Comics Character Profile: John Constantine

INTRODUCTION

If there are any frequenters of this blog, many of them, given my past posts, would have assumed that the first character I would profile in the new feature on this blog would, in fact, be Batman; given my not so subtle affinity and obsessive reverence for the character.  However, I never really considered it, partly due to the fact that A LOT has been written about the character of Batman including by me (see the above link) and I am not sure what else I could contribute that would be novel and or nuanced.  Thus, I have decided to profile my second favorite comics character John Constantine.

THE BASICS 

Name pronunciation and publication history 

  John Constantine (contested pronunciation: British creators and writers say his name rhymes with turpentine (tyne) whereas Americans have his name rhyme with serpentine (teen) I prefer the latter to the former)  was created by Alan Moore , Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, originally appearing in Alan Moore's The Saga of the Swamp Thing # 37 in June 1985.  In 1988, he became the lead character in the book Hellblazer (1988-2013) finally canceled after its 300th issue. The character has since lived on in solo titles of Constantine (2013-2015), after The New 52 relaunch, and Constantine: The Hellblazer (2015-) after the Convergence event.  To increase continuity and broaden the brand, during "The New 52" relaunch, DC comics also created multiple Justice League teams.  The Justice League team that was formed to deal with magic, supernatural threats and the occult, was deemed Justice League Dark (JLD) (2011- 2015) of which Constantine was their reluctant leader.  The re-branding of the JLD into "Dark Universe" (in line with Guillermo del Toro's upcoming project of the same name) has since been stalled until late 2015 (I am not holding my breath).

Personality and Appearance 
    

"I might be a little rough around the edges, sure. But I'm on the side of the angels, mate." 
Constantine in the episode "Haunted"

     John Constantine is a chain smoking, foul mouthed, working class, anti-establishment, cynical adrenaline addicted con-man.  He is both an anti-hero and a reluctant one; meaning that while he tries to avoid heroic deeds or tasks, once he undertakes them, he is willing to sacrifice others for the greater good, and sometimes for his own selfish nature (justifying this by weighing his own value in the fight against evil over others). He is pragmatic, practical, and has little patience for hope and idealism especially if it hinders necessary action. He is not above using people, and all forms of violence, torture and murder in order to keep the mystical balance. For Constantine, the ends, definitely justify the means.  

     This gruff an rigid exterior is a front for an individual who is deeply emotionally scarred by what he has seen, and wracked by the guilt of his past deeds and the loss of (almost) everyone close to him (such as the Newcastle crew).  This later motivated him to be a self defined "Occult- Hero" to try to atone for what he believes are stains on his soul.  This perception of himself frequently makes him prone to reckless behavior that usually results in gambling with his own life (and ironically) the lives of others.  

   Constantine's personality often has a polarizing effect in others.  John's charisma and persuasiveness allows him to make friends (and lovers) easily. However, those who know him for any length of time, either have undying loyalty to him, or despise him completely. Ironically, for many of John's associates, it has been combination of both. Constantine never has a simple relationship with anyone, they are all layered and complex.

      He is defined as bisexual, but canonically he seems to be closer to pansexual as he has had relationships with men, woman and various demonic forces.  Additionally, Constantine loves Silk Cut brand cigarettes, punk rock, any type of alcohol, black coffee, and burnt bacon and eggs.

      Constantine was created using the visual model of pop artist Sting. He is British, hailing from Liverpool, England. He has blond hair and blue eyes standing at least 6 feet tall with a lanky lean build without being overly muscular.  His body displays various magical sigils; as wards or to increase magical resistance. In almost every issue, Constantine wears dark (usually black/brown) pants and dress shoes, a white button down dress shirt,  a black or blood red tie in a loosened Windsor knot, and his trademark beige/tan trench coat and gold lighter.  

    Constantine is also one of the few characters that was allowed to age throughout his initial 25 year publication.  At the beginning of Helblazer, Constantine is around 33 years old (through the NewCastle story flashes back to when he was in his early 20's) This means that Constantine was almost 60 years old by the time Hellblazer was canceled in 2013,  This was later Retconned when Constantine was folded into the larger DC comics universe after "The New 52", making him, perpetually between the ages of 32-35 years old.

Powers and Abilities 

Constantine is the most powerful mage and greatest con-artist in the DC Universe.

Chief Magical Power: Syncronicity Wave Traveling: This allows Constantine to be "in the right place at the right time." or meet the exact person he needs to meet to achieve his desired goals. This allows Constantine incredible "luck" allowing him to fall into money, reshape a fight to his advantage and avoid harm or serious injury. Unfortunately, this often does not extend beyond himself and his friends often pay the price.

 Other powers include: Backwards spell casting, evocation, necromancy, invisibility, he can generate movement (telekinesis), fire (pyrokinesis), electricity (electrokenesis), and plants (chlorokenesis); divination, mind control, illusion casting, demon summoning, teleportation, curses, spirit ward creation: including magic circles and golemancy (raising a golem)  

Chief Ability: Deception: Constantine is the greatest con-man. He has the uncanny ability to manipulate anyone around him, planning things out in an elaborate chess match. He has been known to manipulate and  deceive the most intelligent and powerful heroes and villains in the DC Universe including Batman, Superman, Lex Luthor and DC's version of The Devil and God.

