Batman Shooting Inspires Horrible Editorial Cartoon

Ladies, gentlemen, and Hit & Run commenters, I give you Marshall Ramsey of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:

Comments

[RobSmalls]

What is this I don't even...

[Suki]

What is this I don't even...

An audition for Reason's Friday cartoon spot.

[Killazontherun]

Oh, it's going to get much, much worse.

[Tulpa the White]

I'm sure there will be plenty of offensive and dishonest cartoons coming (just as in the Loughner case) but this one is just vapid. Like something a third-grader would draw for their art homework during breakfast before going to school.

[Paul.]

Yeah, I don't get all the concern trolling about it. No one said that it was making cheap political references. It was just banal and vapid which fails to even make an interesting point.

Batman is sad about an incident which everyone agrees was sad.

[Scarcity]

Editorial cartoonists are proof that reincarnation is real. Otherwise there would be no need for a form of life lower than a cockroach.

[Mainer2]

Whisky Tango Foxtrot

[WTF]

So..Bok is not the suckiest?!

[Another David]

Dude, if Bok drew that we'd be calling it the best Friday Funny of all time.

[Suki]

+69

[Caleb Turberville]

Dude, is Batman facepalming his own cartoonist?

[Paul.]

Win.

[Sudden]

Forgive me, but I fail to see anything so objectionable.

Sure, it's a bit cliche if nothing else. But it's hardly an effort to politicize the event and doesn't postulate anything that any clear thinking human being wouldn't agree with. Everyone mourns a reprehensible action like that that occurred last night. Certainly, the creators of the movie are aghast at what happened, he writers of the Batman character as well. So projecting Batman as mourning seems entirely appropriate.

Perhaps it isn't the most profound, but sometimes a profound thought amid such tragedy is difficult. Simple works, and this is simple.

[libertard]

+1, can someone explain how this offends?

Are we to believe Batman would not be saddened by senseless shootings? I fail to see any politicizing of the editorial, but perhaps I've missed something?

[LTC(ret) John]

Mawkish and silly, but not "horrible".

[DaveAnthony]

Perhaps y'all are new to these parts but it's been a running Reason theme for a while now to make fun of the obvious and cliche cartoons that come out after someone famous dies (see x politician or celebrity at the pearly gates / flying to heaven w/ lame commentary).

In this case it isn't political at all, it's just mind-numbingly pointless.

[Sudden]

I don't have the same level of empathy when it's mourning a crooked pol and will rightfully castigate such human-deity worship. But FFS, this is a horrible tragedy, one that screams to be addressed in some way, and this seems the most sanitary treatment of it.

[DaveAnthony]

Here is where we disagree:

I think addressing a tragedy with a lame cartoon *is* offensive.

We know it's sad. We know it's a tragedy. If the media needs to respond, do it with a thoughtful and well written article, or you know, just stick to reporting the facts. A lame half-assed drawing of batman crying is not a respectful treatment of the subject matter.

[Sudden]

Frankly, that whole "picture worth a thousand words" thing is bullshit anyway. No cartoon, no matter how well constructed, can ever truly address the depths and implications of some event/policy/issue the way a well written article can. So the very medium of the editorial cartoonist is incredibly worthless and serves only as an echo chamber for partisans. Having said that, if you're going to be a cartoonist and going to have to address things like this on the day after, the most inoffensive drawing the captures everyone's rightful mourning is appropriate in my mind.

[Tulpa the White]

You can imagine how many subscribers they would lose if the editorial cartoonist ignored the Batman shooting story and drew a caricature of Romney instead.

[Tulpa the White]

"It doesn't offend me as a Jew. It offends me as a comedian!"

[DaveAnthony]

If a cartoonist doesn't have anything important to say, they shouldn't say anything at all.

Clich? is an understatement. It's obvious, dull, pointless, etc.

[libertard]

much like 99% of written reactions? Why are drawings judged differently?

[DaveAnthony]

I think Matt Welch covered the pointless media reactions earlier...

[Paul.]

They're not judged differently. We judge the banality equally across all media.

[Sudden]

As a cartoonist, you have deadlines to meet, that are supposed to be topically relevant to the lead stories of that day.

In a way, his editors and he himself felt the need to address this incident and, for my money, he did it in perhaps the classiest way possible in the immediate aftermath.

[Almanian 1]

Not sure I'd use the word "class", but I hear ya

[Tulpa the White]

Because you've got to build bypasses!

[Paul.]

Sure, it's a bit cliche if nothing else. But it's hardly an effort to politicize the event and doesn't postulate anything that any clear thinking human being wouldn't agree with.

No one said that. It's just bad.

[Sudden]

Why? What fucking makes it bad? I can't figure that out. Sure, it's simple and bit cliche, but as an editorial cartoonist you have deadlines and expectations to address the issues of the day. This strikes me as the most banal and inoffensive treatment of the subject without ignoring it or it's gruesome reality completely.

