Slog - Comments on A Symbol For American Foreign Policy in the 21st Century http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in Rich Johnston, in his weekly comic book gossip column Lying in the Gutters, points out this blog, where a comics creator named Bosch Fawstin is updating readers on his new comic book, Infidel. Infidel is about...well, I'll let Fawstin explain it. From his blog: It's a story about twin brothers whose Muslim background comes to the forefront of their lives on 9/11. One responds by creating a counter-jihad superhero comic book called PIGMAN, as the other surrenders to Islam and follows it to wherever it leads him. Here is a drawing of Pigman: He apparently fights Muslim extremists. It seems... Copyright 2008 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:14:46 -0800 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:58 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Will in Seattle Whatever.

God, the bar is so so low for comics nowadays ...

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092958 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092958 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:21:12 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo Fanboys have always had a rather large armchair fascist contingent. Not too surprising considering the whole superhero ethos is basically about making the world a better place by punching evil in the nose as hard as you can.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092978 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092978 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:34:24 -0800 Comment by Sirkowski I'd be more afraid of him in a public restroom.

]]> Sirkowski http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092980 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092980 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:35:20 -0800 Comment by danielbennettkieneker Hey Will,

Did you know that in

History of the Harlequinade
by Maurice Sand
Volume One

You can find a picture of William Shakespeare in a Will Smith Mask by way of the Queen of Sheeba and David on their way out of history?

Ya... and another thing... the RED BEARD underneath it looks like the guy who use to sing for " The Pursuit of Happiness " in that catchy little diddy that use to play on the radio at all the right moments.


I just thought you might like to know that cause it's like well... history.

oh ya and another thing...

Platonius liked to catalouge Plato.

Maybe Pigman can do something along the lines of HOW NOT TO BE A STARFUCKER AND A THIEF ALL AT THE SAME CONJUNCTIVE DISLOCATION OF STORY AND PLOTTING BEHIND YOUR BACK .... if only I weren't such a super slueth myself cryptomaniacs....

]]> danielbennettkieneker http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092984 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092984 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:37:42 -0800 Comment by Bosch Fawstin Appreciate you posting about my work, Paul, irrespective of your take on it. For the record, Pigman's creator, the cartoonist hero of The Infidel, as well as Pigman, come from Muslim backgrounds, [as do I], and the enemy in my book are those violent Muslims who follow Mohammed's lead in waging Jihad to spread Islam. Though I am critical of Muslims who think they can remain silent bystanders while their co-religionists commit atrocities in their religion's name, and who rarely if ever condemn those jihadists or acknowledge the core justifications for it found within Islam itself, I leave them be in my story so long as they leave others be.

]]> Bosch Fawstin http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092997 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1092997 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:55:24 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball While I don't take comics too terribly seriously (Maus, Berlin, 8-Ball, etc., notwithstanding), I think militant Islamism is a threat. I hope it's OK too say at least that much without being branded a Bolton-esque loon.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093012 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093012 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:12:18 -0800 Comment by bzishi This comic is crap. Since there aren't at least 5 American flags on each page, the author is just 'submitting' to the commie-Nazi islamo-fascists. Traitor!

]]> bzishi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093017 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093017 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:24:41 -0800 Comment by John Bailo
Guess what...this is just the beginning.

Think about what's going to happen when the orphaned New York City kids whose parents were killed in the WTC grow up and get chemistry degrees at University of Nebraska...Ka--Boom!

]]> John Bailo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093025 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093025 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:49:13 -0800 Comment by Sirkowski Fawstin fails for being Muslim.

]]> Sirkowski http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093044 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093044 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:35:28 -0800 Comment by Gitai @6 No ideology is a threat. You know what's a threat? Assholes. Assholes use any ideology that's convenient, and they use it to fuck with others. So fight assholes, not ideologies.

]]> Gitai http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093051 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093051 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:04:46 -0800 Comment by Stacy @10, to quote Raising Arizona... that was beautiful.

]]> Stacy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093059 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093059 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:47:20 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 and anyone who seriously uses the term islamo-fascist is an asshole.

