Original Video: Mark Waid and the Adventures of King Baby
In the wake of the Jawbreakers VS Marvel controversy, the assertion has been made that all one needs to be in order to be accepted into the comics industry is “to be nice.” Now if you have seen the video, it’s clear this isn’t true in the slightest, but the assertion brings up another interesting question: Do artists need to be nice?
Or maybe the better question is, do artists need to be pleasant people to produce effective creative works?
Keep in mind that, regardless of what comic creators might say, the comics industry is still a business. A successful business doesn’t need to do anything but make a profit. Likewise, if an artist wants to make a living being an artist, they must create things people want to buy. The Marvel community claims they won’t let anyone in who’s an “asshole.” Well, not only is there a question as to whether artists need to be pleasant to create good work, but I would make the opposite assertion. I would say that keeping out people Marvel creators would consider “assholes” would also potentially block a generation of talented creatives.
Let’s take a quick look at three legends who would likely be blacklisted by the cult of Marvel.
Richard Wagner
Was a composer who is probably best known today for The Flight of the Valkyries. He was known for his epic romantic operas and dramas. He was also beloved by Adolf Hitler.
Now, Marvel creators say Trump is evil because members of the KKK gave him support, how do you think they’d have treated Wagner who had literally Hitler love his stuff? And why did Hitler like Wagner so much? Well, two reasons…
- Hitler admired the underlying message he believed existed in Wagner’s operas. He believed Wager’s works personified the nation of Germany, idealizing the culture.
- Wagner is known by many as an anti-Semite.
In Richard Wagner’s essay “The Jewishness in Music” he gave heavy criticisms toward the Jews, specifically, Jewish composers. In the essay, Wagner called Jewish people un-European and said that they spoke in “intolerably jumbled blabber.” Basically, his critics boiled down to arguing that Jews were incapable of producing any work worthy of consideration. To Wagner, the Jews were incapable of any kind of artistic passion and should be disqualified from such endeavors. Now, Wagner also had Jewish admirers and even some Jewish friends so his anti-Semitic rants might stem from his own passion for music. Either way, Wagner is a legendary composer who created some of the most memorable works of music in history who no doubt would’ve been blacklisted before ever writing a single note.
Stanley Kubrick
Another artistic legend who directed some of the most memorable movies in cinematic history: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut. He was also known for an obsessive directing style that could weigh heavy on the actors.
Kubrick was known for his unwavering devotion to his vision. For example, during the Shining, his methods put Shelley Duvall through such mental and physical stress that her hair started to fall out. Kubrick could easily demand upwards of fifty takes for a single scene. Nicole Kidman said the Kubrick style would take actors out of their usual mindset, force them to quit thinking about technique. In Kubrick’s own words:
“Actors are essentially emotion-producing instruments, and some are always tuned and ready while others will reach a fantastic pitch on one take and never equal it again, no matter how hard they try…” – Stanley Kubrick
Kubrick’s obsession isn’t on the same level as Wagner’s assertions about the Jews, at least to normal people, but to Social Justice Warriors and their coddle-culture it is. Kubrick wouldn’t be blacklisted for racism or sexism or bigotry, he would be blacklisted for having standards.
In the era of SJW Marvel coddle culture taken a firm hold on the company, stories have dramatically dropped in quality, editing has become subpar, and creator/fan interaction is far from professional. Kubrick pushed for quality, using his vision as a standard. He wouldn’t stop until everything was as close to perfect as he could get them. In other words, he held everyone accountable for their performances regardless of their duties. When you look at Marvel, every fan who has taken a stand against the poor quality of their comics has either been called a Nazi or some flavor of bigot before getting blocked. Coddle culture is essentially the idea that it isn’t you who has the problem, it isn’t you who’s wrong…it’s the world that’s wrong.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Another legendary composer who remains a household name over a hundred years after his death. He’s probably best known today for works like the Moonlight Sonata and his legendary 9th symphony. He also harbored a lot of anger and bitterness. He was abusive and unpleasant to most. But while a lot of people might consider Beethoven an undeniable “asshole,” I think the better reason why SJW Marvel would hate the man, it’s because he was a rebel.
Beethoven openly hated authority. He usually sided against the status quo and his music often reflected his disdain for social norms. His hate for social rank would also be a problem since the “oppression Olympics” is comparable to the European class system. Beethoven was very much a free thinker, finding the ideals behind the growing Enlightenment movement to be quite alluring. This meant he valued concepts such as reason, tolerance, brotherhood, and liberty…which is likely why, for a time, he supported the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. To put it plainly, Beethoven stood against everything Social Justice Marvel stands for today.
So, I would propose that “being an asshole” shouldn’t keep a creator from breaking into the industry. An artist shouldn’t have to be “chill” or “cool.” All that should matter to the artist is how their work affects the public, and all a business centering on creative works should worry about it producing works that sell. Maybe that’s why SJW Marvel hates capitalism so much. They can’t stand the idea of needing people other than those who exist inside their echo chamber. So when you take the behavior of SJW Marvel into consideration, it’s not “assholes” they want to keep out…it’s people like Wager, people like Kubrick, and especially people like Ludwig Van Beethoven who represent to them the most dangerous and intolerable element…independent thought.
Literature Devil 