Obsessively putting our comics in chronological order since 1985.
| 1992-12-01 00:09:10 |
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Nomad #8
Issue(s): Nomad #8
Cover Date: Dec 92
Title: "City of angels"
Credits:
Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Pat Olliffe - Penciler
Marc McKenna - Inker
Hector Collazo - Assistant Editor
Glenn Herdling - Editor
Review/plot:
No credits are listed for this issue, but they're provided in issue #12.
This issue takes place during the 1992 LA riots. Fabian Nicieza tries to take a balanced look at the situation, starting with the results of the trial of the police officers that were shown on video beating the (unnamed) Rodney King, and letting Nomad's black friend Horizon take the rioters' side...
...but in the end what we have here is a long-haired redneck with a shotgun telling black people what's in their best interest, and that doesn't seem right.
Nomad does manage to do some good during the riots, rescuing people trapped in fires and stuff like that. To Nicieza's credit, he seems to want to do stories about super-heroes getting involved in real world events, like when he showed the West Coast Avengers helping out during the earthquake in Avengers West Coast #58. But fictional super-heroes can't really stop real world events, and when the real world events have a socio-political element, you have to tread more lightly. Take a side and you come off looking sanctimonious. Try to be "balanced" or give a "both sides do it/pox on all houses" view and it seems like you're not really saying anything. Captain America can stop riots when they're secretly instigated by the Red Skull, but dealing with the real thing is more problematic.
Nomad's friends are called the Undergrounders, and one of them is killed by this guy during the riots.
Here's your Mountain Dew cameo for the issue.
Quality Rating: D+
Historical Significance Rating: 1
Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A
References: N/A
Crossover: N/A
Continuity Insert? N
My Reprint: N/A
Inbound References (1): showCharacters Appearing: Bucky (Julia Winter), Ebbtide, Legs, Nomad Previous:
Darkhold #2-4Up:
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Excalibur #59-60
Comments
Nomad's a redneck?
Well, it's said in the lettercols that an inspiration for Nomad's look and the tone of the series is Dead Or Alive by Bon Jovi. So maybe "wannabe redneck"?
Why not "cowboy"?
Something that should be mentioned is that this is Fabian Nicieza's SECOND attempt at talking about the LA Riots. Like this story, he seemed to be trying for a "boths sides are equally bad" approach. Again though it's hard to know if that's his actual stance on the Riots or if it's just one he's utilizing to avoid "offending" anyone.
@Jon-what was the first one?
http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/avengers_341-342.shtml
Yeah, but that was before the LA riots. (Although it was after the Rodney King beating.) It WAS after the Crown Heights riots but the first part was only a few weeks after, so I don't think that was the inspiration.
thats all i got, then. Jon?
Actually the Avengers story WAS what I was refering too. When I read it in real time I saw it as "commentary" on the Rodney King situation. Since that was a while ago, I probably conflated the Rodney King VIDEO with the Rodney King VERDICT.
Nevertheless, even with that mistake, I think my comments above are still applicable.
