The Black Monday Murders is Antisemitic BS

by Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker

I was recently made aware of this book as an antisemitic graphic novel. As a fan of Hickman, specifically his recent X-Men work, I was both startled and concerned that Black Monday Murders centered around a secret cabal of bankers who control the world’s finances. I read most of volume one, and unfortunately, there were enough antisemitic overtones to ring the alarm, make me nauseated, and put down the book – and Hickman’s works for good.

If this is unfamiliar to you, you may have heard stereotypes of Jews as bankers, money lenders, and in control of world events through finances. (One philanthropist often targeted is George Soros.) This is an antisemitic trope dating back to the 1900’s and the fabricated Protocols of the Elders of Zion. From the Wikipedia article:

The Protocols purports to document the minutes of a late-19th-century meeting attended by world Jewish leaders, the “Elders of Zion”, who are conspiring to take over the world. The forgery places in the mouths of the Jewish leaders a variety of plans, most of which derive from older antisemitic canards. For example, the Protocols includes plans to subvert the morals of the non-Jewish world, plans for Jewish bankers to control the world’s economies, plans for Jewish control of the press, and – ultimately – plans for the destruction of civilization

In Hickman’s secret cabal, one of the families is the Rothschild family. All the others are fictional. I cannot overstate how hugely problematic this is. The Rothschilds are a real family of Jewish bankers who have been targets of real antisemitism for centuries, most recently from Congresswoman Greene. Saying the Rothschild family – who are again, REAL JEWISH PEOPLE – are murderous “pure bloodline” devil worshippers who control the world’s wealth – which yes, all shows up in this book – is about as blatant antisemitism as it gets.

By the way, another cabal family’s surname is Ackermann, which is also an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish name.

Hickman even ties in Judas, centuries old antisemitism. This is not a matter of not doing enough research. It is doing exactly enough research to create a story absolutely undeniably antisemitic that Jews and more importantly white supremacists will understand.See more here.

THE LITERAL CHARACTER ON THE COVER HAS HORNS. WTF HICKMAN.

Listen, is there a possibility none of his is intentional? …Maybe. I’m willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to everything…except the Rothschilds. Who are real people. Who are constantly targeted for the exact conceit in this book. And any amount of research will show you that. There was no reason to use their name in this book if the rest of them are fictional. Absolutely none.

I am no longer reading comics by Jonathan Hickman.

And, Hickman: how fucking dare you. Comic books and the graphic novel genre were literally created by Jews because of antisemitism. University quotas and barring Jews from fields of work forced them into fields of publishing, pulp magazines, and yes, comic books. At the height of the Holocaust, a Jewish genocide rooted in conspiracy and scapegoat theories like the ones you peddle in this book. How. Fucking. Dare. You.

Avatar the Last Airbender: The Secret

by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru, Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
collects Avatar: The Search parts 1-3
Avatar: The Last Airbender reviews: one | two
The Legend of Korra reviews: one | two

Spoilers ahead!

Aang and crew’s post-series journey continues, this time picking up the huge question left off from the series finale: what happened to Zuko’s mother, Ursa?

But what I really want to know is WHERE. IS. MY. TOPH.

One of several disappointments of the book was excluding Toph completely – granted, she would have been one too many with Azula, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

The Search reveals all the answers to Ursa’s past and gives Zuko a whole lot of attention to his family dynamic – does therapy exist in Avatar’s world? This poor kid could sure use some. But in the end, Ursa’s story was too simplistic, with disappointing spirit world deus-ex-machina, and no real focus on developing Ursa’s character as an individual.

Ursa makes virtually no decisions by and for herself, and she is constantly defined by one or more men in her life: her grandfather Roku, Ikem, father in law Azulon, husband Ozai, and her son Zuko, whose growth is the real point of the story. I’m not saying men should have been completely absent from her story; rather, she should have done something not informed by her relationship towards one or more men. Ursa also has a lukewarm personality, a byproduct of this issue – I can’t name any of Ursa’s traits that were passed down to Zuko or Azula.

spoiler-y examples in this paragraph. Specifically, Ursa should have done something other than pine for Ikem and be victim to Ozai’s cruelty during their marriage. What if she had used her status to undermine Ozai’s radical, hateful rule – like leading a rebellion as the Blue Spirit, conspiring with Iroh and the White Lotus, or like her son, searching for the Avatar to end the war? She could have done something after leaving the palace and before reuniting with Ikem. This would have shown us more of who Ursa is, separate from her partners and children, and tied her legacy to her grandfather, Avatar Roku, as well as Zuko. Instead, Ursa never looks beyond her own victimization in order to help others – part of Zuko’s growth I once assumed came from his mother – and instead she remains paralyzed by fear of Ozai’s wrath, and chooses to forget her old life, which was passive and cowardly (at least she admits that). As a survivor of abuse (it’s hinted at being more than just emotional), Ursa’s choice to wipe her memory is even more troubling in today’s climate. – the story was written in 2014, and I wonder how things might have been different if it was written after the #MeToo movement – or, frankly, if a woman had written the story. In the end, Ursa is handed a happy ending, without doing much or facing harsh consequences, she’s essentially unchanged – because Ursa’s story is really about Zuko’s growth, not Ursa’s.