Other abilities: Escapology, Hypnosis, Occultism, Prestidigitation, Stage magic, slight of hand expert, possession resistance, some limited hand to hand combat.

Magical Paraphernalia

The Trench Coat:  The coat is sentient and demonic, holding demon powers such as: Cursing, Jinxing, mind control,. So powerful that it caused the death of anyone who didn't have a strong will to resist its bloodlust. When Constantine's Niece, Gemma, sells his coat in an arc in the comics,  there is a near war in hell to see who can claim it.

Cigarette Lighter: Constantine is never seen without his signature Zeppo-style, windproof Cigarette lighter. In addition to its obvious practical purpose, John's lighter has a number of magical wards and other incantations engraved into the case.  John often uses the lighter to help with spells and rituals (when called for) especially when invoking pyrokenesis. When Constantine travels other realms and/or planes of existence, the Cigarette lighter often acts as a Talisman; anchoring him.

I'm a Nasty piece of work. Just ask anybody."

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Right man, right time.
       John Constantine's creation was largely due to the anti-establishment counter culture of the 1980's. These were your resident badasses that faulted conventional authority (others created around a similar time were Frank Castle: The Punisher, and Wolverine). Much of this is fueled by Alan Moore's original interpretation, which still effects the character's motivations in the current comics. The title of Constantine's  solo book: Hellblazer was originally supposed to be titled Hellraiser, but was changed as to not confuse the readers with the horror film series.  Yet fearing John Constantine and his associates were too adult for their mainstream readers, DC comics decided to establish Vertigo.

A Company Alone.
      Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics, started in 1993  by Karen Berger, Vertigo was originally established so that DC Comics could tell adult themed/centric stories that would not have the watchful eye of self regulation through the Comics Code Authority.To that end, Vertigo, was all creator controlled, owned and operated. thus being as anti-establishment as Constantine himself, whom became the poster child and embodiment of the Vertigo Company which decided to focus on the horror fantasy genre than traditional superhero fare. Also during this time, the equally creator controlled imprint known as Wildstorm broke away from DC comics to become its own thing.
         Both Companies had stellar talent which caused DC sales to dip during this time period. For Constantine, he was responsible for "the British Invasion" of comic book writers.  The character attracting such stellar talent as the aforementioned Alan Moore, Len Wein, but also Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison. Constantine easily became the most popular and longest running monthly book that Vertigo ever had.
     With John Constantine, Vertigo reinvented the occult-detective. He was something completely different while paying homage to the early noir films.  Since his creation there have been many imitators and charlatans (throughout many mediums) all don't quite live up to Constantine's gruff persona that was the voice of a new generation of disenfranchised youth.

SOCIAL CONTEXT

John Constantine is to the supernatural community what Batman is to superheroes.  They both often operate outside of the mainstream morals of their respected community.  Whereas Batman doesn't often fall in line with the ideals of Superman, Flash or Green Lantern; Constantine often is at odds with Swamp Thing, Deadman, Madam Xanadu and Zatanna, even when they are on the same team.  Yet, also like Batman, Constantine is the practical pragmatic voice in the crowd.  He is the one that will do what needs to be done, and that, makes him necessary but not generally likable.
    A fascinating aspect of John Constantine's relationship with the larger DC Universe is that few people both inside and (definitely) outside the supernatural community know how powerful Constantine really is. This is primarily because Constantine does not use magic unless he has to; often only using wards and magic circles over more direct and aggressive spells.  This makes Constantine one of the most underestimated characters, which he consistently uses to his advantage. Most people, when they meet him, haven't heard of him, and those who have heard of him don't think very much of him.  It is only those who are close to him, or others who have been conned by him, know just how dangerous he really is.
     In his re-imagining through the " The New 52", Constantine's reluctance to use magic was explain though a brief biographical context; stating that when Constantine was younger he did not respect magic and was prone to abuse it. After his encounter with the demon Nergal, and the loss of Astrid and the Newcastle Crew, he vowed to maintain the mystical balance, making sure that no one person became too powerful. This lead to his continuous quest to find and horde mystical items to make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands.

BADASS MOMENTS 

You know you're badass, when you "flip off" the Devil

As of this writing, I have not read through all 300+ issues of Hellblazer (I am currently on Vol 7 "Tainted Love") So I cannot speak to any Future Badass moments John may have.  But even with the amount of Hellblazer I've read, coupled with the other appearances of Constantine in other books, I think I can cobble together some pretty awesome and Iconic moments.

John Tricks the Devil Part 1
  One of the most Badass John Constantine moments (that lead to the iconic splash page above) comes from the seminal Dangerous Habits story-line. It concludes with John Constantine tricking The Devil into curing him of Cancer.

John promises his soul to each of the fallen souls from Heaven and then slits his wrists. As each of the fallen come to collect their prize, the first of the fallen, The Devil does not want to share the bounty. But he is in a pickle, if Constantine dies, there will be a war in hell over the right to his soul. The only choice The Devil has is to make sure Constantine lives, so he decides to cure his cancer.

John Tricks the Devil Part 2

Angered that A human was able to trick him. The Devil went seeking revenge. His wife told him about Ellie, a Succubus that knew Constantine and how to ensnare him. However, Ellie fled The Devil's grasp and found Constantine, tipping him off to The Devil's plan for Revenge. In exchange for Constantine's assistance, the two would trick the Devil, a second time:

Ellie, as it turns out was in love with an Angel. An Angel who was killed by the Archangel Gabriel for lying with her, a demon.  Together Constantine and Ellie forced Gabriel to fall from grace, becoming mortal. Then as an added "middle finger" to The Devil, Constantine bound Ellie to earth so that the Devil could not drag her back to hell for punishment.