[Episiarch]

Being utterly banal is incredibly offensive. At least to me.

[Sudden]

Banality has its place. In the immediate aftermath of something like this, all people feel a justified sense of rage and mourning. Capturing that common denominator is what the "day-after" cartoon ought to do. This strikes me as a perfectly reasonable means of doing exactly that.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

My initial thoughts on hearing about this shooting were, "Well, shit". They were followed up by the equally poignant, "Shit!" I guess I should be ashamed that I didn't have a profound speech on the human condition as my response to unexpected tragedy.

All that to say, I agree: banality is to be expected and is to some extent an appropriate response to this event; much more so than shameless polemic blaming this on political enemies.

[Vapourwear]

All I could muster was "....Really?"

[Tulpa the White]

It just reeks of trying to exploit the event for attention. This person has nothing to say and says something anyway. I seriously doubt anyone will be comforted in their mourning by this vapid drawing, so claiming this is good for the community or whatever is off the mark.

[Paul.]

Why? What fucking makes it bad?

It's general badness is what makes it bad. But if you want specifics... it's a strange pose for batman-- let alone a strange reaction from batman. And the cartoonist was the one who chose batman as his character-- so I get to judge him on his use of Batman.

It's also banal in its obviousness. Yes, the shooting was horrible, but do we learn about it's horribleness because even Batman is in mourning?

You know what would have made a GREAT editorial cartoon?

The police gathered outside the Columbine school, shining the Bat Signal into the sky while shots ring out from inside. That would have been a great editorial cartoon. Because it would have said something about the state of modern policing in this country.

This cartoon says nothing except, "Sad incident is sad".

[RedDragon6009]

Forgive me, but I fail to see anything so objectionable.

I'm offended because you can't make out Batman's nipples on his saggy boobs.

[SIV]

Who says Mississippi is backward now? I don't see The New York Times or The Washington Post turning out crying Statue of Liberty Batman cartoons so quickly after the tragic event in Aurora.

[Abdul]

Chip Bok is furiously sketching a joker reading the same newspaper asking "Why so serious?"

Of course,t he joker will have to labeled as the joker, or we wouldn't get the joke.

[WTF]

That would actually be awesome in a demented way.

[Episiarch]

This is appropriate here.

[Fatty Bolger]

We need this guy for Friday Funnies.

Somebody start a petition.

[Xenocles]

I'll sign it. I was going to ask if it was too late to get this guy on board.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Goddamn Batman does not mourn. He goes out and kicks the crap out of criminals so they can feel his pain along with him. Except with their bodies.

[Paul.]

The real batman would have used violence to stop the shooter.

[A Serious Man]

He probably would have just thrown a batarang to knock the gun out of the guy's hand and then punched him in the face.

Of course it's silly to speculate about what a comic character would have done, which is what makes the cartoon weird.

[Paul.]

It actually makes more sense to speculate what a cartoon character would have done. They tend to be more rational.

[Almanian 1]

Are you serious?! Are you....

Oh. Right.

[Scarcity]

Needs more statue of liberty. Or is this some pinko comic?

[Almanian 1]

Why no crying Saint Gabby Giffords standing under a Crying Statue of Liberty? with the crying Rising Sun? looking over a Japan with a radioactive sign holding a map of Haiti with pictures of po' folks from Nawlins on it, themselves crying and holding lifeless, small Norwegian kids (remember that one?)?

Geez - let's get it right.

[Killazontherun]

The cartoon from the Arizona bozo where she is opening her eyes almost made me puke on my screen.

[Killazontherun]

And a solid plus one there.

[Michael]

No bald eagle shedding a solitary tear?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Why is Batman reading his paper up there? The lighting is terrible, he's going to ruin his eyes. And a newspaper? Jurassic media much?

[Ska]

If the Arkham City/Arkham Asylum games taught me something, it's that Batman has some cool ass thing to read his news off of.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well, then, he's awesomely reading about the shootings two days after they occured.

[Paul.]

Co worker asked me why this guy wasn't shot by police.

My response: He was armed.

I'm here all week.

[Tulpa the White]

The other day you were complaining about police shooting armed people.

[Paul.]

The other day you had a sense of humor.

Or am I confusing you with someone else. Tulpa the Grey, perhaps?

[Ice Nine]

I thought he was weeping over the Fort Hood shooting until I saw the little sign he was holding.

[Ted S.]

If I had drawn it, Batman would be holding a copy of Brian Doherty's book.

[Paul.]

If I'd have drawn it, Batman would have been in the batcave watching the news about the shooting on ABC, and the broadcasters would be speculating about how crazies who aren't authorized by the state to own weapons are responsible for these things.