spoilers continue. Doubly tragic is Azula’s treatment. Even though she’s the catalyst for Zuko’s journey to find Ursa, she never actually meets their mother (with Ursa’s memory intact). Yang robs Azula of the opportunity for her own healing, understanding her relationship with her mother, and to a lesser extent, redemption with Zuko. Like Ursa, Azula remains unchanged, and Aang betrays Yang’s priorities when he says repeatedly this story is about “a mother and son,” not a mother and daughter. Azula is a fun villain, but not giving her any chance for growth and change (which can occur without losing her villain status) makes her a nuisance and obstacle in the story – a really disappointing choice.

So my major complaint from the last book still stands: the growth and character development of women is still not important in Avatar. Toph, Katara, and Azula remain stagnant (or not present at all) in this book. I’ve mentioned everyone else so I’ll just add here that Katara could have had an interesting moment connecting with Zuko, as she also lost her mom – this was a major connection between the two in the series. But instead, she is relegated to “Sokka’s sister” in a B-plot whose connection to the main story was very on the nose. And before you say it, Legend of Korra is separate and doesn’t give Avatar the right to ignore the women in its series.

Otherwise, there are plenty of small references and explanations in Ursa’s flashbacks – most importantly the Blue Spirit mask – and the director’s cut describes the intense collaboration between all of them. There is a lot of love and reverence for Avatar here coming from Yang and Gurihiru, and it shows. Unfortunately, that love seems firmly invested in Zuko, Aang, and world building elements – the rest, including Ursa, is window dressing.

Guihiru’s art continues to shine, and I especially loved how the panels are laid out during “the deal” between Ursa and Ozai. Their anime style is a natural fit for the series. Unfortunately, while Gurihiru does the best they can, bending loses some of its kinetic magic in still frames.

Continuing this series won’t make you love Avatar any less, and it’s a great salve for those hungry for more adventures post-series. But I will admit, unlike Korra’s series, it isn’t making me love Avatar any more.

Magnificent Ms Marvel: Stormranger

by Saladin Ahmed, Joey Vazquez, Mikyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, & Alex Arizmendi
collects Magnificent Ms Marvel #7-12
main series reviews: volumes four | five | nine | ten
magnificent ms marvel reviews: volumes one | two

Saladin Ahmed continues his run on Ms Marvel with volume two! This arc wasn’t as much of a home run as the debut, but Ahmed does a nice job both moving Kamala forward while also drawing extensively from her previous stories.

Kamala is very much our generation’s Peter Parker, and echoes of that parallel come up often in Stormranger. Kamala’s day trip with her buddies Nakia and Zoe is derailed; Kamala is pulled between her responsibilities and talking to Bruno about their relationship; and when her new alien tech suit becomes sentient, Kamala must choose between saving its target or staying in the hospital to help her dad.

These emotional dilemmas are where the story really shines – not because they’re echos of Peter, but because they show us who Kamala is. Ahmed and his artist team heighten the suspense, reveal Kamala’s emotions and reactions well, and she has to live with the very real consequences – positive and otherwise – from her choices. Those consequences create real investment on behalf of the reader, move the story forward, and continue to reveal Kamala’s character.

The story falters with the villains of the story, several of whom are from Ms Marvel’s earlier stories. While it’s great to see her building a rogues gallery, these “villains” – it’s almost too kind to call them that – were relatively shallow when G Willow Wilson introduced them, and we don’t get much more of that from Ahmed. I forgot about these characters and probably will again when they make a return.

Joey Vazquez’s pencils open the second volume of Ms Marvel, and while his style is highly polished and consistent, I didn’t like how he rendered Kamala’s face. Since the beginning she’s had a distinctive nose shape and brow line, and some artists choose more creative license with this; to me, it’s a necessary part of her look. Minkyu Jung, the regular artist for volume one, takes over midway through the book, and it’s honestly a welcome return. His pencils are gorgeous and feel very true to Kamala and Jersey City; Jung might actually be my favorite Ms Marvel artist behind Nico Leon.

spoilers this paragraph: We also see a long awaited step forward in Kamala and Bruno’s relationship, and all I can say is – finally! (But the cover of them kissing left a lot to be desired.) Though Bruno might have chosen the wrong time to declare his love for Kamala, it’s so sweet to see him support her as Ms Marvel and through her father’s illness too, and they make a great couple. Ahmed referenced a conversation between Kamala’s brother Aamir and Bruno way back in volume 4 (I discussed it in the review here). I’m thrilled Ahmed is going to continue this conversation – minorities being in relationships with those outside their minority groups is a complicated issue, and seeing how Kamala’s family reacts will be interesting to say the least.