Out Smarting the King of Vampires 

One night, John found himself being stalked by the King of Vampires. In a tense linguistic battle of wits, The Vampire King offers Constantine eternal life to which Constantine replies " Thanks but I like my life just the way it is." To which the King of Vampires responds by threatening John's life. Full of such arrogance, The Vampire King gives John this ultimatum:

 Constantine then slowly walks a way. Later, The King of Vampires attempts to drink from Constantine. It is then revealed that after John's blood was mixed with the blood of the demon Nergal, his blood became toxic to vampires.

 Getting the drop on Superman 

Constantine generally stays away from Superheroes (derogatorily calling them "the capes").  They are not in his world, so he is not in theirs.  Many times he sees them as having too much power and control, believing that there shouldn't be too much power in one single body... like Superman. Even though they rarely meet, when Superman and Constantine come face to face, Constantine always likes to be prepared.

REQUIRED READING

The Hellblazer Series pay particular attention to The Odd volumes up to Vol 5. which is amazing
Constantine Vol 1: The Spark and Flame 
Justice league Dark beginning with Vol 2-Vol 3 the Jeff Lemire Run

PERSONAL CORNER 

When I was a teenager, I channeled that youthful angst into a ever growing obsession with the supernatural and the occult. An obsession that started when I read Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice which lead me to such behaviors as researching Vampires, whittling stakes, hanging out in graveyards and reading about (and practicing) magic and Wicca. Therefore, John Constantine not only speaks to me as a comic book fan, his presence scratches a particular itch I've had for decades.

The Film

 Because of this, I have been an apologist for the 2005 film Constantine starring Keanu Reeves.

 
The main problem with this film is in its casting of John Constantine and Chas Chandler played by Keanu Reeves and Shia Labeouf.  They are awful. Not really getting the feel or the nuances of their characters right.  However, the other cast members are great; Especially:

Tilda Swinton as Gabriel

Dijmon Hounsou as Papa Midnite

Peter Stormare as Lucifer 

 To this day, I still contend that the movie around Reeves and Labeouf is amazing, its just painful to watch the two of them struggle their way through their characters.  To be fair, I didn't have a problem with Reeves' performance until after I started to read the comics. However, I have always had a problem with Labeouf, both his acting and his arrogant public persona.

Best scene: right out of the "Dangerous Habits" Storyline

I had been so enamored with the film that I had championed its sequel for many years, hoping that we would see more of this world.  It was only after I started reading the comics, that the dream died.

Full disclosure: I wasn't into the comic book version of John Constantine until the New 52 relaunch in 2011.  Initially, it wasn't the awesomeness of John Constantine that drew me in, it was the thought of and sheer geek pleasure of a Supernatural Justice League Team aka "The Justice League Dark" of which Constantine was on the roster.  It was his presence on the team, along with the writing of Jeff Lemire that had me hooked and caused me to pick up the first issue of his solo book in 2013. The rest, as they say is history.  I didn't know it at the time, but it was about to get a whole lot better.

The Series 

It was in keeping my ear to the ground about a sequel to the Constantine film that I heard about the development of Constantine for NBC. I was very apprehensive that a heavy Supernatural show could ever workon a network like NBC. But I liked the creative team and the direction they said they were headed. I was still a little worried about the look of Constantine, after Keanu Reeves portrayal.

Then they released this Image:

Again I was hooked.  He looked like he stepped off the page of Hellblazer,  I wanted more, then, the trailer Dropped:

  
I. was. in.  Heaven. It was a brilliant series I ravenously consumed each episode which paid proper homage to the Hellblazer Comics and the "New 52" Version of Constantine. My only gripe about the show: Given what we know about Constantine's coat (see above), why would he keep taking it off in. every. episode?!


 However, knowing how the corporate side of TV works, my heart slowly sank as I watched the ratings slip, from its initial high point in the pilot. With the average ratings, being below the standard for a network like NBC, and the overall cost of the show, when the series wasn't picked up for a full season order (making its first season only 13 episodes) I knew it was the beginning of the end. The eventually canceled the show

#SaveConstantine

  As the show was slowly dying, running out its final episodes on NBC.  Social Media took up the charge to find Constantine a new home with the #SaveConstantine. This was coupled with the hashtages #Constantine  and #Hellblazers. While the show didn't find a permanent home, the social media life line kept Constantine in the public consciousness long enough for Stephen Amell and the showrunners of Arrow to take notice.

#ConstantineonArrow

Stephen Amell began supporting the #SaveConstantine campaign back in May 2015 with a series of Tweets  where he said if the show was saved, he would guest star.  Unfortunately this did nothing to save the (entire) show.  This did however, give rise to #ConstantineonArrow. The thinking was, if Arrow couldn't be on Constantine, why not have John Constantine guest star on Arrow.

The result was the excellent episode 3X05 of Arrow titled "Haunted"

Here are some of the best moments:

The Crossover was a major success! The result was Arrow getting a season high ratings Bump. This not only brought more attention to Matt Ryan's stellar performance as  John Constantine (and thereby making more people aware of the Original series) But it also put Constantine (the show and the character) in the Arrow Universe that is shared by The Flash, Supergirl, and soon to be Legends of Tomorrow. This means that the character can not only return to Arrow, which, given his episode and the tone of the season, he may show back up for the finale; but he could also show up on ANY OF THESE OTHER SHOWS!  

