Marvel’s latest “epic” event — titled Outlawed — is the comics division’s foray into the “OK, boomer” generational conflict.
As vacuous as that sounds, the worst part is that it’s not even remotely original. As A.V. Club reports, it’s patterned directly after 2006’s Civil War, which should need little summary.
But editor Alanna Smith says Outlawed delves into “into different social anxieties,” such as the debate surrounding “the role of the youth in our society” — things such as “whether they should partake in activism, how much their voices should be valued, whether they’re old and learned enough to have a say in their future, and what responsibility the older generations have to keep them safe.”
Writer Eve Ewing adds (and you knew this was coming) “[Y]oung people today are coming of age in the era of mass shootings, the era of the climate crisis—things that in some ways are unprecedented in history. Yet we often don’t recognize their wisdom and their insights.”
Yawn. Let’s face it, if the philosophical debate in Civil War didn’t exactly offer direct parallels to the then-question about civil liberties in the “War on Terror,” what of substance will Outlawed add?
As one commenter to the A.V. Club piece asked, “So Civil War, but make it more Greta Thunberg?”
And exactly how does Ewing make the case for young people given Captain Marvel’s excuse that “they’re just kids” following a tragic accident? Either “we often don’t recognize their wisdom and their insights” or “they’re just kids.” Which is it, Eve?
Laughably, A.V. Club also features a panel showing Captain America comparing the current, Centennial, generation to … the Greatest Generation.
“Kids like me?” Cap says. “We were young and fearless, we believed in laying our lives on the line for freedom, and for that they called us the Greatest Generation. I don’t see how this is any different.” (Emphasis added.) This is followed up by Nova going off about hunger, guns, and … depression??
“I don’t see how this is any different”? I never thought Cap was that f***ing stupid.
Face it: If adult super-powered individuals need to be regulated, then it should be without question that underage superheroes should especially be. Indeed, consider the panel where a guy shows how people’s brains aren’t fully developed until age 25.
Not to mention, as I noted not long ago, if regulating youth superheroes is to be controversial, why are so many Marvel types dead-set on taking away the right of average joes to protect themselves?
In other words, Outlawed is complete garbage.
