« The Eurabia Analogy I've Been Looking For | Main | Where's Brendan? »

Ron Paul and the Comics

10 Dec 2007 05:24 pm

Julian Sanchez says he's the comic bookiest presidential candidate, which does seem to be one area in which he can take a clear first place.

Share This

Comments (46)

I'm not buying it. Giuliani is obviously pretending to be the Green Lantern power-of-the-will candidate, while covering up his secret arch-villain identity. Romney and Edwards offer competing versions of Captain America, McCain is angling for the Wolverine vote, Obama's trying to be your friendly neighborhood Spider Man, and Hillary is the only one qualified to fly the Invisible Jet. Don't even try to tell me that Paul is Batman. Batman ain't running. Batman doesn't have time for that shit.

So which superhero does Paul represent? He clearly doesn't fall into either the distressingly wholesome category or the amoral badass genre. He's not even cool enough to play a hypothetical Libertarian superhero named Liberty Dude or Captain Toke. Paul is never going to rise above the status of a comic book extra... he's the crazy old man muttering about the gold standard who gets mugged in the next panel.

My favorite Presidential candidate is Doctor Doom, who in 2099 became President of the US by right of conquest.

Classic scene on the last page of that issue of Doom: 2099 with him standing in the Oval Office and the former Prez slumped over the desk with a bullet in his head after his suicide.

Then Doom got double crossed by corporate interests and deposed. The corps got pissed after Doom summoned all the major corporate heads and told them that not only were their corporations being nationalized, to show his power they had to pick one of their number for Doom to kill right there and then.

However, the one picked turned out to be an alien. This pissed Doom off who made a national broadcast accusing US citizens of being so stupid they let an alien run the country behind a corporate front.

Well, better an alien than a chimpanzee, I say.

So Giuliani is really Doctor Doom?

Ron Paul is Doctor Strange and he loves to cast The Light of the All-Seeing Eye of Agamotto on Rudy Giuliani.

Actually, Paul looks uncannily like Ian McClellan in his portrayal as X-Men nemesis Magneto!

Dr. Ron Paul, if you please...

The Shining Knight | Origin

Classic Comic Books Home Page
http://members.aol.com/MG4273/shining.htm
Adventure

* 88 (September 1941) The Shining Knight
* 103 (April 1946) The Sword of Sovereigns
* 104 (May 1946) The Flying Pony Express
* 106 (July 1946) The Mummy That Came to Life
* 108 (September 1946) Trial by Trickery
* 109 (October 1946) The Dragon's Teeth
* 110 (November 1946) Galloping Gold
* 111 (December 1946) The City of Tomorrow
* 115 (April 1947) The Grade B Burglars
* 116 (May 1947) The Wooden Sword
* 117 (June 1947) Too High for the Law
* 119 (August 1947) We Knight Thee Dub
* 120 (September 1947) The Three Aerobateers
* 122 (November 1947) The Crooked Fireman
* 125 (February 1948) The Man Who Refused to Die
* 127 (April 1948) The Sky-High Hijackers

These best stories of the comic books are preceded by their issue number.
The Shining Knight

The Shining Knight was Sir Justin, a member of King Arthur's Court, who traveled to the 20th Century. He wore invulnerable, shining gold armor provided by the magician Merlin. He fought crime with a magic sword, lance and shield, and rode a flying horse, known as Winged Victory. Essentially he was a super-hero, although his only powers derived from his armor, weapons and horse. The fact that his powers were magical in origin did not mean that his tales were primarily fantasy. Instead, he usually battled crooks in a realistic 20th Century setting. The tales in fact often featured modern day high technology.

The Shining Knight tales ran in Adventure Comics from 1941 to 1951.
Origin

The Shining Knight (1941). Art: Creig Flessel. The origin of the Shining Knight.

With his golden armor and flying horse, the Shining Knight seems the ultimate figure of romantic adventure.

