The Ethics of Consolation

For Colossus, in response to the situations I discussed in the last post, solace was found in the form of a tattoo (I'm still kicking myself for not having the issue this appeared in on hand to scan and include a picture of) or in the mindless fighting that bordered on deadly. For Wolverine it is often, surprisingly enough, found in a Japanese garden while meditating. Scott Summers (Cyclops), as seen in the third X-Men movie, attempts to find comfort in his sorrow by shutting himself off from the world. Spider-Man turned to his friends after the loss of a loved one. And Tony Stark, the hero known as Iron Man...usually just drowns his pain with alcohol.

Everyone deals with loss and pain in different ways. Superheroes are no different, and it is in times of pain that they demonstrate the humanity that so often seems hidden from us. Heroes behind masks often seem inaccessible to the masses (almost none of the adults I talk to, adults who got to live during the golden age of comic books understands what is so very real about these characters), yet when they are encountering loss it is easy for us to see ourselves in them. Mark Millar has recently taken a spin on the comic book hero we are accustomed to. In his acclaimed series Kick-Ass (soon to be a major motion picture...get excited...maybe) Millar brings us the tale of Dave Lizewski, a very ordinary high school student who chooses to become a super hero. After all, how hard can it be? He's read the literature (comic books of course), and his heart is in the right place...what else is there to the business of heroism? Lizewski dons a mask and steps into the night to fight crime...he gets beaten to a pulp and barely escapes the ordeal alive. Yet he persists...and eventually finds some degree of success as a hero. Now I'm sure there will be plenty of failure to come, but I have been unable to read the recent issues of the story as I am a poor college student and am waiting for the trade paperback to be released so I can afford it. Still, there is much to be examined in this story.


Consolation for Dave Lizewski comes in the form of a mask. While he is not dealing with loss per say, he is dealing with pain. The pain of being ordinary, pain of discontent. Lizewski is just an average student, if that, the girl he likes barely notices him, and his single dad is barely around. He retreats behind the mask because it makes him something more, something that people take notice of. The problem involved with this, and many forms of consolation, is that it can become an idol, and I think in the case of Dave Lizewski this is the case. Is the point here that heroism is wrong? Of course not, nor am I saying that seeking out friends or family or any other form of consolation is wrong. However, that should not be our first and only option.


As the Bible says, God is a comforting God. Take Isaiah 40:11 for example, "He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." Exodus 20:3 commands us to have no other gods apart from God. In regards to idolatry, I don't mean to say for a second that when we find comfort outside of God it is wrong, however this is often what happens. Idolatry is defined as "blind or excessive devotion to something", in Lizewski's case, a mask that allows him to do heroic deeds. God is to be our comfort, but if we take comfort in other things I still think that is perfectly fine. However, we should not place our trust and devotion in these items of solace. Our hope should not rest in people or things, it should remain with God.

'Nuff Said
-Cable

A Piercing Tribute

To tattoo or not to tattoo? That is the question that is being dealt with, surprisingly enough, in the midst of Uncanny X-Men 504 and 507. Amidst the search for a means of keeping mutants from becoming extinct and a fight with a mutant slave trader, Peter Rasputin, or Colossus as he is known amongst the X-Men deals with the issue of tattoos. This episode in the life of one of my favorite comic book characters would be nothing more than a blip on the radar if not for two reasons. First of all, we discussed the tattoo issue in class near the beginning of the semester, so I thought this would be a good chance to explore the issue further. Second, the reasoning behind Colossus' desire for a tattoo is the death of my favorite female character in comics: Kitty Pryde.

Now to set a few things straight, Uncanny X-Men takes place in the mainstream Marvel universe, the 'classic' continuity that has existed since the 60s or so. So in this story, Colossus is not gay, and Kitty Pryde is no longer a teenage girl under Wolverine's tutelage (both situations differing from those I have written about previously in regards to these characters. Peter and Kitty have had a close, often romantic relationship since Kitty's first introduction into the series in the early 1980s. The two dated for a while until the editors at Marvel Comics felt that their age difference was inappropriate, however more recently their romantic relationship was rekindled. Sadly, Shadowcat (Kitty), was seemingly killed in the process of saving the Earth from destruction (the only mistake Joss Whedon made in his brilliant run on Astonishing X-Men).