[Clich? Bandit]

unfortunately (or not, depending on your outlook) Batman famously eschew firearms in his comics. A political statement i think but I am not the comic book guru...there are plenty of those here so perhaps one could enlighten me as to the reasons behind such an editorial decision.

[Paul.]

That's why I said, "weapons".

[Loki]

I think it has to do with his parents being killed with a gun, so he doesn't like using them, or something like that. Seems like if he's that emotionally fragile he wouldn't be going around kicking people's asses in the first place, but hiding in his mansion. But whatever.

[Xenocles]

The comic's creators are said to be pretty conservative guys. It's probably just one of those character eccentricities that adds some variety to the story.

[Arcaster]

I'm not defending the cartoon, but it does remind me of those times Batman has been depicted wondering whether the good he was accomplishing was not being outweighed by the bad being done by people partially inspired by his presence. I'm fairly certain that the vast majority of commenters here would love for the people in government to at least consider the possibility that their actions harm more people than they help.

[Paul.]

That also would be a great cartoon-- even though I wouldn't agree with the premise, it would be a better cartoon.

[SouthernAnCap]

I'm a Mississippian, and we subscribe to the Clarion Liar. Marshall Ramsey has been posting nonsense as long as I can remember.

[joshua corning]

It looks more like a facepalm then any mourning i have ever seen.

[Mongo]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Mongo]

That's one schlubby-lookin' Batman....

[DingHooo]

Dude you just never know now days what might drive someone to go all "Postal" on ya!

http://www.Full-Anon.tk

[Dunphy (the real one)]

iirc, and i could be wrong on this, somebody did a study a while ago when the whole "postal" meme came out and discovered that the chances of a postal employee being shot or wounded by another postal employee (iow somebody going postal) was substantially less than lots of other workplace violence rate of occurrances.

the post office has a LOT of employees.

there are 1/2 million postal employees

i would suggest most postal employees don't know (even by kevin bacon standards) any of their fellow employees who have been shot by a postal worker.

contrarily just in my unit when i was in street crimes, three of my partners were shot (they all lived), and not long after my best friend was shot and killed (he should have pat frisked, not that i am second guessing just hopeful wishing in hindsight), and i work with (just that i know of) more than a dozen people who have been shot at (including me), and a half dozen who have been shot

drunk drivers take a BIG toll too. they don't kill THAT often, just in a 2 week period, we had two sgt's struck and injured by drunk drivers. drive around for 6 hrs in a 8 hr shift 5 days a week during "DUI time" (after 10pm), and it becomes a statistically frequent occurrence

[generic Brand]

Hahaha Dunphy you seriously responded seriously to anon-bot? That is rich!

[Dunphy (the real one)]

school shootings, for the "noun-verb-columbine" types (hi, michael moore) are rare.

statistically speaking, kids are safer in school, than the home or transporting to and from school

period

more kids die from school sports than school sports

period

much like police UOf's and especially unjustified police UOF's they are RARE

i'm not aware of any evidence, fwiw, that the authoritahs could have done anything about this while it was still an inchoate crime, or even suspected it. and guess what? civil rights mean cops can't go snoopin' around every person's private affairs to catch the 1 in a million potential spree shooter

darn that pesky constitution

the advocacy media always wants to design some kind of LESSON from any tragic story.

often, there is no lesson, except human behavior is wildly unpredictable and something people do bad shit

if and when there is evidence that FL's mental health care system didn't do what they were statutorily authorized to do, within restraints set by the constitution, and state legislature, then at least they'd have a point

i say that as somebody who has involuntarily commited scores of mentally unstable and dangerous people in my career (and never shot one despite several being assaultive and a few who tried to stab me)

[Tulpa the White]

more kids die from school sports than school sports

You don't say.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

ugh, school sports than school shootings

my bad

[Fluffy]

As I predicted, the guy thought he was the Joker.

So the gun control thing will get buried in the Evil Entertainment thing.

[Loki]

Why would the Statue of Liberty be replaced by a face-palming Batman holding with an incomplete hand written message about Colorado shooting something?

[Dunphy (the real one)]

because untalented kneejerk cartoonist w.o a valid message is an untalented kneejerk cartoonist w.o a valid message?

[Broseph of Invention]

In twenty years, people will look at this comic and wonder why Batman was mourning the Columbine shootings. Bok would have provided the Moar Labels needed to distinguish the two events.

[Killazontherun]

In twenty years you wont be able to find a single copy of it, anywhere, even on the internet. Even the cartoonist' mother will have trouble remembering who is when the high school reunion people come around to ask about the guy in the photo.

[lunchstealer]

"Ladies, gentlemen, and Hit Run commenters..."

I see what you did there.

[Michael]

Ramsey should follow this up with a panorama of bullet riddled theater seats with an arm giving the thumbs-up from the middle of it.

[highnumber]

Have Chip Bok killed.