Ron Paul could totally pass for Jor-El, father of Superman.

Jor-El was responsible for banishing Planet Krypton's three worst villains to the Phantom Zone.

Much in the same way Ron Paul will banish Rude Fooliani, Mitt Robbed-Me and Hillary Clin-TRON to the Phantom Zone of Also-Rans.

Ron Paul is Doctor Strange

There it is. Simple and accurate - Chris wins the thread.

If Captain America is anyone it's Dr. Paul.

Captain America died standing up for personal liberties.

i'd put Romney and Edwards as Iron Man. he's more they're style.

Giuliani is more like Sinestro, who was a green lantern but was banished, and he came back as a villian.

Huckabee=Cyclops, great leader but never can really understand why people don't want to follow him. he also has narrow vision and is very stubborn.

It's easy to call Ron Paul a "crazy old man" like so many people have. But simply calling someone a name does not make it so. That is what is called a logical fallacy, to those who actually care about such things as logic. (Not many, apparently.) There are tests one can conduct to determine if someone is actually "crazy". That is the scientific method. In the case of Ron Paul, to determine his "craziness" you would challenge him to a debate and expose the flaws in his reasoning. After a sufficient number of logical errors and incongruities are exposed, you can then conclude that he is indeed crazy! The only problem is that no one has been able to do such a thing in a debate vs Ron Paul. So what does one do? I guess you just change the definition of "crazy"? ... and hope no one notices.

Isn't it obvious? He's Uncle Sam from the Freedom Fighters created by Will Eisner.

Uncle Sam has always been a supporting character. He is the embodiment of "The Spirit of America."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_%28comics%29

Paul is our Vendetta, in the form of Old White Southern Man.

Actually, Giuliani has a comic book claim too: Norman Podhoretz's first writing gig, as a teenager, was a comic book he wrote with his friend Gil Kane, who went on to be major comic book artist (and in fact the main artist for the 1960s version of Green Lantern). If only Podhoretz had created Green Lantern, then all of the Yglesias theories would tie-in together perfectly.

I'd vote for Doctor Doom (he is a professor, after all), if it wasn't totally irrelevant. One is suspicious of the Ron Paul cheerleading going on here. Seriously, Captain America? The Shining Knight? Seriously. Might as well cast Hillary Clinton as Pheonix and Mike Huckabee as Wolverine. Come on now. The Magneto thing almost makes sense. You would imagine someone with powers over metal obsessed with returning America's currency back to the gold standard.

It's worth noting that at the San Diego comic-con, mecca for the geek set, Ron Paul was the only candidate represented. He wasn't there, so far as I know, but his supporters were out in force, handing out pamphlets and such.
And I've got to say, even though he's a reactionary nutjob, I was so damned pleased that there's a candidate out there who values nerds as a constituency, I found myself considering voting for him.

I won't, of course, but who's to say he didn't convince others? Comic book fans are an isolated and easily swayed lot....

Yes. Vote for Ron Paul, and he will subsidize the comic book and video game industry, as well as invest heavily in R&D directed towards genetic experimentation, robotics, and that most awesome twinning of the two, cybernetics.

Hey Lackluster, three words:

Best. Candidate. Ever.

Ron Paul reminds me more of the cheesy comic book ads from the 1970's, than any actual character. You know, Pet Rocks, X-Ray Specks, Smoke Bombs, Sea Monkeys, switch-blade combs, little green army men, gold and silver coins, magic kits, 8 track tapes, and last but not least, the ATLAS "Stop kicking sand in my face" kid. Usually these things never worked as they were promoted, and broke after only a few days. Despite the claims, the Atlas kit didn't make you into a beef-cake body builder, the smoke bombs were more like stink bombs, and the X-Ray specks unfortunately never let you see through any of the girls clothing. Aside from some temporary entertainment, the main purpose of these gags was to get money off of the youth of America, usually by selling inferior product for the highest possible cost, while over-hyping the product's actual usefulness.