        Additionally, Matt Ryan's portrayal of Constantine had such High praise that Guillermo del Toro a self confessed huge Hellblazer fan and producer of the upcoming film Dark Universe based in the soon to be DC Cinematic Universe (think Man of Steel, Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman) wants to see Matt Ryan back in the Trenchcoat.

Change.org petition

 One of the best depictions of Constantine has been Matt Ryan's interpretation of the character.  I would love it if he could continue in some capacity whether it be in the "Arrowverse" or through a revival of the show .  Please follow this link I have provided sending you to Change.org to Sign the petition to help Constantine, and Matt Ryan's portrayal of such an iconic and refreshing character in popular culture  

CONCLUSION


At the end of this, the first Comics Character Profile, I hope you have learned something about a character that you may not have known. I also hope it inspires you to seek out this character in whatever medium you find them in. Please consider my recommendations and give this character a chance, he deserves it. After all, "He's been to hell and back."

Sociology Alert! Parisian Terror and Violence in the Beirut

INTRODUCTION

   This is the second terror attack to rock Paris in just under a year. The first was on January 7th of this year with the Charlie Hebdo attack and now a multi-pronged attack on Parisian civilians that represent the quintessential essence of Terrorism.  Now, with ISIS claiming responsibility, the racist media machine is in full swing and with people (once again) asking the wrong questions and being outrage (in an improper way) by this tragedy; I felt it necessary to pause (as I sometimes do) from the regular focus of this blog to give my sociological analysis of these past events in hopes to provide some insight and as a form of catharsis.  

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Whenever, individuals talk about terrorism and terrorist attacks, usually one single narrative is dominant.  That narrative is one of shock, surprise, outrage, fear and grief.  While this is understandable from an emotional standpoint, and forecasting data supports the unlikelihood of most people being caught in such a horrific event. We need to understand this from a historical perspective; especially we Americans.  For it has been our Foreign Policy doctrines, global presence and practices over the last 25 years (especially after 9/11) that has lead to these groups gaining increasing strength and militancy.  In fact, we've had a long 30+ history of training our next enemies (much like we've done with ISIS). A history that started with arming Afghani rebels in order to fight a proxy war with Russia (sound familiar?) and giving weapons to Saddam Hussein to help his conflict with Iran. Therefore, this a pattern of negligence (at the very least) on the part of the US authority that has lead to the current tragedy, and most likely, given our history, future ones.  
    One of the many reason why this is such a common occurrence is because our US foreign policy is radicalized by our isolated geographic location.  Since we are generally isolated from the rest of the world (partly because our country takes up almost a 1/3rd of a continent), we can have a global presence without seeing or experiencing direct consequences of our actions; what the military call "blowback".  This has given us free reign to do as we please militarily (continuing colonialism and manifest destiny) and economically ( treating the rest of the world like our own personal labor farm). However, what we have to own, is that these actions have drastic effects for others without such protections.

SOCIAL ANALYSIS 

The false notion of online activism

  As I turn to a more immediate social analysis and reaction to the current events, my cynicism gets the better of me.  Even though there is an public outcry on social media and a welcoming solidarity that makes people feel warmly unified (e.g. the above image); the data shows a starker reality. That reality is that online support, especially from the comfort of  home in a wealthy industrialized first world country, leads to a lack of meaningful action and activism (not to be hypocritical, I do include myself in this critique), because through (re)blogging, (re)tweeting, liking, swiping and sharing; we feel we have completed our necessary civic duty. Therefore, with our guilt assuaged, we can go back to looking at pictures of cats and/or complaining about Luke Skywalker not being in the marketing of Episode VII.

 This is what Slavoj Zizek describes as our current form of Cultural Capitalism (not to be confused with Bourdieu).

This is also understood through the ideas of "I-pod Liberalism"

  If we add to this "slacktavism" the ubiquitous vitriol that accompanies any social event playing out on social media; ignorance and and a lack of empathy are on full display.  You need to look no further than the anti-refugee tweets that have sprung up just after the Paris attacks  and those who have used this to further their own political agenda such as Ted Cruz, Ben Carson , Jeff Duncan, and Donald Trump.

This one's for "The Donald."

More guns and not the solution Donald, Closing the borders is not a solution, because the refugees are not the problem.  

At least some people on social media have it right.

The Problem is our foreign policy and our inability to see the real issues because we are blinded by our racialized image of terrorism.


The Continued Racialization of Terrorism

 Since 9/11 the United States has racialized brown skinned middle eastern looking individuals to be terrorists, just as they have racialized brown skinned mexican looking individuals as undocumented (but they would use the word "illegal" even though you can't be an illegal person) and dark skinned Blacks as more criminal. Thus, this racialization is historically common.

Here is an example:

This has two important outcomes: 
1) It causes us to not define acts of domestic terrorism as such because a majority of these acts are committed by young white males (e.g. mass shootings) that invisibility is a form of white privilege.
 2) We tend to only care about those victims that are predominantly white or westernized.

