• skisnow@lemmy.caEnglish
    441·
    8 days ago

    Environmentalists in comic books are nearly always deranged villains, and the ones that aren’t are still weak and naïve.

    The only strong environmentalist hero in Western canon is Captain Planet, and he’s got sus narc vibes.

        • ideonek@piefed.socialEnglish
          17·
          8 days ago

          Because of his views.

          https://i0.wp.com/50yearoldcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/gl89-recruit.jpg?ssl=1

          https://i0.wp.com/50yearoldcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/gl89-vapor.jpg?ssl=1

          From: https://50yearoldcomics.com/2022/02/19/green-lantern-89-april-1972/

          He’s consistently an “old lefty” sometimes more “sustainable-first capitalist” sometimes more “anarchist”, but his views on things like pollution are well established.

          • Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
            10·
            8 days ago

            Turns out he has a superpower, and it is the ability to be environmentalist, anarchist-leaning, and billionaire at the same time.

            • ideonek@piefed.socialEnglish
              6·
              8 days ago

              Fair. And I believe this absurd was addressed in universe multiple time. Often with him losing the money in a process. But yes, it’s one of the unfortunate consequence of our shift in how we see billionaires. Batman is the richest and smartest person in the world who care only about one city… with it’s underfunded mental asylum looking like a hose of horror.

              The irony is clear. They have a better way of fixing the system than fists and arrow. They are the system.

              The lean batman and lean GA are the only one that make sense. But they need to be part of the Justice League with immortal gods. So they need the 9th metal mech and killer ray space stations… which cost money.

              But saying GL is not an environmentalist is like saying that Batman don’t care about Gotham. (Even if they have a stupid way of organizing their priorities.)

              • Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
                1·
                8 days ago

                I think so and agree with you.

                I’ll add that I think Ollie gets a better treatment with it than Bruce, and Marvel’s Tony who is a bit of a dick, do. (Pym and Incredible both manage to keep inventing game-changing things that never change the order or structure of society or economics, which is relayed to where I’m gonna go but also different in some ways).

                I haven’t read a lot of Green Arrow, but have enjoyed what I have.

                I do remember reading one story that began with Ollie volunteering in Africa working on water infrastructure (not sure if he was also funding things). He takes actions allowed within the confines of the editorial line to fit the views his character espouses.

                But to keep relatablity any never ending story, i.e. the soap opera for boys of serialised comics, will tend towards the status quo of our real world. They can’t show us a better way to live, as how we live needs to be the normal and mostly ideal. So Genosha must fall, Metropolis must be a normalish city, and Gotham remains close to a platonic ideal of the upper-middle class’s view of crime infested 80s New York. (Not the original, but seems to have shifted to it from the gangstery 1950s it once was in pre-modern Batman).

                Edit: I think this is also actually in part what has led me to become more a fan of Superman as I get older.

                • ideonek@piefed.socialEnglish
                  1·
                  8 days ago

                  I couldn’t agree more. But I could live with the status quo of the environment, I think it could be done well… IF you are willing to let your characters change. But they insist on Batman that needs to stay broken even when he overcomes all his obstacles. He’s a fantasy of a perfect man, right? He should be self-aware and smart enough to start therapy by now. He already raised a family of heros, and which one of them surpass him in some way… the only reasonable place for him to be is retirement. But as long as batman toys and movies are selling better than Nigtwing’s no one will pull the trigger. At least not permanently.

                  I also moved to Superman - unfortunately I’m taking a brake on US culture until the president is in the office. But I can’t wait to pick up where I left. Superman resonates so much more with me now.

                  I’m in a small minority that loved Superman revealing that he’s Clark Kent to the word. It’s consistent with his “truth” value, it opens to discussions ethics of having “all hearing” reporter who reports on things he’s part of… it created fresh type of conflicts. And I loved his son, as a Superman who ask himself “should I be doing more and what more even mean”… I loved the House of El and the Superman’s legacy…

                  You can disagree and it’s fine. The point is, we deserve stories that are more than retelling the same one over and over again.

                  We could have the metropolis that is normalized with heros who address modern problems that became “norm” to readers. I want to know

                  But they will not play the long game, when the short term profits are on the line. Status Que strikes again.

          • skisnow@lemmy.caEnglish
            51·
            8 days ago

            Sure, but we’re really in “exception proving the rule” territory where you have to reach back to 1972 for an environmental plotline.

            • ideonek@piefed.socialEnglish
              5·
              8 days ago

              Come on, man. You are portraying a scenario when I opened all comics starting now and stopped when I reached a first one with environmental theme? Is this arguing in good faith? The image is old because it’s an important part of his worldview for a long time. One of his enemy from this year is named “Fresh Water Killer”.

  • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de
    23·
    8 days ago

    We can solve those problems directly or indirectly by tying superman to a dynamo. With free energy even the issues with materials can be solved over time.

      • Velypso@sh.itjust.works
        91·
        8 days ago

        1 turn = 1 day

        Completely artificial plastic was invented in 1907 - 118 years ago.

        1 year = 365 days

        118 years x 365 days = 43,070 days

        So 43,071 rounds should do it, and then just clonk Leo Baekeland over the head or something.

  • MrNesser@lemmy.world
    12·
    8 days ago

    Isn’t superman pro free will

    He will protect against threats but if you fuck it up your mostly on your own

  • SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org
    10·
    8 days ago

    Couldn’t he just take all the billionaires and fly them into the sun or smth? I don’t know if that alone would fix things, but it’s a start. Also literally no downsides.

    • mad_lentil@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      8 days ago

      I bet you if he just lightly beat up one billionaire a day that the problem would sort itself out pretty quickly.

  • Tattorack@lemmy.world
    7·
    8 days ago

    Yeah, sorry guys, but these sorts of things aren’t really Superman’s department.

    Uh… You could… Hmm… You could try asking Mr. Terrific.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 @pawb.socialEnglish
      14·
      8 days ago

      Bullshit. Superman can totally stop global warming by simply pushing Earth further away from the sun. Similar to how he sent the whole planet back in time by just turning it backwards.

      And I guess he could just beat the fuck outta the ceos of every major corporation, too. It worked against Lex Luthor.

      • Tattorack@lemmy.world
        14·
        8 days ago

        D:

        W-why The fuck would you want that!? He’d literally be effecting the orbit of a whole ass planet, you have no idea the kinds of consequences that’ll bring! And it wouldn’t even solve the pollution problem!

        Superman isn’t supposed to mess with time either. That is the type of shit that gives Lex Luthor’s arguments against someone like Superman a point!

      • Simulation6@sopuli.xyz
        4·
        8 days ago

        I think I remember he once built a giant shield from asteroids to block the sun during a large solar flare. That would be an easier way to cool the earth.
        Also, the earth reversing direction was not what caused time to reverse. Time reversing is what caused the earth to reverse direction (just a movie visual clue).

    • Lumisal@lemmy.world
      5·
      8 days ago

      Oy dumbass, “yeah” is already slang for “yes” that came out in the 1800s. So the word is technically “yes”, but “yea” is an optimization of slang.

      I’d say study language better but no amount of money can fix being a dumbass egotistical asshole.