Peter is crushed by the loss of Kitty, and quite literally retreats within a shell, remaining in his armored form (using his mutant power of changing his skin to organic steel) rather than in his flesh and blood state. Eventually he tries to memorialize Kitty with a tattoo...



As seen above, getting a tattoo does not come out quite as planned. Any time the needle touches Peter's skin, he reverts to his steel form, causing the equipment to break. Are the writers at Marvel trying to tell us that we should not get tattoos? I think not. The Bible, on the other hand has a bit more to say against this practice. Leviticus 19:28 states “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD”. This seems a pretty explicit command, not really leaving any loopholes. I want to argue that Colossus is getting the tattoo to honor his dead love, yet this is even addressed by Leviticus. It clearly says to NOT tattoo for the dead. However, one must understand that the context of Leviticus is thousands of years ago (as is the New Testament that I follow, but let me continue...). Anyways, the pagan nations that Israel was surrounded by engaged in practices like tattooing and cutting as a means of worshiping their false gods. The ending tacked onto Leviticus 19:28 clarifies this. It is not necessarily a matter of tattoos being wrong, but instead it is the mindset behind them in the ancient world. We are supposed to have no other gods before the Lord our God, according to the Ten Commandments. The Israelites were notorious for neglecting God in favor of other idols, so the command regarding tattoos, along with many other Old Testament laws was a way of steering Israel away from any compromises and temptations. In this light, I don't think that the law in regards to tattoos is truly applicable today. That said, I think that the Bible is 'living and active' and that every part of it is useful...what I think we can take out of Leviticus 19:28 to apply to our lives today is the implications against idolatry, not the command about tattoos.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that our bodies are to be a "temple of the Holy Spirit". So is it wrong to decorate God's temple with images of someone else, as many people do and as Colossus is attempting to do? Again, I think the mindset behind the act is what is key. If what you are tattooing becomes something you place more important than God (and tattooing something on yourself obviously places much importance on it), THEN it is without a doubt wrong. However, I don't think that any and all tattoos are a means of idolizing something.

Again, Colossus is only getting this tattoo out of his love for his presumably deceased girlfriend and teammate. The way Colossus has handled loss in other instances has been decidedly less healthy...


...at the very least, a tattoo seems like a better coping mechanism than violence, yes?

Finally, Corinthians 13 point out that whatever we do, no matter how great it is, is not worth anything if it is not done out of love. Love is the catalyst that makes good actions truly good. I think this passage can be applied to the opposite that if something that many people see as wrong is done out of love, then it is not a bad thing. I realize this could probably be misread, but look for example at discipline. A parent who hits their child is likely to be reported to CPS...however, a parent who spanks their child for doing something wrong, is coming from a place of love and a desire to teach the child. So, if a tattoo is gotten out of a non-idolatrous love, I think that that would be Biblically acceptable.

'Nuff Said...perhaps!
-Cable

Love Throws No Stones

Kurt Wagner can’t even say the word ‘gay’. As his best friend (or now it seems his ex-best friend) points out, this homophobia is highly ironic. Kurt, or Nightcrawler as he is known by many, is a mutant, an advanced species of human, Homo superior if you will (as opposed to Homo sapiens). His mutant power is that of teleportation, with a puff of smoke he can disappear, only to reappear somewhere else. In addition to this, he also is blue, furry, and looks like a demon (complete with a tail). Yet he is still human.

In spite of this strange dichotomy, Wagner is quick to judge those who are different, in this case, homosexuals. Following Nightcrawler’s introduction in Ultimate X-Men he became fast friends with the X-Man known as Colossus (Peter Rasputin). The two were constant companions in missions and life in general. However, upon realizing that Colossus is gay, Nightcrawler makes every attempt to cut Peter out of his life completely.