We are currently seeing this being played out in the lack of media attention on the bombings in Beirut. Because, due to the racialization of terrorism, and "good victims" being unofficially defined as white and western; we assume that bombings in that part of the world are common place and there are no undeserved victims of the attack because, they too, look like the perpetrators.

CONCLUSION

These recent events have been a tragedy.  It is however, unfortunate that we are not learning the lessons from it that we should, just like we have not learned before.  This is because we are asking the wrong questions. The United States Government, and may of its citizens have such a warped perception of the causes of world events, its staggeringly ignorant.  So let me be clear: These attacks were no the fault of refugees or the countries that harbored them, and more guns wouldn't have helped a damn thing. Instead, these attacks were the product of a long history of genocidal western foreign policy, and an inability be diplomatic and compromise.  

Therefore in closing I leave you with a chillingly accurate speech about war from Peter Capaldi as The 12th Doctor 

Amazing. 

Comics Character Profile (C.C.P.): An Introduction

  Introduction to the C.C.P.

As a new, and hopefully recurring, feature on this blog, I've decided to write a Sociological Geek centered profile on some of my favorite comic book characters. Using Sociological analysis, I will be giving background, social and historical context,  and overall reverence for each character I profile. Hopefully, given my expertise, I can bring some insight or perception on a character that hasn't been taken before or been neglected. Essentially, I hope to provide a novel analysis that will pique interest and stimulate critical dialogue.

  This new feature will have several; components:
1) The Basics: Where I discuss the basic history, knowledge, skills and attributes of the character.
2) Historical Context: Where I discuss the relevant historical climate that informs the character.
3) Social Analysis:Where I discuss the social importance of the character in their Universe
4) Badass Moments: This is pretty self explanatory.
5) Required Reading: A list of the seminal stories for the character
6) Personal Corner: Here I get a bit more subjective where I reveal the reasons for my love (bordering on obsession) the the character within my own biography.

 

This new feature is designed to satisfy my increasing unquenchable obsession with comics and comic book characters. Thus, as a form of catharsis, these profiles will allow me a form of release from these all consuming thoughts. However, even though this process is personally therapeutic, I hope to provide a worth while analysis that will add something to the overall conversation that has yet to be discussed...as previously stated.

Enjoy. :)

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy: an Exercise in Perfection.

INTRODUCTION

Batman and my biography

        I am a person with a disability (PWD).  I have cerebral palsy. Growing up, I always wanted to be someone other than me. As a child I wanted to be Superman, pretending to do all the things that he could do and be the peak physical specimen that I knew my disability robbed from me. Then, toward adolescence coming to terms with my perceived "otherness" I gravitated to the X-men, hoping that with my difference, also came special abilities (like Nightcrawler). It didn't happen no matter how I tried to convince my self it was possible.When I reached high school, I realized that I had been waiting around for a miracle, and that miracle was never going to come.  That is when I let Batman into my life.

"...You've changed things...FOREVER."- Joker The Dark Knight







     

     Before this, I was a casual Batman fan. I watched the movies get progressively worse from Burton to Schumacher (culminating in the abysmal and near un-watchable Batman and Robin), and even though my first comic books ever purchased were the self titled Batman (Issue 485), I never understood the character until that moment in high school when I realized, that I was always  going to be a PWD. There was no miracle, cure, or way to get around what and who I was.  There was nothing inherently special about me....just like Bruce Wayne.

          "Batman could be anybody"- Bruce Wayne The Dark Knight Rises 

       This understanding that Bruce Wayne and I shared this lack of specialness gave me hope that I could build myself into something spectacular. That through training, perseverance, and sheer force of will, I could become something more than I was, that I could "make myself more than just [a disabled] man". All I had to do was work hard enough at what I wanted.  It was then that Bruce Wayne/ Batman became a member of my reference group in all aspects of my life.  For me it wasn't What would Jesus do, it was "What would Batman do.". 

       By using Batman as a role model, I excelled in my studies at school, vastly improving with each tier from high school and on throughout college and graduate school.  I wanted to understand everything and have a keen critical and analytical mind as he always seemed to.  Even as I continue with my education independently reading and writing I am always chasing Batman.  Pushing myself to my academic limits of understanding, I often challenge myself with new topics and new ideas that I must Master.

      It is also because of Batman that I went back into the Martial arts that I had started when I was a kid.  I committed myself completely to my martial arts practice and my Sensei (still am committed) achieving the rank of 3rd Degree Black Belt in Isshin-ryu and a second degree Black Belt in Kyusho Jitsu. Now, again like Batman, I am currently working out my own "style" or "art" just as every martial artist has to make each technique their own. I with my disability have to take what works for me from multiple different styles ( I have incorporated some techniques from Wing Chun and KFM for obvious reasons) and leave the rest.

           However, the motivation for this period of self discovery and personal achievement had to be kept secret.  When this journey began in High school during a time when it was unacceptable for anyone over the age of 12 to be into comic books and superheroes.  So Batman, as my fictional paragon, was also my guilty pleasure.  I stopped reading comic books, and did not embrace the geek culture until, as an adult, I gave myself permission.

