A Desire To Politicizie Comics

While Jack Kirby created Captain America as a symbol of America's strength against the horrors of Nazi Germany, he most certainly isn't as modern conservatives portray him to be. The upcoming movie adaptation of the comic - and not the first, though the initial offering was a straight to video disaster - has some within the conservative realm wetting themselves in abject anger. Why? Because Captain America isn't going to be a hyper-partisan, Tea Bagging, right-winger.

If insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, liberal Hollywood directors must be utterly certifiable. How else does one explain Hollywood's penchant for de-Americanizing thoroughly patriotic superhero and/or comic book icons?

Take Joe Johnston. The cinematic genius who gave the world "Jurassic Park 3" is directing a "Captain America" feature that will release in 2011, the 70th anniversary of the Marvel superhero's creation.

Johnston told the audience at Comic-Con 2010 that Cap will not be a "jingoistic American flag-waver" but will instead be "re-interpret[ed]" as a "good person" in the World War II-set film.

From my perspective, and those that have read the Cap comics since childhood, Steve Rogers and his Captain persona have never been about one side of the political spectrum over another. He has defended against the evils of the world for the entire country, not just the Republican party.

But this isn't the first time that conservatives have taken issue regarding a Captain America story.