Vision and the Scarlet Witch #8

1958 marked the first of many appearances of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr in a comic book. Martin Luther King and The Montgomery Story tells of the Atlanta preacher's involvement in the Alabama bus boycott that came about from the incarceration of Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat to a white patron. What I am not certain about is the first instance of a comic book to take place during Martin Luther King's birthday, I very much may have read the very first one. 

The first push for a federal holiday honoring King was in 1968 just a few days after his assassination. The push for the ratification of a bill had gained enough momentum by 1981 that the US Senate was presented with a petition signed by some 6 million people after a brief march through the nation's capitol, led by King's widow, Coretta. After a few committee stalls and some contentious debate, a vote took place in the fall of 1983. The bill was signed into law by Ronald Reagan in November with the first official Federal holiday of Dr. King's birthday to take place in January, 1986.

This issue of Vision and the Scarlet Witch hit store shelves on February 4th, 1986, just 2 short weeks after the first official MLK, Jr. holiday observance. Other books might have come out before celebrating the unofficial observances of King's birthday. There might have been other books released by DC and Marvel (or some of the smaller publishers) earlier that year that also have stories that take place during that first MLK Day. I just don't know. For a fan of holiday themed comic books, this is my first experience with a story set during this event. There's been a couple of books I've read that mention the Federal observance as a part of King's legacy. But usually those books only have a single panel set during the holiday. This story is 24 pages of super heroes operating during the night of January 20th, 1986.

Quicksilver and wife Crystal are visiting with Vision and the Scarlet Witch when Luke Cage comes crashing through the living room window of the former Avengers. This is supposed to be a peaceful day for Cage, reflecting on the legacy of Dr. King. Instead, a magical death cult has other plans for the Hero for Hire. 

Followers of a demon called Zor are looking for a set of idols that Luke Cage and partner Power Fist once confiscated and gave to Wanda for safe keeping. Wanda hid the idols somewhere in the World Trade Center. With brother Pietro in tow, Cage, Vision and the Scarlet Witch head over to the WTC to destroy the relics once and for all.

You might think that a story such as this has minimal references to MLK Birthday and you're right. Unlike an issue set at Christmas, Halloween or just about any other holiday, the settings are not full of posters of Dr. King and other decorations. We get Luke Cage reflecting on the civil rights icon. Scarlet Witch bestows Cage a blessing of the 'new holiday'. Then as things end for the story, Quicksilver makes a racist statement against humans and Cage comments that making strides for racially equality includes mutants and that was what Dr. King's dream was all about.

Yes- this issue really ends with Luke Cage doing his best impression of Linus from A Charlie Brown Christmas! The sapping ending kinda gives new meaning to Cage's trademark exclamation of 'Sweet Christmas.' Yet, in a time when not every state was willing to celebrate a holiday devoted to a black American, this issue was a big deal. Remember it wouldn't be until 1993 before Arizona would finally observe MLK Day and another 7 years before South Carolina would pay state employees for the day off work. So to have January 20th the setting of this Marvel issue, as passing or trite as the creative team might have made it's usage in this story, it was a huge step forward in bringing about normalcy and acceptance to the new holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out 10 stars.

March: Book Two (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, Congressman John Lewis led a ceremonial march, cosplaying as himself- only 40 years younger. Not only was it the 40th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in hopes of procuring voting rights for African Americans, 2015 marked the debut of volume 2 of Lewis' graphic novel trilogy March, recounting his role in the civil rights movement. 

Volume 2 covered the following events-

Having successfully participated in a boycott protesting Nashville restaurants refusing to serve black customers, Lewis turns his sights to other cities before planning on joining a Quaker relief organization in India.

In 1961, a group calling themselves 'The Freedom Riders' plan on travelling from Washington DC to Louisiana, protesting the Federal Government's refusal to enact a Supreme Court ruling that called segregated interstate travel by bus to be unconstitutional. Lewis joins CORE as one of 13 black and white riders. During the initial trip, the Freedom Riders were assaulted by the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. Lewis is beaten unconscious and sent back to Tennessee to recover. 

While recuperating, the bus is firebombed and CORE ends their freedom ride plans.

Forgoing his mission trip to India, Lewis instead works with other college students in another series of Freedom Rides. Lewis is arrested several times, including a stint towards the end of 1962 that will inspire Dr. Martin Luther King to participate. The following year, King will be arrested in Alabama where he will write his 'Letter From a Birmingham Jail', a response to criticism that King and others allowed themselves to remain unjustly imprisoned rather than posting bail.

After the relative success of these second rounds of protest rides, Lewis was elected president of the SNCC- the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, in 1963. As a result of his new status, Lewis is invited to participate in a massive march planned to be held in Washington, D.C.. This new role puts John Lewis shoulder to shoulder with several prominent civil rights leaders, including NAACP leader Roy Wilkins and Dr. King. The march would be held in August with John Lewis being the youngest keynote speaker and the last to talk before King delivers his iconic 'I Have A Dream' speech.

The volume ends with the tragic youth Sunday bombing of the 16th Street Church in Birmingham.

Returning to the 2015 march reenactment in San Diego. Rep. Lewis marched throughout the San Diego Convention Center hand-in-hand with hundreds of kids. According to March co-writer (and Lewis congressional aid) Andrew Aydin, John Lewis wanted to show comic book loving youth that not all superheroes wear capes or have superpowers. 

To properly recreate his 1965 march cosplay, John Lewis wore a tan overcoat with a backpack, just as he did when Lewis led about 600 people across the Edmund Pettis Bridge. John Lewis wanted to make sure for this anniversary event that his backpack contained everything the original had with him during the protest. Those items were 2 books, a toothbrush, toothpaste, an apple and an orange. According to Aydin, only the orange was missing to complete the ensemble. 

John Lewis earned a lot of fans during his 2015 Comic-Con activity. Not as many admirers as he did throughout his life as first a civil rights leader and later as a representative of the people of Georgia's 5th District. But thanks to this event and his graphic novel memoirs, John Lewis reintroduced himself to a new generation.

Book Three of March would be released in 2016 with a deluxe trilogy box set available the following year. Artwork for the trilogy was by Nate Powell. Lewis and Aydin would later publish a sequel called Run, detailing Lewis' life and career after the passage of the 1965 Civil Rights Act. 

John Lewis passed away in 2020 at the age of 80; a year before Run would debut in stores.

Completing this review completes Task #40 (Set in the 1960s) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery

   I normally stay away from crime books. But, after reading Ed Brubaker’s Criminal books, I decided to give this book a try.

   In this historical crime fiction tale, a pale black man who can pass for white travels to the segregated South in hopes of revealing the atrocities of lynch mobs to his readers up North. In the midst of his latest investigation, the hero learns that his brother is facing a lynching after being accused of killing a white woman. But, when the girl turns up alive, our hero must figure out who the victim really was.

   A very powerful book. Very gritty. Lots of swears and racial slurs. That includes the “N” word. Along with the nudity, this probably wouldn’t pass muster in high school libraries. But, with its important message, I feel like if any kid aged 13-18 wanted to read this book, parents should at least examine it for themselves and open an important dialogue about racism and bigotry. This book would be perfect for college lit courses.

   Worth Consuming.

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.