My Batman

          Every Batman fan has Their Batman. This is the depiction of Batman in comics and other media that resonates the most with them and who they are.  For some, it might be the Batman '66 television show, for others it might be the Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams run in the comics. For me, the gateway drug into the Batman Mythos was the work of Bruce Timm. Timm was creator of the famed DC animated Universe Continuity  That included:

          Batman: The Animated Series

Superman: The Animated Series 

Justice League 

Justice League Unlimited 

And Batman Beyond 

Being so engrossed in this world shaped how I see Batman, to the point that when I read Batman comic books today, Batman's voice sounds like Kevin Conroy's portrayal and The Joker's voice is Mark Hamill's portrayal 

From this great starting off point I built my personal Batman. To me, Batman is a dark, tortured character that uses the cape and cowl as a form of therapy to keep him from falling into the pit of madness that he is constantly on the precipice of.  It is through the persona of Batman that he needs to exorcise his demons, some who have taken physical form ( The Joker).  He is paranoid, he is alienated, he seeks to end his pain through stopping the pain of others. My Batman is a master combatant and a detective. Someone who is always prepared for any eventuality , who can out think his villains and strategize  better than anyone.  Unfortunately, this has become so ridiculous and outrageous over the years (in part due to Batman's loyal fandom) that it has become a parody of it's self.  Many Batman fans believe that Batman can do and survive anything just because "He's Batman."

 

Seminal Comics work for My Batman

Frank Miller's Year One and The Dark Knight Returns (plus the animated versions are good too)

The Long Holloween, Dark Victory and Haunted Knight by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale

Hush by Jim Lee and Jeff Loeb

Arkham Asylum and Batman RIP by Grant Morrison

The Killing Joke by Alan Moore 

Scott Snyder's Run on Batman (three arcs Court of Owls, Death of the Family, and End Game) I have yet to read Zero Year 

    

Film

 It is Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy that is my near perfect portrayal of Batman and Bruce Wayne 

BATMAN BEGINS

   In my original review of the film (see link above), I stated that Batman Begins is the greatest superhero origin story, and I still stand by that.  However, I did not know this going into the theater in 2005.  I was relatively unaware of both the contents of this film and director Christopher Nolan.  What I did know is that they were going to tell the untold story of Bruce Wayne, going back to discuss his training and how he "became Batman." As the story unfolded before me, I realized what a wonderful piece of Cinema I was beholding. I saw the film three times, each with a different family friend and/or loved one.  I could not get enough.
       Nolan wisely made the decision to not show Batman until an hour into the film making us care first about Bruce Wayne before he dons his symbol.  This was so revolutionary that during one of my screenings someone came up to me at the beginning and asked " Is this the Batman film?" I assume they were expecting something different than an Indie Art house Batman Film.

Top 5 Favorite Scenes 

Sword fight on a glacier
"Will is Everything!"

"Where are You!".....Here.

"Where were the other drugs going!"

"I won't kill you. But I don't have to save you."

"A taste of the Theatrical,"

THE DARK KNIGHT

      The Dark Knight is one of the greatest superhero film in cinema history.  After seeing the joker card at the end of Batman Begins which caused me to shout out in the middle of the theater in joyous glee, I wanted to know everything about this film.  I was there for the press release announcing Heath Ledger as the Joker (I was skeptical) I was all upon the viral marketing campaign that invoked "The Long Halloween" which gave us the first images of the Joker.  I read about Heath Ledger's preparation for the role ( and the rumors of the psychological toll it took) and I was in Chicago during filming in March- May 2007.  I watched the news as they blew up an old Brach Candy factory that stood in for Gotham General in the film. However, when the film was released on July 18th 2008. I was in the midst of a big life changing event so I was unable to see the film at Midnight. To cope, I had asked my Brother in law (who was going to the midnight showing) to call me directly afterwards to give me his initial impressions...The verdict: Amazing.  I first saw this film in IMAX,  it was beautiful.

Top 5 Favorite Scenes

"You Think you can steal from us and just walk away?" "Yeah."

"Hit Me!"

"They're only as good as the world allows them to be."

"It's all part of the plan."

"He's the hero we deserve, but not the hero we need right now."

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES 

In anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises, Batman day was created.I was deep into marketing, spoilers, the reveal of the time jump (8 years), the completion of the story and the general awesomness that ensued. Very early on, I had already decided that I would see the film multiple times in the theater on the same day in a row (3 times in a row).  I ended up seeing the film 10 times in the theater, and now own multiple copies of it on Blu-Ray.  As I stated in my original review, this film is unique in that it has a complete ending. It completes the story of Bruce Wayne that we started in Batman Begins. This is why this installment of the Triology is my favorite.

      In a bit of eerie foreshadowing, while we were waiting for the film to begin at Midnight I leaned over to my Brother-in Law and said "What if Bane came through those exit doors right now?" " Oh, it would be over," he replied.  Little did we know that at that moment in Aurora, Colorado James Holmes was preparing to massacre people in a similar theater.  

      Aside from the tragedy, seeing the film at Midnight with my fellow fans became like a religious experience for me.  There were screams of Joy, outrage,  laughter, tears and Cheers! all the way up to the end.  Thank you Emotional Contagion. :) The Batman vs. Bane fight to this day gives me chills!

Top 5 Favorite Scenes

"The Fire Rises."

"Oops"

"I am the League of Shadows."

"Because I'm Batman."

Happy Healthy Life.

CONCLUSION

This is the series of films that I can watch over and over without getting tired. Since the three films complete a story I can not watch just one of them. I have to watch them all. Sure I will spread them out over days maybe weeks (because who really has 10 + hrs to watch films anymore) but I need to watch them in order. I have been watching them at least once a year, and will continue to do so.  Christopher Nolan gave me three Batman stories and the complete Journey of Bruce Wayne. For that I will be forever Grateful.

