SAVE THE SUPERHEROES
Contact Michael Netzer
In an age where popular media attention can focus on aggressively promoted deaths of long established comic book characters such as Superman and Captain America, a grass roots movement to save the Superheroes is rising across the comics internet communities worldwide.
Spurred by a rumor of potential candidates for an upcoming sensationalist death in DC Comics Final Crisis series, one comic book artist is trying to make a difference and convince the Warner Brothers owned publisher to stop the needless slaughter of its heroes.
Michael Netzer drew Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Martian Manhunter (J'Onn J'Onzz) and more, during the 1970's. He later moved to Israel and published Israel's first Superhero comic book Uri-On. While not producing any new comics work for more than a decade, he utilizes the internet today to keep abreast of comics industry news and commentary through a strong presence he maintains with his own web site.
Upon hearing that one of the candidates for a coming execution is a character he once drew, The Martian Manhunter, Netzer wrote an open plea to DC Comics, Take Me... But Don't Kill J'Onn, asking them to avert the decision, and even offered his services as an artist to help revive the Superhero in a new storyline.
Gaining support and coverage from comics industry web sites in America and abroad, Netzer transformed the plea into a full blown grass-roots movement to save J'Onn J'Onzz, providing banners, posting supporting comments from around the globe, and beginning a web comments petition to save the Martian Superhero.
Citing the recent sudden death of actor Heath Ledger, who had barely finished filming The Joker role in an upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight, Netzer notes that Warner Bros. and DC Comics officials have said that this will change the marketing thrust of the film so as not to exploit the tragic passing away and loss of the actor:
"I turn again to Paul Levitz, Dan DiDio and the entire family of DC Comics editors, with a plea to learn from the profound lesson which the untimely departure of Heath Ledger teaches us about the promotion and marketing of our real-life heroes... and to apply the same measure of insight into the plans that DC Comic is making for the promotion and marketing of its fictional heroes. The heroes that are loved and heartfelt by comics lovers as themselves being quite real in their relevance to our own world. The heroes that have also become well rooted in our hearts, and in the hearts of comics fandom worldwide."
The movement continues to gain momentum and wide support in comics fandom, and has extended to addressing the redundancy of such drastic sensationalism in comics literature, calling for a more serious and sincere approach to the editorial handling of the Superheroes, that have become a cherished universal cultural mythology.
Michael Netzer
Director
THE MOVEMENT TO SAVE J'ONN J'ONZZ
A partial link-list of comics and entertainment industries coverage.
Comics News Sites:
ComicMix - ComicMix, LLC (U.S.)
Chapulin Productions - News Blog (Spain)
MondoComics - News Blog (Spain)
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20th Century Danny Boy - Commentary (Australia)
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THE COPYRIGHT STUFF
All images courtesy of Michael Netzer
All images and artwork are © copyright 2004 Marvel Comics, © copyright 2004 Continuity, © copyright 2004 DC Comics, © copyright 2004 Michael Netzer - used with the express permission of Michael Netzer
Content on this page is © copyright 2004 Michael Netzer and Daniel Best and cannot be reproduced, reprinted, stored, transmitted (electronically or otherwise) without the express written permission of all relevant parties involved
Interview conducted transcribed by Daniel Best
Interview copyedited by Lyndal Beer and Michael Netzer
All characters, images and text are © their respective companies and owners.
All material © their creators unless noted otherwise noted.
All editorial matter © ACAB Publishing.
Website © 2003; 2004; 2005; 2006; 2007; 2008 ACAB Publishing.
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