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093061 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093061 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:57:03 -0800 Comment by K For all the geeks that are into comic books, there's plenty of wannabe Sergeant Slaughters who sit eating TV dinners watching Bill O'Reilly and simmering hate for all humankind.

It's a weird disconnect, because a lot of geeks are rather progressive (or at worst, libertarian) and yet, the set of comic book geeks includes this strange fringe contingent of meek wannabe fucker-uppers. Or just plain anger-breeding misanthropes. (Even misogynists: cf. Dave Sim.)

Some of them will even join the army for a few years, to try and come close to the chance to fuck up a lot of bad guys wearing black. In reality, maybe they'll be lucky enough to ride a humvee in Panama.

]]> K http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093063 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093063 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:05:41 -0800 Comment by iflurry Now all we need is Christ-Killer, the anti-Christian superhero. Too long have moderate Christians not demanded legalized gay marriage, decried the attempt to sneak creationism into our schools, and demanded the removal of religious imagery from public land. This clearly justifies demonizing Christians in general, amirite?

]]> iflurry http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093067 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093067 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:17:48 -0800 Comment by Big Adventure Steve His right leg looks kinda gimpy. Like it used to belong to a horse.

]]> Big Adventure Steve http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093075 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093075 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:04:48 -0800 Comment by Abby Also, the art looks a little bit like a Create Your Own Superhero.

]]> Abby http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093078 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093078 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:35:27 -0800 Comment by Jen You've gotta love freedom of speech. The artist's and all of ours.

]]> Jen http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093081 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093081 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:50:35 -0800 Comment by jm Sounds a bit like Zadie Smith's White Teeth, only with pictures.

]]> jm http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093084 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093084 Books Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:12:02 -0800 Comment by YouNeedAShrinkRightNow @4

Huh?

]]> YouNeedAShrinkRightNow http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093095 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093095 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:16:02 -0800 Comment by Hal @10-12:

People who kill in the name of ideologies (or worse, a religion) are assholes indeed.

They are also a threat.

]]> Hal http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093123 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093123 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:45:51 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball @20, thanks for that...I was struggling with how to say much the same thing, but you said it better. We can semantic and clever this thing to death...right up to when one of us is on the wrong bus, jet, skyscraper meeting room, etc.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093127 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093127 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:06:49 -0800 Comment by Smade I don't understand why Fawstin has the time to write comic books and run a blog. Why isn't he in the army or Blackwater and making the world safe for righteous folk. I guess he's just another one of those who feels they can better serve the cause by persuading or ordering other people to do the hard work. Nuts to him.

]]> Smade http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093128 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093128 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:14:41 -0800 Comment by Stacy @20-21 I think the point was made not merely to be clever, but to possibly steer people away from scattershot attempts to combat 'militant Islamism' by shooting up local mosques. It's easy enough to blame a religion, then try to fix the problem by fighting the religion, when it's the assholes who would use something else as an excuse to be assholes if the religion weren't available.

]]> Stacy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093134 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093134 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:34:31 -0800 Comment by Jubilation T. Cornball @23, which is PRECISELY why I used the term "militant Islamism" and not "Islam," "Islamism," "Muslim," etc.

If others cannot make the distinction it is, indeed, unfortunate, but I cannot and will not speak to the level of the pre-cognitive mouth-breather who would go out and shoot up a mosque.

IMO, radicalized religion of several stripes poses the most serious threats to my civil liberties and pursuit of happiness, both inside and without the USA.

]]> Jubilation T. Cornball http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093164 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093164 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:59:09 -0800 Comment by Judah I love it when subcultures collide.

Ultra-left queer-friendly Seattle hipsters running up against crypto-fascist violence-fetishizing comic book geeks is pretty good. Not least of all because both cultures regard themselves as at least somewhat politically relevant and the other as a lunatic fringe splinter group.

]]> Judah http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093185 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093185 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 10:15:12 -0800 Comment by COMTE Is it just me, or does "Pigman" look like a poorly drawn rip-off of Russel from Gorillaz?

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093227 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/a_symbol_for_american_foreign_policy_in#c1093227 Books Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:58 -0800