Sociology Alert! The Racist Media Dance: Dolezal and Domestic Terrorism in Charleston

INTRODUCTION

So far, 2015 has been a difficult year for whiteness. It is becoming harder and harder for white Americans to remain “color-blind” in the wake of so many acts of overt racial violence against people of color and narratives of those who would attempt to co-opt racial experiences by participating in blackface cropping up in the Mainstream media. Yet, even with its difficulty level increased, like a wild animal backed into a corner, this provokes the “rationalizing whiteness media machine” to work even harder to do the (all too common) “media dance” of isolating these incidence as both unrelated and individualized.  That, regardless of the volume and propensity of the stories ensconced in blatant structural racism, many media outlets will mask it through rhetoric steeped in common color-blind excuses of mental illness and poor decision making.

DOLEZAL AND SYMBOLIC ETHNICITY

There has been a lot written about Rachel Dolezal recently. A woman who was born to white parents has, for the last 7 years or so, been identifying, and to a large extent passing, as biracial.  When this story initially broke, there was a lot of questions about the legitimacy of her claim and (at least from the media outlet ensconced in whiteness) whether or not a white person could identify and construct a “trans racial identity” in which a person could identify as another race or ethnicity, thus being able to construct a dissident racial performance. This has led to many erroneous comparisons to the transgender narrative of Caitlyn Jenner. 

            The narratives of Caitlyn Jenner and Rachel Dolezal are not that same thing. We promote the struggle felt by Caitlyn Jenner because of the strict imposition of a binary gender system that limits gender expression to a simplified either/or choice based around the validation of reproduction. That if we had a more fluid public understanding of gender then we would all live within a broader and much more widely acceptable gendered spectrum[1]  Dolezal’s narrative is a prime example of white privilege through what Mary Water’s calls Symbolic Ethnicity.[2] This is the idea that those categorized as “white” (usually of European descent) through cultural assimilation have been able to abstractly connect to their heritage without consequence (because to whites ethnicity does not matter). Additionally, this allows white the ability to construct a multi-cultural identity through cultural consumerism. As an example, as a white person, I can listen to Celtic music, be Buddhist, train in the martial arts and French forms of fencing, love Italian food, while having a German heritage where I am not punished or admonished by society for not knowing my language, or have to apologize for Nazism. Whereas many people of color are seen as traitors or pariahs if they don’t know their language (e.g. Spanish for Latinos) or don’t comment on social and historical events (e.g. immigration and slavery for Latinos and African Americans respectively). 

 Dolezal fabricated racial identity takes this notion of symbolic ethnicity from beyond just a consumerist model into one of a racist caricature. Not only did she identify and embrace aspects of black culture without sanction, she took the extra step and became a parody through blackface.  The very idea that she has the ability to shed her race like a snake skin does not promote the false notion of racial fluidity; it expressively highlights white privilege. For the simple fact that people of color cannot shed their black and browness when it suits them, as Dolezal shed her whiteness.        

            What is also troubling is the way that the common explanation of race as a Social Construct was used in an attempt to support this “trans racial” myth.  This misconception here is that just because race is a social construct, which it is, that does not mean that the way race is socially constructed is devoid of meaning. Race matters, a lot. This can be illustrated in the many ways Dolezal attempted to legitimize her constructed blackness (through a fake father of color, changing her hair style and darkening her skin). This actions also delegitimize any good Dolezal could have done as a white ally to improve the lives of people of color rather than try and co-opt their struggle

            Yet, the most troubling, and sociologically interesting aspect of this case is that she was able to “pass” as black, gain scholarships, and be hired as the local chapter president of the NAACP  through adopting culturally specific stereotypes.  The fact that all it takes to convince the general public of a multicultural identity is all based in cosmetic aesthetics and stereotypical behavior, shows that our ideas of race are still quite superficial, and more importantly, we are not as post racial as we would have ourselves to believe.

            As a final note on the matter of Dolezal, I want to echo the sentiments expressed on the most recent Bitch Media Propaganda Backtalk podcast.  In this episode, the hosts point out another example of Dolezal’s white privilege is her ability to take news coverage away from the actual lives of black women.  The very epitome being that we all know the name Rachel Dolezal but we don’t remember the names of women/girls of color that were victimized during the same time period (Arnesha Bowers) and McKinley pool incident, or the women who started the #BlacklivesMatter movement namely Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. This is a perfect example of the symbolic annihilation of race and gender.  

Here is some Brilliance from Maya Rudolph:

RACIAL VIOLENCE POLICE AND BEYOND

Many Sociologists and Anti-Racist advocates have already discussed the racialization of people of color within the current context of escalated tension between people of color and the police. I use the term “escalated” because there has been a long history of tension between people of color and the police so much so that there friction is normalized, expected and warranted. It was only recently that the media has been saturated with accounts of people of color being harassed, beaten and shot (and killed) by police.[3] 

Note on the video: I find it interesting that white male (presumably) parents take it upon themselves to calm the "out of control" black teenagers. Yet, this is not framed as interfering in police procedures. Neither are they brought up on charges.  This is a prime example of white male privilege.  

