Graphic Novels and Politics

Featured

Feb 5

Are graphic novels just a species of low entertainment or can they help us to understand the political forces that animate our life together? The answer is both: certain graphic novels are indeed valuable, and secondly, the best-selling graphic novel of all time, Watchmen, provides important, if troubling, insight into contemporary political concerns.

Preliminary Distinctions

Are comic books and graphic novels the same? My favorite comic as a kid was Spider-Man. Maybe it was his athleticism, maybe it was because he didn’t have such overwhelming “superpowers” that most any conflict a foregone conclusion. The only exception, of course, was when somebody confronted Superman with kryptonite in their back pocket. Even Superheroes have their Achilles Heel.

Although for some, there are no appreciable differences between a comic and a graphic novel, there are, indeed, important distinctions. Sometimes a “graphic novel” is no more than a bound series of a monthly comic; for example, a year’s worth of Captain America. A graphic novel, by contrast, is conceived and developed as a single book from start to finish, and it is artistically expanded to add an additional dimension to the narration. As graphic novels have matured, moreover, they have also acquired greater attention from universities. To be sure, scores of universities now offer graphic novel courses in at least a half dozen disciplines, including literature, political science, philosophy, and art. In 2014, Amazon acquired the digital reading platform “comiXology” so that reading this material in a digital format works remarkably well; some may prefer it to the print versions.

Finally, there is a growing division of so-called “graphic novels,” but these are no more than an illustrated edition of existing works such as 1984 or To Kill A Mockingbird. They are little more than a serious book made into a comic and are of far less value than the original. You might even say that these adaptations are a concession to a generation of weak readers. Besides, good literature should enhance one’s imagination, not supplant it.

The audience for graphic novels has steadily grown in recent decades. Graphic novels are now mainstream and have an impressive readership. The genre is by no means limited to teenagers or the proverbial kid living in his parents’ basement. I recently heard a member of the National Security Council, in discussing civil liberties, begin, “What if someone broke into my house and stole my entire comic collection . . .” Afficionados are found at every age, profession, and socio-economic stratum. Over a third are bought by women, especially as more women are joining the industry as authors and illustrators. One of the best and most influential graphic novels, now a collection of three, were written by Marjane Satrapi about her life in pre-revolutionary and revolutionary Iran. Persepolis I and Persepolis II, and her most recent Women, Life, and Freedom (2024), are all now available in multiple languages.

Who Will Watch the Watchmen?

Will democracy survive? Recent years have not always brought encouragement. In Lincoln’s memorable phrase, the possibility of “government of the people, by the people, for the people” was not a guarantee, but a “proposition” yet to be determined. Lincoln acknowledged that such a political arrangement might yet “perish from the earth. More recently, political philosopher Patrick Deneen has announced that liberal democracy has failed; yet, in a later volume, he struggles to offer a cogent substitute for what he argues we have lost. At the least, Deneen makes an important contribution to serious conversations about whether Lincoln was right to be apprehensive.

In considering the future of democracy, overlooked may be the insight provided by graphic novels, especially the most notable of those, The Watchmen, by author Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The New York Times celebrated its publication by declaring that it marked “the day comics grew up.” Watchmen was immensely influential: it marked the decline of the superhero and the emergence of the anti-hero who operates in a morally ambiguous universe. The latter may still be crime fighters but are more personally conflicted than their predecessors.

Watchmen is not for kids. It is dense and strategically spiced with references to William Blake, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Albert Einstein, the Book of Genesis, and Nietzsche. It often follows a complex narrative style. In the introduction to the 2019 edition, Gibbons reveals, “It all began with Bob Dylan.” He specifically cites Dylan’s 1966 song “Desolation Row” quotes from which are used as the closing lines of the first chapter of Watchmen. The lyrics are a strike against pretension:

At Midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
who knows more than they do
Gibbons continues, “It was a glimpse, a mere fragment of something; something ominous, paranoid and threatening.”

“Desolation Row”

The novel hit the theaters in 2009 with modest success. The 2000’s band “My Chemical Romance,” recorded a chaotic self-promoting punk version of Dylan’s song that is unfortunately used during the film’s closing credits. The band later released the song as a music video. The best that can be said about their cover is that they only attempt three of Dylan’s ten verses. Two other Dylan songs are included in the movie soundtrack: “The Times They Are A’Changin” and the celebrated Jimi Hendrix cover of “All Along the Watchtower.” Both songs are also quoted in the book itself.

Given the importance Gibbons places on “Desolation Row,” it is instructive to consider two stanzas before summarizing the novel and teasing out its political implications. Like many of Dylan’s songs, “Desolation Row” is difficult to interpret, but perhaps easier than some. One passage from Dylan’s composition condemns the effete, compromising, self-serving political leaders during the racial crises of the 60s. This particular stanza apparently refers to a lynching in Dylan’s hometown, which the elected leaders were unwilling to rectify. The “commissioner” of the song is clueless, compromised, and sybaritic.

Here comes the blind commissioner, they’ve got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other is in his pants.

Another intriguing stanza describes the darkening of a culture in which the future is no longer certain, brotherly love is absent, sex is prosaic, and charity is cynical:

Now the moon is almost hidden, the stars are beginning to hide
The fortune telling lady has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel and the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he’s dressing, he’s getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight on Desolation Row

A Multidisciplinary Portrait of National Decay

The narrative, dialogue, artwork, and deft use of color that characterize Watchmen all depict a culture in decline. The novel is set in an alternate history in which the Vietnam War has been won, the 22nd Amendment has been repealed, so that a white-haired Richard Nixon is in his fifth term of office. The tension of the Cold War is central to the plot, as nuclear war seems increasingly likely. The Soviet Union has not only invaded Afghanistan but Pakistan as well. A doomsday clock appears at the introduction of each chapter, ticking inexorably toward catastrophe. A marquee announces a concert featuring two bands who take their names from the Book of Revelation and Nazi history; they are, respectively, “Pale Horse,” and “Krystalnacht.”

An ungrateful population has given their support to the Keene Act of 1977 which restricts the activity of all masked vigilantes but two. With one exception, none of them are “super-heroes” in the Marvel comics tradition; at best, their skills have been honed to a preternatural level. Dr. Manhattan, on the other hand, possesses supernatural power that he acquired as the consequence of a nuclear physics accident in a particle physics test facility in Gila Flats, New Mexico.

Consequently, he exercises “mind over matter;” he can multiply himself, and he transports wherever his whim takes him, sometimes two or three places simultaneously. Though he has lost most of his human warmth, he still enjoys intimacy with Laurie Juspecyzk, a former vigilante herself whom the government has put on retainer to keep Dr. Manhattan “relaxed.” Politically, his atomic character has tipped the nuclear balance in favor of the U.S., at least until it doesn’t.

The plot involves a search for the killer of “The Comedian.” Another vigilante, Rorschach, is conducting the investigation. He wears a white latex mask impregnated with a black viscous material so that his face is a changing series of ink blots. For the amoral Comedian, life is a “joke.” Rorshach, raised by a prostitute and abused by her clients, is a nihilistic ruffian who brutalizes criminals, yet he represents the conscience of the novel.

The fate of the nation is in the hands of the adventurers, masked or retired; Nixon is left in the background. Ultimately, the crisis between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. is resolved by a fabricated nuclear disaster that wipes out half of New York City but elicits sympathy from the Soviets so that both countries resolve to work as allies to ensure nothing similar occurs in the future. The catastrophe is secretly engineered by Adrian Veidt, the retired adventurer “Ozymandias.” He fashions himself the heir to Alexander the Great and Rameses II and his reputation is such that he is still regarded as “The Smartest Man in the World.” He proclaims that he has saved the world from “hell;” his next adventure—beyond the scope of the novel—aspires to create a utopia.”

The manner by which the political crisis in Watchmen is resolved is debatable. It may be a dark derivative of Plato’s “Noble Lie” (γενναῖον ψεῦδος, gennaion pseudos) that Socrates proposes at the end of Chapter 3 of The Republic. He explains that such a device has been useful in other places at various times. It is “nothing unprecedented” and needs “no little persuasion to make it believable.” In the first instance, Socrates proposes some kind of founding myth that will justify the political order and the allocation of authority in the regime, yet he seems to suggest that a “noble lie,” even on a smaller scale, might be useful. Could such an approach save democracy?

On the other hand, perhaps Watchmen depicts Nietzsche’s “overman,” exercising his “will to power” on behalf of a political order headed for ruin. Notably, Nietzsche had only disdain for democracy; the citizens of which he derisively calls “the herd.” It may even be that Plato unknowingly anticipates Nietzsche. Plato’s vocabulary choice for “noble”—“gennaion”—is more subjective than other possibilities; He could have used the more absolute terms for beautiful (kalos καλὸς) or for virtuous (agathon ‘άγάθων). Gennaion most fundamentally means “well-born” but well-born is in the eye of the beholder. Clearly, for Adrian Veidt, Alexander the Great and Ramses II were “well-born.” So, Plato’s discussion of the noble lie may be intended as a warning. After all, in the interest of conveying timeless political principles, Plato employs a great deal of irony in The Republic.

If Watchmen Are The Solution . . .

As the book draws to a close, Veidt, in justifying his deadly “heroism,” reveals one of the sources for the book: Kennedy’s last written but undelivered speech, “Remarks Prepared For Delivery At The Trade Mart in Dallas, TX, November 22, 1963 [Undelivered].” The speech is largely concerned with the threat of the Soviet Union, and the need for the United States to maintain its nuclear strength to deter that of the Soviet Union. It is an exhortation to the country to support that effort and those who lead it. His closing paragraph is telling, the last phrase of which is taken from Psalm 127: 1-2 (KJV).

We in this country, in this generation, are—by destiny rather than choice—the watchmen on the walls of world freedom . . . that we may achieve in our time . . . “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. For as was written long ago: “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

Kennedy notes that “freedom can be lost without a shot being fired,” and he underscores the importance of what he calls the “virtues of freedom.” Watchmen asks whether those “virtues of freedom” are sufficient to sustain democracy or if the political order might need watchmen to survive.

The book concludes with the famous passage from Roman poet Juvenal’s Satires: “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” that is, “Who watches the watchmen?” In other words, if watchmen are the solution for a democracy in crisis, what will be the solution for the watchmen?

These are unpleasant questions, but they are occasioned by the times in which we live.