Suicide Squad #32 (1989) and contemporary Middle East politics

Although I pride this blog on featuring a multitude of new stuff instead of reused clip art I once in a while like to feature something from the original that I'm sure most out there don't remember or never knew about in the first place. I've used stuff for postings before from Suicide Squad 32. This was really a great issue for so many reasons. First off it's the Ostrander series and second of all the issue was so true to life in terms of contemporary politics and cultural trends in the Middle East which I consider myself something of an expert in. You can almost tell what's going on by just looking at the faces of the characters from one panel to another. GREAT STUFF!

Left click to enlarge

 I'm posting this as an after thought to the Suicide Squad clip art I started this posting with. This powerful scene comes from Checkmate #1 (Volume#1). I seem to remember a certain commentator here saying "Checkmate was nuthin". I think maybe that certain someone just didn't read enough Checkmate.

John Ostrander on race in America

Suicide Squad #4 (Volume 1) 1989  Hawkworld #27 1992

Just this past weekend I found this Hawkworld issue in a $1 box. Written by John Ostrander and penciled by Jan Duursema it centered around the media savvy white supremacist vigilante White Dragon who tried to pass himself off as a crime fighter. I've actually enjoyed the work that Ostrander and Duursema have done on Hawkman in the past as well: http://suicidesquadtaskforcex.blogspot.com/search?q=hawkman
Because White Dragon was on the Squad during the 2008 mini-series "From the Ashes" I knew that he was William Heller from Suicide Squad #4 of the original series. Despite the under whelming cover art that was probably one of the best comic book issues I've ever read when it came to social commentary stories. The Squad's mission was to discredit William Heller who was doing the same shit but this time with a trick cross bow under the name William Hell who's "crime fighting" only consisted of capturing criminals of color.

John Ostrander & Jan Duursema

As White Dragon, Heller was in at least a couple of Hawkworld issues in which topics like American race relations, democracy and the line between free speech and hate speech are explored. There were some odd inconsistencies in regards to Heller's name and powers between his appearances in both volumes of the Suicide Squad and that of Hawkworld which I don't understand but it's possible there was just some over sights in writing: http://www.catskillcomics.com/JanDuursema/Hawkman/29-12.jpg
Heller was a real piece of shit who used statistics and some cherry picked facts to validate his insidious agenda. But that tactic of manipulation is not something that is practiced exclusively by hard right wingers and reactionaries it's something leftist radicals do as well. Believe me I know I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Did I also mention Heller was a misogynist piece of shit too? Well I'm happy to say he eventually messed with the wrong ma . . . I mean woman with that bullshit who put him in his place . . . permanently. You might say this lady was a real blast for Heller.    http://suicidesquadtaskforcex.blogspot.com/search?q=plastique+suger+tits

Suicide Squad "From the Ashes" 2008 mini-series