The writers of Ultimate X-Men bring to mind John 8:1-11 in regards to the course that Nightcrawler’s life takes after his shunning of Colossus. After a fellow X-Man is put in a coma following a fight, Nightcrawler waits day and night at her hospital bed, transforming an unrequited crush into a full-blown obsession that culminates in his kidnapping of her once she awakes from her coma. This crazy development with Nightcrawler emphasizes his own faults, recalling Christ’s words of “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” (speaking of the woman caught in adultery, John 8:7, ESV). Wagner is quick to judge his friend for his homosexuality, yet he is not without sin himself.

The story of the X-Men has always been about prejudices, even since its conception in the early 1960’s. The X-Men stood as an allegory then for people of different race, they were still human but were judged because of the way they were born (in this case, not with different skin color, but with powers that set them apart from the rest of humanity). Now this group of often outlaw superheroes represents any group that is different, be it diverse races, religions, or sexualities. This has been made more explicit of late by the inclusion of X-Men who are members of all these groups: there are Hindu X-Men who fight alongside Christian ones, there are African-American and Asian mutants, and there are gay heroes as well.

I see a lot of media that includes characters of different sexuality, and to me it seems to be a sell-out in order to please every demographic. However, there seems to be rhyme to the reasoning behind the ‘all-new, all-different X-Men’. In a recent issue of Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine approaches Jean-Paul Beaubier (Northstar, a mutant with the power of super-speed), about joining the X-Men. Northstar, who is openly gay, is about as wary of the proposition as I was at first.

The scene pictured above (click the picture if you are unable to read the text) addresses my skepticism about using those that are different as nothing more than a publicity stunt. While I’m sure that the inclusion of diverse characters probably does help circulation of the comic books, I do not believe that is the primary reason they are in the series. Instead, characters like Northstar simply assist the writers behind the various X-Men series in spreading their gospel of loving those who are different. Jesus points out in Matthew 5:47 that “if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” It says nothing about our character if we accept those that are the same. However, those who write about the X-Men put us in the position where we have to differentiate ourselves from the Gentiles so to speak. I find it refreshing that in spite of the bigotry I witness so often in real life (racism is disgusting for so many of the people I am around, yet they have no problem spitting out purely hateful comments about homosexuals) the comic book world encourages us in adopting a Christian approach towards loving others, regardless of their differences.

Of course the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, and the fact that it is sinful cannot be argued. Various passages refer to acts of homosexuality as ‘detestable’ and ‘an abomination’ (Leviticus 20:13 and 18:22 respectively). Clearly, we as Christians should not compromise in this matter, homosexuality is against God’s will and that is the simple fact. However, Christ commands us to love our neighbors without exception. Somebody pointed out in the discussion board this week that the definition of a neighbor that Jesus provides in the parable of the Good Samaritan centers around mercy. The lawyer that is engaging Jesus in conversation, upon being asked who was the neighbor to the injured man in the story, responds that the neighbor was the one who showed the man mercy. Jesus then tells the man to go and do likewise. The definition of mercy as I understand it is when a person does not receive what they deserve. Of course sin deserves negative consequences, but as sinners ourselves it is not our place to dole out this negativity. Instead we are to show mercy to other sinners.

A recent issue of X-Factor, ended with a kiss between two gay characters. A few issues later the letters page included a very hateful and disgusted response to this. The writer of the letter detailed how he tore up the issue of the comic and sold the rest of his collection on ebay, complaining that the inclusion of gay and lesbian characters is ruining his dreams for ‘a better comic book world’. Peter David, the writer of X-Factor wrote a response to this, saying essentially that we should respect others, regardless of their sexuality and continuing to say that his idea of a better comic book world is one where diverse characters can be explored without it having to be a big deal. To some this will always be a big deal, but I am glad that the writers who tell the tales of the X-Men can acknowledge that the world is not made up of heterosexual white males. It’s not an agenda, it’s a portrayal of the world as it is. As for me, I think we should hate the sin, but love the sinner. After all, no matter what good we may do, as 1 Corinthians 13 points out, if we don’t have love, we are nothing.

‘Nuff Said!
-Cable