Saturday, March 11, 2017

365 Days of Defiance, Day 70: You can't pull the wool over this little sheep's eyes

As we saw yesterday, the Justice Society was founded to fight injustice, to right that which is wrong, and to serve all mankind! Also: they couldn't remember how to spell the word "League." (It's confusing! I keep wanting to write "Leeg!") So how is speedy founding member All-Flash (not actually his name but instead the name of his comic book) going to battle fascists within the borders of the contiguous forty-eight states? (To heck with Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.) By exceeding the laws of physics and breaking every traffic rule in the county, that's how!:



Panels from All Star Comics #4 (March-April 1941), script by Gardner F. Fox, pencils and inks by Everett E. Hibbard

Flash leads by example! I mean, not the dressing up in red and blue tights and wearing a salad bowl on your head example, but by teaching how to resist the snakes within our midst! In other words, he's rousing up the general public by teaching them about the terrors of loathsome hate literature. Also: knowing is half the battle!



Remember: to successfully and morally resist the forces of fascism in our great country, do not have the wool pulled over your eyes. (Exception: the great hero Sheep-Man.) Also, play darts with guns! No, ignore that last one. Just don't stand still twiddling your thumbs when you hear hate speech, no matter who it's coming from. (There is no exception for the "highest office" in the land, by the way.) Isn't that right, Flash?


And that's what the Flash will always believe in: truth, equality, and tolerance for all people regardless of nationality, with zero tolerance for racial slurs


OH FOR PETE'S SAKE JAY YOU WERE DOING SO WELL UNTIL THAT LAST PANEL

8 comments:

BillyWitchDoctor said...

Oh, I hope you'll tap Golden Age Captain America's battle against The Reaper (reprinted in one of Marvel's trade paperbacks but I can't remember which one). A wizened old man literally stalking around in a full-body robe and wielding a scythe almost destroys democracy, simply by holding rallies and telling people what they want to hear.

Up to about a year ago, I thought it was hilariously goofy in my it-could-never-happen-here naivete.

Bully said...

Billy, thanks for the suggestion! I'm gonna look for it now!

BillyWitchDoctor said...

Cool! If it helps, I finally found my original source: The Golden Age of Marvel Comics Volume One TPB. Wikipedia (he has his own Wiki page!) says the story was reprinted in Invaders #10 (1976) as well.

Bully said...

That is actually very helpful, thanks you, Billy! The original (in Captain America Comics #22) I've only ever seen in a bad microfiche copy, and the Marvel Masterworks it's reprinted in is out of my price league. But I've definitely got Invaders #10 around here somewhere! Thanks!

Bully said...

Oh yes! I knew I'd read it before once I saw this classic panel!

Ward Hill Terry said...

You're a fine one to chastise others for their spelling. You couldn't even spell "word." :)

Bully said...

In my defense, Terrence, typing is more difficult with hooves.

Blam (Alternate) said...

"Aiiieeeee! No, Flash, no!" — Groot