Monday, May 2, 2011

Dear Cal Thomas

Dear Cal Thomas,

Let me, first and foremost, get this off my chest; you're a mean person. You're uninformed, and you've made a mockery of the journalism profession. 

Alright, that's done. Let's get on with what really matters.

I'm writing in regards to your article, Who Has Hijacked Superman and Turned Him into a U.N. Loving, Anti-American. First of  all, whew. What a mouthful! Couldn't think of something more clever, could you? But, I digress. What I'm more concerned about is the subject matter of the article.

In this Fox News blurb, you discuss Superman defecting his citizenship in the book published by Action Comics, The Incident. Problem is, you failed to do your research. You didn't actually read the book you're tearing apart. You just read ONE panel, and said, "I'm so mad, I'm going to write about this." BIG mistake, Mister.

The line you quote is this one: “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.” which is the reason Superman gives for renouncing his citizenship. You didn't bother to see who was misconstruing Superman's actions. Superman isn't talking about the US government here, he's talking about the Iranian government.

When Superman supported some non-violent protests in Tehran, the Iranian government took this as an act of war committed by the US government. So, by renouncing his American citizenship, Superman is actually PROTECTING America. He's taking the anger of the Iranian government on his own shoulders, and away from the American people. How is this Anti-American? If you had bothered to do any research, or even just to read more than some google image you found on a conservative smear blog, you would know this already.

Let me make a side note here. You state in your article: "Construed? Would comic book readers have heard of such a word?" Yes, yes we have. We can use Wikipedia, too. (Not a legitimate source for news, BTW. Might want to brush up on your AP Style Handbook.) But we really didn't need to. Construed isn't such a big word. Maybe it is for you, but we're perfectly capable of understanding what it means. Hey, we wouldn't be reading if we weren't. We'd be watching TV, like you, since that seems to be your only experience with Superman.

Oh, and while you're Wiki-ing away, why don't you Wiki the writer of the book in question, David S. Goyer, since you didn't even bother to find out who wrote the book before you started bashing on it. Seriously? Who does that?! Better not watch the new movie, he's writing that too. As far as I can tell, he's not on Obama's payroll.

Honestly, after that little gem in your article, it more or less becomes a bunch of blathering I would expect from a mild case of dementia. You might want to go in and get that checked. Listing off superheroes like some cracked out crazy person who has no idea what they're talking about. Since when did these superheroes not fight for the US? Since when do we have a shortage of comic book big-wigs who stand for the American way? Never! By the way, Captain Marvel has been anything but dormant. He's even made appearances in HUGELY popular Frank Miller Batman story arcs. Again, do your research.

Besides the sheer amount of "replacement heroes" as you call them, Superman is not abandoning the USA. DC has assured us that Clark Kent will continue to be the small town boy come big city reporter he's always been. He's not moving out of the country, Superman is still going to fight to protect America. He just doesn't want his actions associated with the US government for fear that it will bring a world of hurt to our country.

Also, it's no new thing that Superman is helping other countries. He stands for the fundamentals that built our country including freedom for all. Superman has always helped those in need no matter what country they live in. Just because the old TV show didn't have the budget to film in exotic locales doesn't mean that Superman's entire scope of reality has been limited to the USA.

Furthermore, the right agenda does not own superheroes. They are fictional characters, and Superman happens to be the intellectual property of DC Comics. Sorry to bust your bubble. Oh, and Captain Planet was a kid's cartoon, not a comic book. Get your references straight.

I guess my biggest beef with you is this; you didn't bother to do your damn research. You went and spewed your self-righteous excuse for journalism all over Fox News without picking up a damn book first to make sure your spewage would actually be credible. If I had written that article in college, I'm pretty sure I would have failed the class immediately. Leave comic book journalism to those who know what the hell they're talking about. The people out there who spend their days tirelessly reading everything they can get their hands on in order to bring genuine, fact-filled information to the public. Don't just get upset about things and fly off the handle before you know the context behind them.

You're making a mockery of journalist everywhere, and especially those who write about comic books. You're also assuming that comic book readers are dumb. That's taking it too far. We are intelligent people who are capable of holding our own in any situation. We're not a bunch of dumb basement-dwellers who can't tell a sandwich from our ass cracks. You would probably be very embarrassed to learn how many people in your own line of work you've just insulted by assuming that comic book readers are idiots.

misconstruing the storyline. For now, that's all I have to say.

<3Saz
P.S. This blog is me getting the rage I feel for the article off my chest. What I will be doing along with this is composing a much more respectful letter to Cal Thomas and the Fox News network to let them know that this affront to comic book journalism hasn't gone unnoticed. If you want an example of how something like this should be phrased, read Joey Esposito's blog on the subject. This is my place to rant, and I did so. Now I'm off to email Cal and Fox News in an eloquent and polite manner. I suggest you all do the same. 
Call Fox News at: 1-866-369-4762

We can make a difference if we try. As Joey so poignantly tweeted, "Supes belongs to the World."