnificent speech from Captain America, calling on the troops to end the war for a higher, more noble reason.

Second, I hate this finale because one simply cannot ignore the metaphor in real-world politics. In a story that is, at essence, about giving up our privacy in the name of greater security for the masses, it’s a horrible and ill-thought way to wrap it up. The best analogy I can think of is liberal impotence at the question “Aren’t we being intolerant of intolerant people? And doesn’t that make us as bad as them?” Giving up the cause on the basis of a single difficult conundrum is pathetic and shows a philosophical simpleton.

You know, I might have been okay with: “Stand down… This isn’t right, we shouldn’t be endangering civilians and causing this destruction… that still doesn’t mean the law is right and we will not give up the fight to change it, but we cannot act as terrorists and criminals in the process. How about this, we register, then we go on the record in the media and in our communities and with everyone who will listen about how unfair this is. Let’s try to win the heart and minds of the American people until the law can be changed. If that fails, well, civil disobedience is still an option on the table in the future.” I still wouldn’t have been happy, but I’d have respected the ending anyway.

And why, Marvel, why must Peter Parker always be the outsider? Killing off Aunt May, proving his every fear about coming out, forcing him into the underground and cutting off his ties to even other superheroes… I get it. Parker’s your bitch-boy and there’s no amount of abuse you won’t heap on him. Whedon would be so proud.

More thoughts on the catastophe of suck that was the finale of a mega-crossover I was truly loving may come later.

Filed under: livejournal by Jere Keys