I read the Anarchy trade last night, and I have to tell you that there was a sequence that really disturbed me, and took my urge to continue reading Powers or other stuff from Bendis. I mean the part where Deena beats the shit out of the chaotic chic -girl in the jail with the handle of her gun, while Walker and another cop are watching without any intervention.
I understand that it depicts the frustration of Deena, and her wanting to get the killings to end as soon as possible, but really that sort of behaviour from the main characters and especially cops, really makes you look down on them. Intellectually, the scene ties to the thematics of the trade, taking the law in one's own hands, but still it's a concrete act from the characters, and you might read very much of yankie bravado of Bendis' part into that - meaning that it seems like the same knid of behaviour of US government, ends justify means, the horror of the wrath of the enemy gives the excuse to do whatever - bomb thousands of innocent civilians and to attacks which are internationally illegal, and to torture people against the international human rights laws.
I might be a little far-fetched but I think the correlation is there, and I suppose the original comics have been written in the middle of the Middle East / Afghanistan / Iraq attacks. The Anarchy story got me thinking of the super heroes as metaphors of the pompous US government attitude, although it is clear that the are more of the villains than heroes, but on the level of taking law in their own hands, and not bowing to the rules made for everybody else.
I know I might be completely wrong with this, but I'd like to hear your comments on this.
I think you may be reading a little too much into it. It may be disturbing, but that's art. it may be thought provoking, but it's not like Bendis aims to make some kind of social commentary on things, or life in general... it's a fuckin' comic book for christ sakes... don't mean to be blunt, but it's stirctly for entertainment purposes only... some watch, we read.
I bought that trade recently and loved it. I think that it's interesting that Deena is so out of control. Other cop characters in other series seem to be on the edge, but she's definitely over the edge.
We werent in any way saying it was cool- it was life.
This chick killed a cop- her partner. This is what happens when you kill cops.
Originally Posted by Welt
I understand that. They were trying to keep Deena a real person, and some people just lack the capacity of restraint. Ask yourself, what would you do??? But let's try to remember, it's only a comic book - strictly entertainment...
As I wrote, I undertood the idea of the scene, and how she loses her control, but then the other cops should have intervened, or the one with the little beard-what's-his-name should have at least, as he was less involved in the whole thing emotionally...
As it is a fucking loser-kinda behaviour as a cop to beat your prisoner, without any possibilty to defend oneself. I admit I read too much into it with what I wrote about the US thing, but those were just ideas that crossed my mind after the story, and entertainment though it may be, I believe that good stories spark some thoughts in your mind, and even if you don't think there's any meaning or substance to these stories, there's always the subtext that expresses the values behind the story.
And by and by, I don't feel that the values of Powers are bad, I think that with some more nihilist protagonists involved the beating stuff might have passed without me being so bothered by it, but the detectives Deena and Walker have seemed like moral and fair characters, and that's why it felt like so out of their style. But you're the makers of the series, so who am I to say. In a sense it is good to write the protagonists to react in abnormal way when in shock- it is true that that's the way people behave.
I'd recommend the german Das Experiment movie, which is based on the psychological tests of the seventies with other half as wardens and the other as prisoners...
But anyways, I didn't mean to offend you, and I hope I didn't bring any stress to your holidays.
i think if anything this just humanized them more to me.
i've been in a situation where someone who has done me serious harm in the past was in my custody and when my boss suggested we turn off the camera and pummel him good, there was more than a moment where i considered it. i can't imagine if someone were to have killed a partner of mine or something like that what i would do. and i consider myself a somewhat moral person.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks