The Muslim Batman.

[lars573]

So in the latest tempest in a teacup over a Muslim is fictional this time. Because it's comics, the origins are very convoluted (as only they can be) I'll need to give out some background. I'll try and keep it to a lean paragraph.

Last year Bruce Wayne "died." He didn't actually die he was just sent leap frogging through time by Darkseid's Omega Sanction. In Gotham his role of Batman was eventually taken over by his oldest adopted son Dick Grayson, with his youngest (and natural) son Damian as Robin (5th over all BTW). When Bruce returned from his time hopping adventures. He decided to take Batman global. Publicly declaring that he, Bruce Wayne, had been bankrolling Batman for years. And would now be doing the same for Batmen all over the world. To do this DC used most of the characters from the "Batmen of all nations story" from the 50's. And in the case of the Hong Kong Batman, Batgirl II is the one in the suit. Also creating some all new characters.

Knight and Squire - Great Britain
The Hood - Great Britain
El Gaucho - Argentina
Nightrunner - France
Batwing - Mtamba, Africa
Blackbat - Hong Kong
Mr. Unknown II - Japan
Dark Ranger II - Australia
Wingman II - Sweden

So where does the controversy, and that Muslim Batman I spoke of come in? Nightrunner is where. He's Bilal Asselah, a French Algerian Parkour runner. Because he's a muslim youth from urban Paris. And not as one blogger put "a proper Frenchman."

Here's an interview with the writer who came up with him:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/01/...world-service/
Here's another story with some of the blogger jabs at DC for creating the character:
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/12/...-batman-jibes/

The author claims they made Nightrunner a Muslim kid is because Parkour runners are usually ethnic minorities in France. And if that's even remotely true (Louis HELP!) I'll go with it. But said author is David Hine, and Englishman.

After all this a joke about the whole thing.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Hawkman is a well know rightwing windbag.

[Slyspy]

World Politics?

[Subotan]

A fictional Frenchman who isn't a beret wearing, foie gras eating, accordion playing stereotype?!?!?!??!

HNNNNNNNNNGG

[lars573]

DC already has one of those. Monsieur Mallah, oh wait he's super intelligent Gorilla. Never mind.

[Hax]

EDIT: Removed hotlinked image. BG

And here I was, thinking we were talking about that guy...oh well.

[Ronin]

comic books....serious business.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Props to the comic authors for getting the character right! “Not a proper Frenchman” of Algerian descent, fits urban Paris perfectly, right?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Props to the comic authors for getting the character right! “Not a proper Frenchman” of Algerian descent, fits urban Paris perfectly, right?

Yeah, it really hit the French prejudice button just right.

[lars573]

Wanna hear a great character bit about Bilal? He decided to become a super hero after his best friend was shot to death by the police. After said friend set fire to the police station.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Meh, one third of French citizens born are non-white. Young urban French life is majority non-white in nearly all cities over 100k inhabitants. Paris itself is a few wealthy arrondissements with some Frenchmen, and some Frenchmen in the southern and western quiet sleepy suburbs. Otherwise, the city is Jewish, North African (some areas ever since the early 20th century), gypsie, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Chinese, Black, expat, plus import French from all over.

Young 'French' Parisians are either upper class, and busy thenmselves with their posh lycées and ballet lessons and littérature. Or they are lower class, and as such a minority without the cultural self-assuredness of their upper and middle class compatriots, and have therefore succumbed to the same 'urban' culture as their African compatriots. Lower class French culture in the cities is increasingly indistuingishable from Black and Beur urban culture. They wear the same clothes, speak the same barbarian French, listen to the same rap and Yello and whatever.

In a sense, the lower class mimicks the upper class in its cosmopolitanism and easygoing intercultural exchange. It is the French middle class which is left feeling estranged, which is alone, neither naturally cosmopolitan like the upper class, nor willing to adopt a multicultural urban culture like the lower class.

Wanna hear a great character bit about Bilal? He decided to become a super hero after his best friend was shot to death by the police. After said friend set fire to the police station.

This is so unrealistic this entire comic book becomes offensive!

..Nobody gets shot in France for burning down a police station.

[Skullheadhq]

..Nobody gets shot in France for burning down a police station.

Quel dommage!

[Subotan]

Nobody gets shot in France for burning down a police station.

No, they get chased into transformers and electrocuted instead

[Ronin]

will 'pork man' be the main antagonist? :P

[Rhyfelwyr]

Wanna hear a great character bit about Bilal? He decided to become a super hero after his best friend was shot to death by the police. After said friend set fire to the police station.

lmao

[Louis VI the Fat]

No, they get chased into transformers and electrocuted instead

It's not the police's fault these guys never went to school, never learned that 200K volt is deady, and that they break into a five centimeter thick locked door with a meter high sign saying 'deadly danger, keep out'.

They were not even chased either. They simply started running when the police discovered they had broken into a construction site.

[lars573]

will 'pork man' be the main antagonist? :P

Unlikely he'll have any sort of antagonist. As that imply he won't be shoved in a drawer once this story line wraps in a year or so. Not to be trotted out again until some writer needs some brains to be splattered against a wall for shock value.

[HoreTore]

It's not the police's fault these guys never went to school, never learned that 200K volt is deady, and that they break into a five centimeter thick locked door with a meter high sign saying 'deadly danger, keep out'.

They were not even chased either. They simply started running when the police discovered they had broken into a construction site.

I heard a similar story once, from my electrics teacher. In his case, it was making jokes about silly maids who try to dust fuse cabinets causing all manner of danger.



He didn't show up for class the next week. He was at the hospital with a burned arm. After he had been careless and touched a non-isolated part in a high-voltage fuse cabinet.

The question is, Louis; will we hear from you next week?

[Louis VI the Fat]

No, no. The question is: did your entire school start burning down cars and ambulances and post offices for weeks on end in 'retaliation' for one of yours having won the Darwin Award by his own stupidity?

[Crazed Rabbit]

I'm sure all those cars and ambulances were all part of the vast construction site conspiracy, and that the 'emergencies' those ambulances were going to were really dropping off construction agent infiltrators.

CR

[HoreTore]

No, no. The question is: did your entire school start burning down cars and ambulances and post offices for weeks on end in 'retaliation' for one of yours having won the Darwin Award by his own stupidity?

Once again: Oh come on.

You know perfectly well that what you described was the catalyst, not the cause.

Or are you one of those who believe that this years arab uprising happened just because some random guy set himself on fire?

[Fragony]

I blame modernity, if France was a medieval society without electricity it wouldn't have happened

[al Roumi]

Anyone noticed what cutewolf posted - that guy is called "Batman son of Superman".

Put that in your gay hating pipe and smoke it hawk man!

[Hax]

Anyone noticed what cutewolf posted - that guy is called "Batman son of Superman".

Hello. I am not Indonesian.

Thank you.

[al Roumi]

Hello. I am not Indonesian.

Thank you.

Neither am I, but "Batman Bin Suparman" is basicaly Arabic (or at least Bin is) -which I did think you speak. Bin being Ibn, or "son of". Could well be wrong but looks v similar to me.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Neither am I, but "Batman Bin Suparman" is basicaly Arabic (or at least Bin is) -which I did think you speak. Bin being Ibn, or "son of". Could well be wrong but looks v similar to me.

I think Crazy Moor meant he is not Cute wolf.

[Hax]

I think Crazy Moor meant he is not Cute wolf.

Which is exactly what I was getting at, infide -- I mean, fellow..European..person.