More NonSense: The Witch is Dead

Savage Dragon #145

Osama bin Laden, religious fanatic, founder of the global terrorist network al-Qaeda, mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and the latest in a long line of bogeymen held up as an object of fear and hatred to the American public, has been killed and buried in rather dramatic fashion. America explodes in an orgy of vitriolic patriotism, if the news media is to be believed - Revenge is celebrated as a God given right. President Barack Obama is suddenly hailed as Warrior in Chief. And the same media has declared that closure has been achieved for the victims and survivors of 9/11. Watching the 24 hour news channel coverage has often been a surreal experience. Details accumulated and changed as reports trickled in on bin Laden's death. A raid that started out looking as straightforward as a scene from a standard action movie became a lot murkier as reports started to contradict one another, accusations were made, and conspiracy theories began to be spun. This has been very entertaining chaos for political news junkies. And some of the comics blogosphere has even chimed in:

Sean Kleefeld reminds us that contrary to popular comic book portrayals, bin Laden wasn't just another two dimensional villain:

... He's been America's Bad Guy^TM despite no one having actually seen him for the better part of a decade. He's a man so inherently evil that he even didn't deserve a trial (much less a fair one) in the same way Saddam Hussein did. He's a man so inherently evil that the government didn't even bother to TRY to claim that he took his own life rather than potentially get captured by Americans. He's a man so inherently evil that the only place he could hide would be a remote cave in the mountains.

Again, I don't condone anything bin Laden said or did. I don't know what effects his death will have on al-Qaida. But I do know that this isn't a comic book villain we're talking about. Which, on the plus side, means he won't be advocating America's destruction any longer but, on the down side, means that there will almost certainly be consequences of some sort. The "Mission Accomplished" banner was premature in 2003, and I think it's be premature in 2011.

Alex Boney finds clarity in The Question story inside Solo #5 by Darwyn Cooke when sorting out the conflicting feelings arising from bin Laden's demise:

...Vic’s response is straightforward and (true to his origins) objectivist: He fights the force of violent terror with more of the same. He’s not particularly emotional about it; for him, it’s a rational, measured response. Revenge may often be prompted by emotion, but it’s also rational from a certain perspective.

It’s this perspective that was useful to me last night. I felt no desire to hang a flag outside my door or chant “U.S.A.!” in the streets. For me, these responses seem out of proportion and lacking in self-awareness (both personal and national). As Eliot might say, there’s no objective correlative there. But I did feel a sense of satisfaction that the life of the man who had planned the intentional, random murders of thousands of people in my country—and continued to plan attacks that would presumably kill hundreds or thousands more—had been ended. I’m not sure if that’s revenge, justice, or simply assassination. Maybe it’s all of these things. But Cooke’s story helped me make better sense of the mixed signals that were coming in last night. And I’m glad I had occasion to revisit it.

Kevin Melrose ponders how these real world events will affect the progress of Frank Miller's controversial graphic novel Holy Terror. Funny how real world events have rendered that project's original premise obsolete.

The Stranger cover illustration Jim Blanchard

Andrew Wheeler comments on a Clay Jones cartoon and reminds us that the "Mission Accomplished" speech took place eight years ago. Other critiques here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here...

Daryl Cagle (via Tom Spurgeon) indexes bin Laden related cartoons. he singles out some of the more partisan ones, and those from foreign cartoonists.

Matt Bors posts his own cartoon on the matter. He also critiques some of the worst offenders of the bunch.

Signe Wilkinson comments on al Qaeda and the Arab Spring with her cartoon.

Richard Thompson reposts and old Osama bin Laden cartoon from 2001.

Tom Tomorrow reposts old cartoons here, here, here... 

Noah Berlatsky connects the War on Terror to Paul Verhoeven’s adaptation of Starship Troopers. I suppose this comparison was going to happen sooner or later. is it prescience or the viewing of the movie coinciding with external events?

Matthias Wivel on bin Laden's death.

Matt Bors and Andrew Wheeler critique the infamous Hajo de Reijger cartoon of Obama presenting Osama's head that references The Lion King.