Yet, this escalation is, in part, a social construct. While this tension may seem escalated, it is only due to the increased media coverage. Middle class and affluent white folks who are secure in their privilege and trapped in the false consciousness that police (the system and the individuals) serve, protect, and punish equally: regardless of race, class, gender, nationality, or disability (See my Post on Ferguson and Colorblindness) see more black and brown faces on the news being harassed and they think it’s a novelty, or at the very least,  nostalgic; reminiscent of an assumed bygone era; when this is an everyday reality for people of color. Especially for victims: Treyvon Martin[4], Jordan Davis[5] Michael Brown [6]EricGarner[7] Freddie Gray[8] and Walter Scott[9] The offenders of these murders were acquitted, not charged, insufficiently charged, or only charged after intense public outcry.   These are just a few examples of the systemic nature of violence against people of color both from the police and from civilians.   

Example: Riot, what’s in a name?

A Google search for “Balt” auto finishes with “Baltimore Riots” as the first suggestion and “Baltimore Riots 2015” as the second suggestion.  It is quite understanding that the Google finishing algorithm would “naturally” turn “Balt” into “Baltimore” as “Balt” can be considered a root of the latter.  The issue is that it includes the word “riot”.  To some, this may not be an issue, identifying that Google, in its efficiency, is giving you what you are looking for (with an accuracy that borders on precognition). Culling from news articles, blog posts, and other interested parties and investors; Google assumes a user is searching for information about the civil unrest that occurred in Baltimore. Thus, since many articles and posts about the recent protest and unrest often use the word “Riot” it makes sense for Google to auto finish the word “ Balt” with “Baltimore Riot”  As a Sociologist, however; I take issue with the use of the term “Riot” when explaining the civil disobedience in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.  Far too often, whenever people of color protest, or are just in a large group in public, they are met with a “show of force” by police (in riot gear) and threatened with violence. Meanwhile, white violent outburst are labeled with less harsh rhetoric and explained away.

There is a video for that:

THE TERRORISM OF SYSTEMIC WHITE SUPREMACY

On Jun 17^th 2015 Dylann Roof opened fire during a service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston South Carolina killing 9 people. Even though this is currently being investigated as a hate crime (which it is) This also needs to be labeled as a form of Domestic Terrorism.

Before 9/11, the idea of terrorism was, no pun intended, foreign to individuals in the United States.  Because 9/11 was the first incident in the United States that was publicly framed as “a terrorist attack”. That label, and the “War on Terror” that followed, set a president that only identified “Terrorism” as something foreign born, outside of the United States.  Add to this the racialization of a terrorist that resembles someone from the Middle East and you have a recipe that cloaks the compounded White Domestic Terrorism that people of color have felt in the United States for centuries. From Slavery, lynchings and Jim Crow Laws, to Mass Incarceration Police brutality and Police Shootings; the violence in South Carolina is just the latest in a long history of domestic terrorism perpetrated against people of color.

 Yet again, however, the media dance began with the overall shock and confusion of white pundits and news anchors continuing on with questions of the shooters sanity.  The “insanity defense” is a classic trope used by the media dance of the white racial social structure as a way to isolate this incident rather than see it for what it is; more of the same color- blind white avoidance that has permeated our history that it seems to value people of color as inadequately less than…disposable. To illustrate this, ask the question, would we even think of using the “insanity defense” if the shooter was black? No. To further individualize the incident we blame the White supremacist group for corrupting what was otherwise a “good kid”. In the coming weeks and months other phrases will follow, that he was “on the wrong path” or that he was “misguided”. There will be little or no mention in the mainstream media dance of this being a symptom of a white supremacism that has been normalized in our country and masked by our ignorance and desire to be color blind.

A debate that perfectly epitomizes the normalization of white Supremacy in the United States is the protection of and overall embrace of the the confederate flag. While due to the recent public outcry perceptions have shifted (for the time being). It's continued use, support and reproduction solidifies the dehumanizing of people of color as beloved cultural history among the southern states.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the racial media dance is far from over. Rachel Dolezal will get a book deal and a documentary about her, there will be more acts of violence against people of color both from the authority and from others (probably more in 2015), and even though some of us are having more nuanced discussions about race today, history has shown us that it will not last.  When the dance is complete, the polymorphic system of structural racism will once again temper and cool into a new structure of racial ignorance, ambivalence and color blindness with the knowledge of these past flare ups of awareness will provide the structure with teachable moments about how to remain invisible.        

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[1] Based upon the work of West and Zimmerman, Judith Butler, and Lisa Wade 

[2] You can view the article here

[3]  As of this writing, in 2015 alone 541 people have been killed by police in the United States with a majority of them being unarmed persons of color. 

[4] A Stand your ground case in Florida that resulted in the Acquittal of George Zimmerman for shooting unarmed Trayvon Martin Feb 2012

[5]  Jordan Davis was shot and killed by Michael Dunn outside of a Convenience store in Florida Nov 2012

[6] The murder of Michael Brown by police sparked the civil unrest in Ferguson August, 2014

[7] Eric Garner was a killed by a non-sanctioned police chokehold in New York City in July of 2014.  The police officer involved was not indicted Garners pleads of “I can’t breathe.” Were used during the public outcry and subsequent protests.

[8] Freddie Gray’s death while in custody sparked the civil Unrest in Baltimore and fueled the #BlackLivesMatter campaign April 12^th 2015

[9] Walter Scott was shot in the back while evading police on Apri 4^th 2015