Even though this wasn’t the strongest Ms Marvel story, there are important character developments and some emotional resolutions as well. Ahmed and Jung have a strong handle on character and pacing, and above all what makes a Kamala story unique and so enjoyable. Looking forward to volume 3.

Isola 2

by Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl, Msassyk
collects Isola #6-10
volume reviews one |two

Isola’s second volume isn’t my favorite book of the year so far, but it very well might be the most gorgeous.

Captain Rook and Queen Olwyn, still bound in her tiger form, continue their journey towards Isola in this second arc. The story is slow and disappointingly low on character development, but Kerschl and Msassyk more than make up for that with their Eisner nominated art.

This volume has more of a horror vibe as we meet a spider-like spirit after Olwyn, a village with missing children, and a witch who entrances Rook. Fans of horror, Studio Ghibli films, as well as the darker elements of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Saga will find a lot to enjoy here. (And wimps like me will still enjoy it too.)

The art team goes all in with saturated colors – from canyon oranges to spooky blues and purples – and compelling character designs. They also use white lines (which I referred to as “chicken scratch” in my notes) and alien symbols to show sound effects, an interesting detail that heightens the fantasy feeling of Isola. And I don’t know if Kerschl has been watching Aladdin on repeat, but the way he gives Olwyn so much expression as a tiger is fantastic.

If only Fletcher was also all-in on the story – and if Rook had as much personality as her tiger companion – Isola would be a home run. It’s hard to be invested in Rook when all we know is her loyalty to Olwyn, and once again, that she grew up on a farm. *SPOILERS* When the witch seduces Rook, we could have gotten a window into her past, which may have created some emotional payoff in the big secret Rook learns this arc: that Olwyn’s mother ordered her own mother’s death, and Olwyn knew about it the whole time. Instead, that revelation falls flat for the reader, and a lot of time is spent on a villain character who doesn’t make it out of the volume, instead of our protagonist.

Rook doesn’t yet feel fully realized to me, and while I love the gender reversals and the visuals of Isola’s world, it’s hard to stay invested when the characters remain half in shadow.

There are also still a lot of unresolved questions in this volume, as Fletcher continues to hint at the wider political intrigue, Olwyn (and her mother) and Rook’s pasts, and Hallum, a terrifying hawk creature. This is often a staple of fantasy world building, and how much this bothers a reader depends on how much payoff is worth (potentially a few years of) patience and unanswered questions.

Personally, I’m on the fence. The world building questions wouldn’t matter as much if I felt more invested in Rook. But tiger Olwyn and the art could be enough to get me through one more arc.

Die: Split the Party

by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Clayton Cowles
collects Die #6-10
volume reviews one | two

I really wanted to like this second volume. Gillen, Hans and Cowles have an amazing premise – five adults return to Die, the RPG world they spent two years in as kids, with one of their own staying behind. As I described in volume one, there’s a real magic to creating a world in an RPG, and Die captures that thrill several times over, even if we don’t see the die being rolled.

But even though Gillen is clearly a big fan of RPGs and has built an interesting world with his team, the book can’t breathe under its own weight. There’s just too much dialogue and exposition – very obvious exposition about characters’ lives back home, Die-specific jargon still meaningless to the reader, the mechanics of the RPG with an odd, literary turn, particularly when the opening words said the world was created by math. Instead of the action balancing the dialogue, we skip over any exciting combat in a few short panels. (For the record, this is surprising coming from Kieron Gillen.)

It was challenging to feel settled in Die’s world, or emotionally invested in the wide cast of characters, except perhaps for Ash towards the very end. What’s most interesting and unique is the concept of adults reliving a character they created as a teenager – there are so many interesting places to go here. Ash becomes more compelling at the end, but that’s because she has the clearest, strongest tension between both selves (still aided by a flashback). Because Ash (presumably?) identifies as male in the real world, there are also some interesting discussions about gender here, that are hinted at but not fully addressed by Gillen. It’s reminiscent of Crosswind, but not nearly as direct or progressive.

Regardless, we should have seen more of that tension from Isabelle, Matthew and Angela, that wasn’t straight up exposition. Revealing how they are meeting and clashing with their past selves would make this a compelling book, frankly far more than the actual fantasy conceit. (Chuck is left off this list because he has nothing to offer in development yet.)

Hans’ strong, bold art continues to deliver with panels that evoke a response, even if I’m not fully invested in the story. I love how emotive her characters are and the more thinly penciled flashback scenes. She is quickly becoming an artist who I would blindly pick up a new book for, if I saw her name on the cover. And Clayton Cowles always makes comics better, even if you’re not noticing the lettering – here, his lettering for Sol was chilling and effective.

I’m interested in Die, but not invested. I’ll read volume three but not with a whole lot of anticipation.