He's too old, obviously, but I was thinking of Ron Paul as Rorschach.

"Ron Paul could totally pass for Jor-El, father of Superman. Jor-El was responsible for banishing Planet Krypton's three worst villains to the Phantom Zone."

Ah, but it didn't take!

And now Zod is running for President!

http://www.zod2008.com/

Money quotes:

News:

Zod inspects Army unit in Iraq
BAQUBA, IRAQ (AP) -- General Zod inspected the command of Third Brigade, First Infantry Division Thursday in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad. He dropped in at the operation commanding room to learn about the unit's performance of duty from its commander. He set forth the tasks to be fulfilled by the unit to increase its combat capability in every way, expressing satisfaction over the fact that its soldiers dedicate their own lives to their missions. Then he looked round the gymnasium, vegetable greenhouse and other places of the unit. Going round the compound of the unit kept neat and tidy like a park, he said that this vividly shows the proud appearance of the U.S. Army. Noting that in recent years the unit has done a lot of things in all aspects including the work to bolster its combat capability and its management, he highly appreciated its achievements. At the end of his inspection he together with servicepersons of the combined unit enjoyed an entertainment performance given by Jeff Foxworthy and R.E.M.

Zod demands tribute as primaries draw closer
RAPID CITY (AP) -- General Zod issued a demand Thursday for $142 million in tribute for August 2007 to fund his bid for the 2008 Presidential race.
Said Zod at a campaign breakfast, "Now is the time to show your allegience. With an election drawing near, I must rise before you and do these things that are necessary, this campaigning, as it were, to take my rightful place in the White House.
"Today dawns a new era of prosperity! All citizens shall joyously offer half their wages this month. You shall use your phone and dial one of the three agencies allowed to collect these funds. The numbers are 1-800-525-6285, 1-888-397-3742, or 1-800-680-7289. You must give them a credit card or bank account number. If tribute is not forthcoming, rest assured these agencies have all powers to appropriate what is yours! They shall enslave you, and one day, your heirs!"

"Ron Paul is Doctor Strange"

Only to an unthinking brain stem that hates liberty.

"And I've got to say, even though he's a reactionary nutjob, I was so damned pleased that there's a candidate out there who values nerds as a constituency" -lackluster

I'd have to say your calling him reactionary is off base -

Reactionary - Opposing political or social liberalization or reform.

If the US Congress were actually following the US Constitution then I guess he would be considered Reactionary as he would be opposed to Constitutional changes expanding governments power, or limiting social liberty. However his campaign is very much in favor of Political Reform (returning to constitutional limits), and social liberalization so your accusation of him being a reactionary nutjob is so off base that you might as well be playing badminton instead of baseball.

one area in which he can take a clear first place

With Huckabee's support of the Fair Tax and Hillary's "give 5 grand to everybody" plan, Paul's Goldbuggery now places him just third on the list of "candidates with the single most counterproductive economic idea."

Sigh.

Hey everyone, check out this site for a Times Square Ad to coincide with the 16 Dec Tea Party Money Bomb. The cutoff is the 12th (I know, not much time), but they only need $50,000.
Great advertising scheme that would reach lots of people.

http://www.ronpaultime.com/

Hey everyone, check out this site for a Times Square Ad to coincide with the 16 Dec Tea Party Money Bomb. The cutoff is the 12th (I know, not much time), but they only need $50,000.
Great advertising scheme that would reach lots of people.

http://www.ronpaultime.com/

I don't see why it's strange that Ron Paul is identified with comic-book superheroes. His planned dismantling of the safety net basically relies on the existence of altruistic vigilantes to keep the peace and promote liberty, after all.

He's definitely a bad guy, but one of the delusional ones that think they're doing what's right for everyone by nuking the place / crashing every computer in the world / turning the sea into jam or whatever. Sadly, these are the ones who prove most difficult to take down, lacking the obvious weaknesses of more typical goons.

- Chris

Paul is never going to rise above the status of a comic book extra... he's the crazy old man muttering about the gold standard who gets mugged in the next panel.

Maybe he's Rorschach from Watchmen.

Which would make Mitt Romney Ozymandias.

With Rudy Giuiliani as Dr. Manhattan and George W. Bush as The Comedian.

You know that guy who runs around in the Riddler / question mark outfit talking about how you too can find money from the government (Matthew Lesko)?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Lesko

He could be the super-villain to Ron Paul's superhero, Libertarian Man. It'd be a perfect match.

Batman from another dimension visits Nazi Germany?

But Batman would probably be called Die Fledermaus in German, which has some less than heroic connotations. Chacon a son gout.

I wonder if Superman is called the Man of Steel in Russia?

Batman from another dimension visits Nazi Germany

Coincidentally, that was the theme of my senior prom.

I wonder if Superman is called the Man of Steel in Russia?

Reminds me of...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Red_Son

Holy cow, now the Internet is making a play to be the stupidest news on the planet. How the fuck did this end up in google news any fucking how?

Just glancing through the comments... is it STILL true that 100% of the blogosphere Ron Paul detractors cannot muster a lucid, respectful argument against Ron Paul's Constitutional platform and, therefore, are still limited to personal attacks and name calling?

I'm disappointed that nobody has suggested Turner D. Century as Ron Paul's alter-ego yet.

Ron Paul could be Professor X which would make the RP supporters X-Men which I wouldn't mind being.

I think Ron Paul is the Batman of the Justice League of candidates. He's the best even though he's human and the rest portray themselves as super mutants or aliens with special powers yet they try to look human. Batman is the greatest super hero because he's a normal guy who fights against the bad guys with the help of the Police Commissioner, side kick to be named later (VP), an awesome vehicle everyone recognizes (Ron Paul Blimp in this case), and We the People. Everyone loves Batman. I also think the Times Square ad will be like the Bat Signal to let everyone know he's here.

Yup, he's definitely Batman.

Giuliani is the Joker for his laughs and creepy smiles at the debates. Hillary should be Catwoman but that would indicate she were hot. Eeek. I'd say she's the Scarecrow. McCain is Freeze. Romney is the Riddler, with all the mystery about his positions, flip-flopping and all. Huckabee is Two-Face. Thompson is Bane, lifeless and boring.

Gotta be Professor X. Aged man with unexplainable charisma who leads a band of unruly young followers. Unlike so many good-guy superheroes, the X-men are shunned and feared by the society they defend.

Any discussion of Ron Paul's comic-bookness demands a mention of the blimp. (warning: whitest video ever produced).

"[...] he's the crazy old man muttering about the gold standard [...]"


Hmmm...at least there are some other 'crazy old men' that agree with him.

"[Editor's note - It may surprise more than a few gold devotees to learn they have an ideological friend in none other than Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan. Starting in the 1950s, in fact, Greenspan was a stalwart member of Ayn Rand's intellectual inner circle. A self-designated "objectivist", Rand preached a strongly libertarian view, applying it to politics and economics, as well as to religion and popular culture. Under her influence, Greenspan wrote for the first issue of what was to become the widely-circulated Objectivist Newsletter. When Gerald Ford appointed him to the Council of Economic Advisors, Greenspan invited Rand to his swearing-in ceremony. He even attended her funeral in 1982.

In 1967, Rand published her non-fiction book, Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal. In it, she included Gold and Economic Freedom, the essay by Alan Greenspan which appears below. Drawing heavily from Murray Rothbard's much longer The Mystery of Banking, Greenspan argues persuasively in favor of a gold standard and against the concept of a central bank.

Can this be the same Alan Greenspan who today chairs the most important central bank of them all? Again, you might be surprised. R.W. Bradford writes in Liberty magazine that, as Fed chairman, "Greenspan (once) recommended to a Senate committee that all economic regulations should have fixed lifespans. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) accused him of 'playing with fire, or indeed throwing gasoline on the fire,' and asked him whether he favored a similar provision in the Fed's authorization. Greenspan coolly answered that he did. Do you actually mean, demanded the senator, that the Fed 'should cease to function unless affirmatively continued?' 'That is correct, sir,' Greenspan responded."

Bradford continues, "The Senator could scarcely believe his ears. 'Now my next question is, is it your intention that the report of this hearing should be that Greenspan recommends a return to the gold standard?' Greenspan responded, 'I've been recommending that for years, there's nothing new about that. It would probably mean there is only one vote in the Federal Open Market Committee for that, but it is mine.'" -- Editor, The Gilded Opinion ]"

For the full essay "Gold and Economic Freedom" go to:

http://www.usagold.com/gildedopinion/greenspan.html

I just found a site http://www.ronpaultime.com/ that wants to place a Ron Paul ad on Times Square monitors the 16th of December, Imagine the exposure the Tea Party money bomb will get with this. They are looking for $50,000 by COB tomorrow. Let’s all unite and see this project through. Go Ron Paul........

Can this be the same Alan Greenspan who today chairs the most important central bank of them all?

That Rand and Greenspan (and Reagan, if you were wondering) had Gold-standard sympathies doesn't make tying our finances to Gold (or Argon, for that matter) any less stupid and arbitrary. I say this as someone who giggles with glee every time Paul starts talking about dismantling agencies, cutting taxes and ending prohibition on all that unpopular crap that I don't like seeing other people in prison for (drugs, prostitution, gambling, etc.).

In my mind, Goldbuggery, when it's the organizing principle of your life, is a disqualifier.

Then again, everyone else in the race (aside from Thompson and possibly Obama) has proposed some policy that gets them automatically disqualified as well, so who knows?

is it STILL true that 100% of the blogosphere Ron Paul detractors cannot muster a lucid, respectful argument against Ron Paul's Constitutional platform

To those of us who have actually studied some constitutional law, even litigated constitutional issues in court, Paul's "constitutional platform" sounds rather like a "flat earth platform" sounds to a geographer . .

Clearly, RP is Dr. Charles Xavier, and his acolytes are X-Men: Freaks, antiheroes, and misfits, shunned by society and hated the most by those who should, in a perfect world, be their strongest allies. Fighting for a peaceful revolution, while such a thing is still possible. Warning of the coming police state, which in the end will only make violent resistance necessary, with such warnings falling only on deaf ears. An uneasy alliance between those who have a code against killing, and those who are ready to water the tree of liberty.

Learn how outside economic and foreign policy events just might elect Ron Paul.
http://www.ronaldholland.com/presidentronpaul.htm
A two part article on how current events outside the political process could elect Ron Paul as President.

Ron Paul is Obi-Wan Kenobi..
HELP US OBI-RON! YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.
HELP US OBI-RON! YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.
HELP US OBI-RON! YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.
HELP US OBI-RON! YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE.

Drink LiberTEA at the Teaparty, Dec 16, 2007. Drink it for the first time.

Ghouliuani is evil:
"Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do. You have free speech so I can be heard. " -- Rudy Giuliani

Huckabee is evil:
The reality is that we track packages from UPS and FedEx every time we order from amazon.com, and yet we’ve got a government that says we don’t know what to do and how to keep up with people. If necessary, we ought to outsource this whole issue to FedEx and UPS. They seem to have a better way of keeping up with packages than our government does with people. Mike Huckabee

All other candidates DENY LIBERTY.

Ron Paul is the greatest candidate I've ever seen. Consistent for 30 years. No flip flops. We are done with WAR, we want a real currency, we want peace, we want the welfare-state for the military industrial complex to END, we want to fix America and stop policing the world and to stop the authoritarian oppression here NOW.


Comments closed December 24, 2007.

Copyright © 2007 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.